Gangrel was nowhere to be found when Adam Copeland brought back his Brood character at WrestleMania 39—and he believes Triple H may have been the person who killed the idea.
Speaking on Insight With Chris Van Vliet, Gangrel stressed that he does not know exactly who rejected the appearance. However, he suspects Paul “Triple H” Levesque may have been behind the decision, despite others blaming Vince McMahon.
“I’m not sure, but I think maybe it might have been Hunter. Some people said Vince, but I think it might have been Hunter. Somebody kiboshed it.”
Copeland faced Finn Balor inside Hell in a Cell at WrestleMania 39 and entered as “Brood Edge,” complete with Slayer’s “South of Heaven,” a coat featuring Gangrel and Christian, and Gangrel’s Impaler DDT during the match. Gangrel said Copeland was pushing hard to get him involved, but WWE officials apparently had little interest in making it happen.
“In Edge’s mind, yes, he was trying hard. But in their minds, no, I don’t think so.”
Copeland previously revealed that he repeatedly pitched Gangrel’s return but was told fans would not remember him. Gangrel confirmed that explanation was passed along to him, although he believes WWE was not telling the entire story.
“That’s what they said. That’s what he said. But I think there’s a little bit more to it. I don’t know what it is, but I think it was a little bit more.”
Gangrel’s suspicion comes from another WWE deal that collapsed just as it appeared ready to be completed. He owns the federal trademark for the Gangrel name, which WWE originally licensed from role-playing game publisher White Wolf. According to Gangrel, everything was nearly finalized before someone inside WWE suddenly demanded a letter from White Wolf confirming that he was allowed to use the name.
“I’m not going to mention the person in the office, but it was all lined up. It was right down to the final things. Then, when the last of it should be signed, they came to me and said, ‘Do you have a letter from White Wolf saying that you can use the name and that they relinquish the name to you?’”
Gangrel argued that WWE’s lawyers could easily see that he owned the registered trademark, but the conversation ended after he admitted he did not have a separate letter from White Wolf.
“You have lawyers after lawyers. They clearly could see that I have the trademark and the registration and all that stuff. They were like, ‘No, you don’t have a letter?’ I said, ‘No,’ and then I never heard back from them again.”
That experience left Gangrel convinced there was a deeper reason WWE wanted nothing to do with bringing him back.
“It’s something weird. There’s a little bit more to it. Maybe you can figure it out with your investigative journalism and tell me.”
Gangrel admitted a WWE return would still be appealing because of the money and exposure, but he is not sitting around waiting for the phone to ring.
“It would be great to go back in some form or fashion and do something. Of course, that would be awesome. I’m sure the money’s great, and it gives you longevity to be on that powerful television. But at the same time, I’ve been busier than I’ve ever been. I wrestle more than I wrestled.”
Copeland eventually left WWE and joined AEW later in 2023. Gangrel said Copeland made sure to bring him into an AEW storyline because he had more control over his presentation.
“He’s a guy who wants to have his way. Don’t tell him no on something, because he’s going to figure it out. In AEW, he had me come back and come up to the ring. He wanted it, and I think he talked to House of Black, and they thought it would be cool too. He had a lot of creative control there. He orchestrated all that and brought it together.”
Gangrel said the Young Bucks were also responsible for his 2022 AEW Rampage appearance, while Matt Hardy brought him into the Hardy Compound storyline during the pandemic. For Gangrel, those appearances happened because the wrestlers he worked with never forgot what he contributed to their careers.
“I’ve been blessed to have good relationships with guys who were part of the New Brood and the Brood. They’ve always tried to give back to me in their own ways and help out. They’re amazing individuals.”
Copeland clearly wanted Gangrel beside him at WrestleMania 39, but somebody inside WWE shut the door. Gangrel cannot prove Triple H made the call, but years later, he still believes the explanation about fans not remembering him was covering up something else.
Do you think WWE should have brought Gangrel back for Copeland’s Brood entrance at WrestleMania 39? Let us know in the comments.
