10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About 2023
1. Padding It All Out
Triple H was defiant and adamant, at the post-WrestleMania press conference, that the story is never finished and that the next chapter was worth sticking around for.
He was right.
While the Bloodline saga would have been more dramatically effective had Roman lost the top belt - suddenly deciding to be the tag team specialist would have made more sense of his split from Jey Uso - Paul Heyman et al. plotted the thing out beautifully until SummerSlam. Cody proved his staying power throughout the year, too. Subjectively, he should have won the title at WrestleMania - but when a company as massive as WWE elects its next top babyface, they need to be absolutely sure.
Still, the finish in Los Angeles was very poorly received, and it echoed the cynicism of the old regime. The same thing happened at SummerSlam; the twang of realisation that WWE would rather pad things out than move storylines forward with a bold sense of momentum.
The Cody Rhodes Vs. Brock Lesnar programme was a very good version of WWE's boilerplate trilogy, in which the first two matches don't count. Seth Rollins worked his two main rivals twice on major shows. Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus feuded endlessly.
WWE was a bit...bare minimum and brazen with it in 2023, suggesting that this period is propelled by the relief of Vince McMahon's departure than something wholly captivating on its own terms.
Can it last, is the question.
WWE isn't doing something that seems destined to date - Triple H is doing the basics, and doing them very well - but if the promotion needs a jolt of electricity next year, is he the man to provide it?