Leading up to WrestleMania weekend, WWE CCO Paul Levesque spent media time taking shots at his rival and wrestlers that chose not to sign with WWE. He then put himself front and center on both nights of WrestleMania. Obviously, WWE needs to publicly move away from Vince McMahon, so during Paul Heyman’s Hall of Fame speech, he coined “The Triple H Era,” and WWE reinforced that concept over and over during their time in Philadelphia.

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Levesque came out at the beginning of both shows; on Night 2, he brought out wife, Stephanie McMahon, in her first public appearance since being named as Corporate Officer #3 in the lawsuit against her father, John Laurinaitis, and WWE. After the main event, Levesque came to the ring alongside Bruce Prichard (who Ronda Rousey called Vince’s “avatar” while he was “retired”) to celebrate with Cody Rhodes. It was at the new champion’s request, but it still felt like Levesque basking in the spotlight. Nick Khan, Corporate Officer #1, was ringside as well, and Rhodes hugged him, too.

“Raw” opened with more Levesque. With his old entrance music blaring, he came out to much fanfare; the fans chanted “Thank you, Hunter.” He also came to the ring before the brand new champion. It should have been Rhodes’ night and yet, Levesque overshadowed him.

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For WWE and TKO, separating the companies from Vince on screen is important. Fans are familiar with Levesque and he’s built up a lot of good will. On the other hand, he is Vince’s son-in-law; he’s married to Corporate Officer #1; he works in close proximity to Corporate Officers #1 and #2. The Janel Grant lawsuit will continue to hang over WWE like a black cloud, and rightfully so considering the heinous acts that are alleged to have been committed in WWE’s corporate offices. During the post-show press conference on Sunday, Levesque admitted that Brock Lesnar is still employed by WWE, despite having been pulled from television following his own identification in the lawsuit.

Vince may be physically gone from TV, but he remains in the shadows, no matter how much WWE and TKO deny it. Calling this “The Triple H Era” is a reminder of the alleged crimes, not a disavowal of them.

Written by Samantha Schipman