8 Ups & 6 Downs From Triple H's WWE (So Far)
6. Gunther
This was already going better than anybody could have expected before Vince McMahon resigned in disgrace, but Gunther's time on the main roster - and particularly as Intercontinental Champion - since Triple H took over has yielded WWE's best match of the year, several supremely strong television encounters, and splinter feuds with Imperium that have gotten others over as some of the biggest babyfaces on SmackDown.
It's a tremendously impressive CV made even better by what might have been had McMahon not been given the heave-ho. Rumours swirled of a rote anti-America gimmick coming the titleholder's way, which speaks to the short-terminism that had cursed the company and countless talents for years.
It's not to say Gunther couldn't have rolled with these specific new punches, but it's far more satisfying to see him not have to. The thriving SmackDown star has elevated the status of the secondary strap beyond anything it's been in years - doing the all-important show-not-tell trick about five thousand Intercontinental Champions failed to do before him.