WWE communications executive Chris Legentil relishes expanded role in talent relations

WWE’s Chris Legentil won’t be in the spotlight at the upcoming WrestleMania in Las Vegas, but the results of his work will be hard to miss.

In the rare dual role of executive vice president of talent relations and head of communications, it’s Legentil’s job to do everything from hype WWE events to negotiate contracts with talent.

The role is not for the fainthearted, requiring him to attend more than 80 events a year, roaming the corridors behind the black curtain, knowing when to say yes to a contract request and how best to deliver a no.

In the words of WWE President Nick Khan, it takes someone like Legentil, who is always on.

Khan was co-head of television and a sports media agent for CAA prior to being named president of WWE in 2020. Legentil was among Khan’s first big hires. He brought him on board in 2021 as senior vice president and head of communications, impressed with Legentil’s work in media relations and communications for DAZN. The two also shared the common bond of having attended public schools — Khan in Las Vegas and Legentil in New Jersey.

“You could sense ambition in Chris in the most positive way,” Khan said. “Chris was working in a pizza shop around 15 years ago. I’ve often found that those of us who come from humble beginnings are grateful to be in the conversation and to get the opportunities that Chris has earned.”

“You could sense ambition in Chris in the most positive way. Chris was working in a pizza shop around 15 years ago. I’ve often found that those of us who come from humble beginnings are grateful to be in the conversation and to get the opportunities that Chris has earned.”

—  WWE President Nick Khan

Indeed, Legentil reflects back on those days baking pizzas at Pompilio’s in Westwood, N.J., at first short on career aspirations but learning valuable lessons that would guide him in the years ahead. “It turns out a lot of what you learn in the service industry, at a pizzeria, applies in a corporate setting,” he said. “Understanding a customer. Thinking quickly. Juggling several items at once. There is no substitute for hard work.”

At age 25, Legentil was managing the pizzeria until a local attorney invited him to work in his office. The result was a more serious approach to school and work goals. Legentil graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Rowan University in New Jersey, and departed the restaurant for a role as an account executive with Ketchum in 2008. Over the next 10 years, he worked his way through the sports industy with communications and media relations roles at Showtime, the NBA and DAZN, at which he was introduced to Khan by John Skipper and Jamie Horowitz.

Khan sees comms as more than marketing, but as a revenue driver. So when Legentil joined him at WWE and later started passing along articles about cities paying host fees for sports and entertainment events, Khan told him to jump on a plane and see if he could explore similar deals for WWE. Khan told him, “You’re the PR person; you understand what all of our talking points are, how much economic impact we bring to these cities. Just go and talk to them.”

The deals with WWE soon followed. Recent highlights include Indianapolis, which will host WWE premium live events Royal Rumble, SummerSlam and WrestleMania; and Perth, Australia, which was the site of Elimination Chamber in February. The Greater Orlando Sports Commission is seeking an $18 million grant that over multiple years would in part be used to attract WWE events.

During an earnings call in February, executives with WWE parent company TKO Group, which also controls UFC, said site fees became a new revenue contributor in 2024. Now, about one-third of WWE and UFC marquee live events attract the fees, including this month’s WrestleMania at Allegiant Stadium and SummerSlam at MetLife Stadium in August. A source told Sports Business Journal that seven-figure site fees are now common.

Legentil’s travel to WWE live events as head of communications built deeper ties with talent, who respected someone who could keep up with their road warrior travel schedules and was accessible. Khan realized an opportunity for Legentil to have an expanded role.

In May 2024, Legentil moved to his current position. It’s unusual in professional wrestling for someone other than former talent to end up in a talent relations position. But as Paul “Triple H” Levesque describes it, communication is a huge part of the job.

“Chris is an excellent communicator,” said Levesque, WWE’s chief content officer. “He knows how to handle things in a way where he can diplomatically tell people the things that they don’t want to hear, and he can enthusiastically tell them things that they do want to hear. That’s what makes him great at that new role.”

“He’s a guy that gets them answers. He’s not a guy that’s blocking them or running interference so they don’t have to talk to Nick or me. He’s the guy that’s getting answers for them and is a guy they can trust.”

—  WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque

It’s Legentil who matches talent with sponsor opportunities, public appearances, community events and media interviews, and carries out Levesque’s vision for storylines by putting the right talent in place.

No doubt, Legentil was green on negotiating contracts. It’s Legentil, Levesque, Khan and the talent in the room during those talks. WWE has about 200 “Superstars” under contract across its NXT developmental property, “SmackDown” and “Raw” brands. It held more than 150 events on the road in 2024.

Khan said Legentil had a smart approach to talent, similar to how he did with comms, in which early on he would mainly listen and observe, and then as he gained experience, share his point of view and ultimately run the meetings.

Levesque says talent now sees Legentil as a liaison. “He’s a guy that gets them answers. He’s not a guy that’s blocking them or running interference so they don’t have to talk to Nick or me. He’s the guy that’s getting answers for them and is a guy they can trust.”

Said second-generation WWE talent Cody Rhodes, “Having grown up around the business, talent relations has always been a tricky needle to thread. Where Chris stands out is his ability to see the whole board. He has a clear understanding of Nick and Paul’s collective visions for the company and how to create relationships with the talent in a way that we can all work together to take the company to new heights.”

For Legentil, it boils down to being there. “WWE runs 52 weeks a year. We’re always together, and that impacts the approach with talent. Sometimes you have great news to deliver; sometimes the news isn’t as great. With every interaction, we want to be respectful and equitable because there is a lot to get done each week and we want everyone rowing in the same direction. In four years here, I’m constantly impressed by our Superstars. They are talented and tireless.”

On talent relations, Legentil works alongside WWE veteran Matt Altman. Two talent relations reps are assigned to Raw and two to SmackDown. That’s in addition to talent business affairs and talent operations teams at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Conn.

On the communications side, Legentil leans on Greg Domino and Chuck Kingsbury, a pair of “sports industry PR pros” he recruited when he joined WWE. Domino worked at HBO Sports, DAZN, Showtime Sports and MLB, while Kingsbury worked at HBO Sports, NBC Sports and the New York Jets. Legentil credits WWE’s communications team of five for making a smooth transition to his expanded role.

So where does the 41-year-old Legentil go from here? As for now, he’s focused heavily on making the most of WWE’s deal with Netflix for Raw and the company’s continued push globally. For example, March featured three consecutive weeks of Raw and SmackDown tapings in Europe. He’s also focused on continuing to grow WWE’s premium live events, including its biggest, WrestleMania, on April 19 and 20.

“When you work for and with Nick and Paul, they create an environment where the default is yes,” Legentil said. “How can we get this done? How can we do this bigger? And why put limits on yourself or our collective ambitions when no limits are being put on you?”

Khan sees nothing but upside for Legentil’s role with WWE.

“Our philosophy at WWE is if there’s no job that you find beneath you, then there’s no job that’s above you and out of your reach,” Khan said. “The sky is the limit for Chris.”