10 Bold Predictions For Wrestling In 2021

7. Triple H Is Removed From Mainland NXT Creative

El Generico
WWE.com

Vince McMahon is ruthless.

If you think he won't ostracise or demote his own son-in-law, consider that he moved his own daughter away from creative once upon a time. He allowed Pat Patterson, his most effective and influential lieutenant, to drift away from the room - at which point it all went to sh*t, incidentally. He keeps himself very close to Bruce Prichard in 2020, per reports, but he f*cked him off as well, back in 2008.

NXT is just about functioning to achieve its core objective of stifling AEW Dynamite's numbers to below 1 million. But that's hardly a glowing appraisal of Triple H's ability to take the very company itself forward: his heavy metal workrate vision for WWE hasn't engaged younger audiences, at all, and if you're a shareholder, you're likely worried about WWE's long-term prospects.

It's not just the Wednesday test Triple H has failed; his recruitment model feels increasingly like he has spent too long CTRL+F'ing the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for asterisks without considering which performers are best-suited to selling stories with promos across the episodic TV cycle.

Short of the seismic blow-up predicted last year - Triple H did passive-aggressively "like" some tweets burying Vince in a development that really should have been a bigger news story - it's not at all unlikely that Trips will be asked to focus on his international expansion strategy.

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Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!