10 Things To Expect With Triple H Running WWE Creative

10. What Goes On In NXT Matters

Purportedly like Las Vegas, these days it's very much a case of what happens in NXT, stays in NXT.

Fans have long grown tired of spending months, sometimes years investing in an NXT talent and watching their journey of development, only to then have all of said development erased from history. Look at poor LA Knight right now.

Already a polished act upon landing in NXT in 2021, fans eventually got used to the new moniker for the former Eli Drake. From there, his ever-engaging mic work and stellar in-ring game saw Knight become one of the most popular acts on the brand, with many eager to see the one-time Million Dollar Champion's career progress on the main roster.

Here we are, with the electric LA Knight persona a thing of the past, and the unfortunate fella tasked with titillating juices as Max Dupri. Reportedly now removed from his own Maximum Male Models group, it remains to be seen what's next for this ridiculously charismatic star, and many are hopeful that he may have the chance to revert to his LA Knight mantle on Raw or SmackDown.

Away from Knight, there's countless other examples of WWE opting to completely ignore so much of what made a character connect in NXT. Look at Shayna f**king Baszler, Karrion Kross, Keith Lee, Pete Dunne, Viking Raiders, Dominik Dijakovic. Hell, go back and look at what they did with Bo Dallas and Adrian Neville. And these are just the tip of the iceberg.

With Triple H in charge, one has to presume that more respect will be put on the NXT name, and that called-up talent will remain in-tune with how they were presented in the company's developmental arm.

Authored by Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

Posted On: 26th Jul 2022

In this post:

Johnny Gargano Triple H