Triple H Takes Shot At AEW
We are the alternative-uh.
In a recent interview with Yahoo! Sports, Triple H grabbed the shovel and poured some soil over the head of All Elite Wrestling.
As part of WWE's ongoing quest to take over the entirety of the pro wrestling landscape, Triple H has rubbished AEW's rhetoric that it is providing not competition but an "alternative" to WWE.
"They’re going out and saying that they’re an alternative. [NXT was] that alternative 5 years ago. We opened the door to show people that it can be done on a bigger level. As far as being the alternative, great, go put on the best show you can and we’ll put out the best one we can."
Author's note:
A "bigger level" is debatable.
TakeOver events draw considerable gates (and even more critical acclaim), but the pay scale is (or was) not commensurate with the main roster. There's a sense of dress-up about those five Saturday nights per year, too. Network viewing figures indicate that the weekly NXT show isn't perceived as a true main roster alternative, and that, arguably, is because it isn't. The show is formatted in a similar to the flagship, and is likewise heavily produced (in verbal segments and in-ring). That "bigger level" was in a decent position to reach, given NXT's disproportionate financing. It is (or was) a loss leader that could not exist as an alternative without the backing of its own "competition".
Moreover, NXT isn't a touring brand. The UK Download festival and the Florida loop hardly counts as a self-sustaining enterprise.
TL;DR - Triple H is talking b*llocks, condescendingly.