AEW Star On Positive Changes Triple H And Stephanie McMahon Brought To WWE

The WWE Universe was shocked when Stephanie McMahon announced her resignation as co-CEO and Chairwoman of the company on Tuesday. Following her abrupt exit, major leadership changes unfolded as Vince McMahon received a unanimous election to become Executive Chairman of the Board, and Stephanie's former co-Ceo, Nick Khan, became the sole CEO.

Paul "Triple H" Levesque has kept hold of his position as Chief Content Officer, but with Vince's accelerated course back into the company, many fans have predicted his possible next order of business — taking back creative control. With Vince's return officially underway, some internal concern and confusion has arisen, in comparison to the rather positive regard the previous regime maintained.

Former WWE Tag Team Champion and current AEW star Matt Hardy recently echoed those reports, revealing the general consensus amongst the WWE locker room — who he still keeps in touch with — about the reign of Stephanie, Khan, and Levesque following Vince's retirement last July. 

"They just said you wouldn't believe how different it is," Hardy explained on "The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy" podcast. "They want you to be at work on time. They want you to work hard. It's still a pretty grueling schedule, so to say. They still do the wellness test, all of that is the same, but just the feeling of there's not as much intimidation when you're not walking on eggshells quite as much."

"It just you feel a lot more safe and sound," he said. "Being there currently, it's just a much more laid-back environment. That's what I've heard overwhelmingly."

Hardy admitted he wasn't surprised by the environmental change as he believes Vince "wants people to fear him" when he's in charge. "He wants people to be intimidated by him."