10 Most Random WWE Appearances

2. James Storm Is NXT

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WWE.com

No wrestling booker has ever had it as easy as 'Papa H'.

Nowadays, as "head" of WWE creative, he benefits from the curve that was Vince McMahon's WWE. A very good if wasteful job of the inherited Bloodline saga has elevated him to the status of God amongst fans, and now, he has it even better. If something good happens on WWE television, he gets the credit, but if it's bad or bang f*cking average, well, that's Vince.

Vince must have ripped up the segment that called for an awesome unscripted promo for which WWE didn't have to pipe in noise this Monday.

Triple H was an actually good booker in NXT, even if the brand never surged with a must-see energy week-to-week. His cyclical formula was robust:

Sign and parade an internationally honed talent that didn't require a Performance Center education.

Book them to win a lot and then win the title in the most basic arc imaginable.

Watch as they get called up before the fans tire of them, satisfied that he didn't have to do reheat anybody.

Sign and parade an internationally honed talent that didn't require a Performance Center education.

While robust, it was no guarantee of success; Triple H pushed his luck on one occasion by attempting to sign everybody, whether the fruit basket-happy r/SquaredCircle lot liked them or not. They weren't that into James Storm, who got the full works of the incoming superstar presentation, and he was never seen again.

Why point at and "develop" somebody if you don't get over by osmosis?!

Contributor
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!