8 Ups & 6 Downs From Triple H's WWE (So Far)
3. Terrible, Terrible Babyfaces
Triple H has got a significant problem with what he thinks is a relatable babyface attribute.
On a recent SmackDown, Madcap Moss and Ricochet were doing a wholly unconvincing job of bantering off Sami Zayn about his Bloodline role before Solo Sikoa burst into shot and smashed them half to death. Never mind the eventual match - they effectively lost a backstage segment that started with them lauding an advantage (!) over a lone villain. This isn't an isolated incident with Ricochet in particular either - the former NXT North American Champion has been featured more, but it's been in a losing capacity and following on from promo segments that do him more harm than good.
Elsewhere, Mustafa Ali has been traded to SmackDown after getting wrecked by Bobby Lashley just weeks into a now-aborted series with Seth Rollins. Then there's the aforementioned current state of Johnny Gargano (even when he's not dancing on the announce table in a cowboy hat) and the bulk of the blue brand's women's division there to cheesily grin until Shayna Baszler knees their nose into space.
There are some beloved characters within WWE at the moment, but Paul Levesque should assess what's gotten the likes of Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins over this time around rather than forcing risible humour, fake jock energy and happy-to-be-there-giddiness on the rest of the rank-and-file.