If you would have suggested five years ago that the most influential person in the history of women's wrestling would be Triple H, you would have been laughed at and mocked, the target of ridicule at the hands of your fellow wrestling fans. But here we are in a day and age in which women's wrestling is as hot as it has ever been on a national stage, thanks to the COO of WWE's recognition of the company's underutilized women and determination to see to it that changed. Not only has he crafted the NXT into the hottest brand in wrestling, home to the most promising developmental talents and popular independent standouts, he has made it into destination programming for fans of women's wrestling. From Charlotte to Paige, Becky Lynch to Bayley and Sasha Banks, he has allowed the female performers to develop characters and in-ring styles all their own and, more importantly, provided them the stage and time to prove to the world that they could deliver a match every bit as good as those their male counterparts were. After Match of the Year candidates involving Banks earned the acclaim of even the harshest WWE critics, The Game made the decision to take the proper use of women to the next level, signing Japanese sensation Kana and booking Banks against Bayley in a 30-Minute Iron Man match for TakeOver: Respect. In doing so, he has demonstrated that he is absolutely serious about making NXT and WWE home to the absolute best women's competition on the planet.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.