5 WWE and AEW Superstars Triple H and Stephanie McMahon apologized to and why

In the past few years, Triple H and his wife, Stephanie McMahon, apologized to a few WWE and AEW Superstars for different reasons.

Triple H and Stephanie currently hold executive positions in WWE. The Game is the Chief Operating Officer of Vince McMahon's company. He is also the man in charge of running NXT. Stephanie, on the other hand, is the Chief Brand Officer.

The couple's executive positions had previously put them in situations where they had to apologize to certain wrestlers. Their apologies came for different reasons, including signing a talent late, mistreating a legend, and even capturing a wrestler on camera during a WWE event.

While Triple H and Stephanie have apologized to a few wrestlers in public, others have received their apologies in private. Nonetheless, they later spoke about them in interviews.

Here are five WWE/AEW Superstars Triple H and Stephanie McMahon apologized to and why.

#5. Former WWE Superstar Mercedes Martinez

Former NXT Superstar Mercedes Martinez kicked off her wrestling career 21 years ago. However, she made her first WWE appearance in 2017, competing in the first edition of the Mae Young Classic tournament. Martinez then competed in a couple of matches on NXT before participating again in the second edition of the Mae Young Classic in 2018.

Following her elimination from the tournament, the 40-year-old disappeared from WWE television. She later competed in a few matches in AEW before returning to Vince McMahon's company in January 2020 to officially join NXT.

As she returned to WWE, the experienced wrestler received an apology from Triple H. The Game believed WWE should have signed the 40-year-old years earlier.

"When I got hired and I finally got to sit down and talk to him [Triple H], or stand up, I guess, because we were standing up while we were talking. It was more like him saying, 'Sorry it took us so long to get you here. It was just never the right timing to bring Mercedes in. We always wanted you but there was just never the right time. We didn’t know what to do with you' and I was like, 'No,' I was like, 'I’m just glad to be here now. What is my role now to be here?'" Martinez revealed in an interview with DNC Digital.

Despite Triple H's apology, Mercedes Martinez spent only a year and eight months in WWE. The company released her from her contract last August. She recently joined IMPACT wrestling.

#4. Former WWE Divas Champion Paige

Paige is another former WWE Superstar who has received an apology from WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H.

The former Divas Champion had to retire in 2018 at a young age due to injury. In January 2020, Triple H addressed the possibility of Paige returning to the ring:

"I’m a fan just like everyone else. I would love to see [Edge or Paige] step into the ring and compete. More importantly than that, though, I would like to see them live long, healthy lives," Triple H said during a media scrum.

The Game then made a joke about Paige that sparked outrage from within the industry. Following his comments, Paige took to Twitter to express her displeasure towards Triple H's comment. The Anti-Diva then dubbed the joke inappropriate in an interview with Sportskeeda.

The King of Kings then posted a public apology for the former Divas Champion on Twitter.

"I’ve reached out to @RealPaigeWWE to apologize. I made a terrible joke and I’m sorry if it offended her or anyone else," he wrote.

Paige recently teased a return to the ring through a few Twitter posts. The 29-year-old has not competed since December 2017.

#3. AEW Women's World Champion Britt Baker

AEW Women's Champion Britt Baker has been dating former WWE NXT Champion Adam Cole for a few years. Although she joined AEW in January 2019, she continued to attend WWE events to support her boyfriend.

The 30-year-old attended an NXT event two years ago when the camera caught her shocked reaction to Cole taking a nasty bump. Soon after, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon rushed to apologize to the AEW Star.

"So I’m in my seat. Everything’s good (...) and it wasn’t until the very end, he took this disgusting bump at the top of the cage. I don’t even know where the camera was because I was looking in the ring. I didn’t even know until I got backstage in gorilla. I went to check in on Adam, and Triple H came up right away saying, ‘sorry, we didn’t mean for that to happen.’ I’m kind of like wait, what? He’s like, ‘yeah, we got you on camera with your reaction to the bump. I’m so sorry. They didn’t know.’ The head production didn’t know who you were," she said on Talk is Jericho.

Baker also revealed that Stephanie apologized to her, too. Triple H and Stephanie were worried about getting the AEW Star in trouble with her boss, Tony Khan. Nonetheless, the latter did not care, as Baker revealed.

"I was the top Google search of that show, the entire NXT show was Britt Baker because of that one little blip they showed on TV," she added.

Adam Cole recently left WWE to join his girlfriend in AEW. He is currently on a five-match winning streak.

#2. WWE Color Commentator Pat McAfee

In July 2020, former WWE NXT Champion Adam Cole made an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. During the show, McAfee laughed at Cole for calling himself The King of NXT. He also mocked Cole's height and told him that his Undisputed Era teammates are more talented than him.

The former NXT Champion got frustrated with McAfee's comments. He cursed out McAfee, broke his recording equipment, and pushed his producer before storming out.

A few days later, Adam Cole apologized for his actions on Twitter. WWE COO Triple H also made an appearance on McAfee's show to address the incident. He apologized to the former NFL player.

"I apologize for Adam coming on your show. He is the nicest guy in the world. He comes on your show, there’s an interaction where I believe Adam is being a little overly sensitive and you being Pat McAfee, a professional button pusher – you needle people for a living. I didn’t ask him to put out an apology or do anything. He’s a grown man responsible for his own actions," Triple H said to McAfee.

In August 2020, McAfee went head-to-head with Adam Cole at NXT TakeOver XXX but came up short. McAfee is currently a color commentator on SmackDown, alongside Michael Cole.

#1. WWE legend Mickie James

WWE recently released Mickie James from her contract. Following her departure last April, the company sent the former Women's Champion her belongings in a black trash bag, which the 42-year-old posted a photo of on Twitter.

The trash bag photo sparked a lot of outrage among fans and wrestlers as well. Several former WWE Superstars tweeted that they had been treated the same way in the past.

Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon was quick to respond to Mickie James' tweet. She issued a public apology to the six-time Women's Champion.

"@MickieJames I am embarrassed you or anyone else would be treated this way. I apologize personally and on behalf of @WWE. The person responsible is no longer with our company," Stephanie wrote.

Triple H also addressed Mickie James' tweet, revealing that the company had taken immediate action towards the person responsible for the disrespectful treatment of the released superstars.

Mickie James is one of the greatest WWE Superstars in history. She had two runs in Vince McMahon's company, during which she became a six-time Women's Champion. She is also a three-time TNA Knockouts Champion. The 42-year-old recently returned to IMPACT Wrestling.