10 Red Flags For The Future Of Triple H's WWE
WWE and the problem with rose coloured glasses making red flags just look like flags.
WWE is a better product under Triple H than it was before Vince McMahon resigned in disgrace.
It is.
That said, this won't be some gushing hyperbolic celebratory article about 'The Game' has saved the entire industry or anything. Paul Levesque is just another exorbitantly wealthy man booking shows, not unlike his Father-In-Law or his nearest current rival across the pro wrestling divide. But as Tony Khan also proved with striking ease upon the launch of All Elite Wrestling, the creative bar set by McMahon had fallen so pathetically low that a toddler could trip over it and produce a funnier and sweeter moment than anything the former chairman had managed in nigh on 20 years.
With two full years of largely excellent and thoughtful creative before cracks appeared, Khan's AEW opened up a chasm between what a wrestling show even looked like compared to what WWE had morphed into. Triple H's honeymoon period addressed that humiliating gap, and showed early flashes of becoming the platonic ideal of a World Wrestling Entertainment that served the needs of its consumers without alienating the rich stakeholders that clearly endorsed the low energy TikTok video the brand had become.
It was always destined to be a high-wire act longterm though, as evidenced by some early warning signs that should remind anybody invested in 'The Game's rebuild to approach with caution...
10. The Clash At The Castle Detail Nobody Cared About At The Time
Clash At The Castle had just about everything.
An awesome stadium-sized crowd, a host of excellent contests including one nailed-on Match Of The Year contender, and a heady mix what an idealised version of WWE should strive to always be as a live viewing experience. Even the timing of it was perfect - Triple H had assumed the reins of the shows in July, optimism about the future of the main roster was at an all-time high and a stadium show-starved UK audience received the event as if it was every bit the SummerSlam sequel the company promoted it as.
It was a special, special event. But WWE is still WWE no matter which McMahon family member holds the power. And that WWE doesn't know how to book a show that would't follow all that praise with a "but".
It wasn't even that apparent until the main event made the bold (but correct) call to have Roman Reigns defeat home nations challenger Drew McIntyre, but elsewhere the card featured zero title changes, heels winning all-but two matches and a heel turn at the climax of one of those. Dominik Mysterio's switch ruled, actually, but the main message was that even in a dreamlike state of satisfaction, WWE's default will always be to keep supplying platefuls of sh*t.
As the first heel to retain his Championship at WrestleMania having turned heel on the show one year earlier, there's a strong chance Hunter believes in this more than Vince McMahon himself.