The Problem With Triple H That No One Wants To Talk About

The expectations were unrealistically enormous, even if Triple H had more quick wins than a Jade Cargill undefeated streak right at his disposal.

There were flashes of what fans had immediately manifested - an Alexa Bliss speech disavowed most of her last two years of television, Rhea Ripley was established as the true muscle of the floundering Judgment Day group, the six man tag main event was good and ended conclusively with a pinfall - but as a three hour experience, this wasn't anywhere near as seismic as the corporate change that had driven all the speculation in the first place. Kevin Dunn cutting and strutting on the buttons was telling too - Hunter had to be smarter than to simply lift the controversial company cornerstone out of the production truck from the off, but the fact that his influence remained as dominant across the three hours worried many about a) what change the new crew could even affect and b) if Vince McMahon himself had simply become a shadow operative.

For those prone to knee-jerk reactions and/or well-earned cynicism, it was a sign that WWE cannot and will not ever change from the die McMahon had cast. And there were plenty of points where 'The Game' didn't really help himself. Opening with a brawl merely delayed the long show-opening promo rather than removing it. The very first match on Triple H's very first Raw didn't have a finish. The optics of that alone were disastrous. First impressions are vital, and as with the doomed black-and-gold show in 2019, the beleaguered red brand looked saddled with a new boss working diligently from the old boss' playbook.

And here's the sad part - that playbook suited people with far more sway than you or I.

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