During the post-SummerSlam press conference, Paul “Triple H” Levesque addressed the recent criticism that it’s always the same people who are in the top spot in WWE, defending the decisions that the company is currently taking with its top stars.

“If you’re the guy that wants to take the spot, it’s frustrating when there’s guys above you that have the spot, and that’s the thing,” Levesque told the press. “We’re in a period of time where there’s a lot of top performers in top spots that over time have earned those spots and are selling tickets and are incredibly popular. So you really have to do something.”

Levesque shot down the narrative of, “it’s my turn, I’ve been here for a while,” saying that there are no turns and this is not how it works in this business.

“You earn a spot, believe me. If somebody is getting over more than somebody else, we move that person into the spot, move the other person down,” he said.

He noted that getting a crowd reaction is not enough as they have to assess if they’re going to hold up their own and withstand the pressure that comes along being in the top spot.

“I love the fact that sometimes talent are like, ‘Well, it’s frustrating.’ Great. That means work harder. Get yourself there. Figure it out. Figure the way. Figure how it gets done. I’ve seen a million talent succeed because of what they do. Not because of storyline or creative that, ‘They gave them the spot.’ 99% of the time in this business, the person gets over then gets the push. That’s how it works. That’s how it’s supposed to work,” he continued.

Levesque said that whenever asks why they’re not in that top spot, he asks if they’re more over than Cody Rhodes, more over than Roman Reigns, more over than CM Punk, more over than Liv Morgan, or more over than Iyo Sky.

“I love that mentality because I think it makes people work harder, and if they’re not willing to work to get the spot, then you shouldn’t have it anyway,” he concluded.