How Has Triple H Inspired a Change in the Approach of The WWE? Part-1
July 22, 2022, is a day that will forever be etched in WWE′s history. It was the very day founder and long-time CEO Vince McMahon announced his retirement. And there was no doubt as to who would take over the creative aspect of the wrestling juggernaut. Triple H was the obvious choice to carry the company forward during these tumultuous times. And what a turnaround it has proved to be for the WWE universe.
A product that was in a deep slumber was woken up with a bang. Suddenly there was something different that could be expected from the creative department. Gone were the days when the promotion was being run on autopilot mode, at least the creative aspect. While ′The King of Kings′ has sometimes overdone some storylines, his overall work cannot be considered anything short of revolutionary.
′Hunter′ had hands-on experience in running a promotion going back to his NXT head days. What are some of the steps taken by the new regime that have revived interest in WWE programming? We will look at some of the reasons that would help in getting some answers.
1. ′There′s always a feud B′
- One of the hallmarks of WWE′s Chief Content Officer′s era has been the stellar performance of WWE TV shows. Whether it be Raw, Smackdown, or even NXT, there is always a mini rivalry brewing up. And interestingly the storyline slowly builds toward an overarching or greater feud. This has made the weekly programs must-see TV. Hence, a significant bump in the ratings.
- For instance the Cody Rhodes and Shinsuke Nakamura feud or even the former′s recent tiff with Drew McIntyre. Both of these rivalries have been dealt with on episodic shows. This has helped the Stanford-based promotion feature PLE-level matches regularly on TV. Providing another layer for the main aim for Rhodes, besides ′Finishing the Story′ at WrestleMania XL. Moreover, all these matches are now meaningful and interesting to the audiences.
2. Listening to the WWE Universe (Sometimes late)
- The changed regime has always shown a propensity for the unorthodox. However, they have largely stuck to what people want. This point could not head home more so from the #WeWantCody movement that gripped X for 3 days.
- WWE had to retract their Roman Reigns vs Dwayne ′The Rock′ Johnson match plans for WrestleMania XL owing to the sheer will of fans. This sort of seismic change occurred rarely during the previous era. The ability to take one′s mistake in stride and think on one′s feet to create more compelling content is key.
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- Hunter realizes that for the business to prosper, stubbornness could sometimes be damaging. If this means reconciling with a tough CM Punk after nearly a decade, so be it.
Finally giving those random and spontaneous ′CM Punk′ chants over the period of 10 years a reason to cheer.
3. Showcasing NXT as a legit 3rd Brand
The ′Black and Gold′ brand has long been considered a feeder for the main roster. But under the Triple H leadership, its role has been enhanced to a legitimate threat to top shows. The regular back-and-forth appearances by superstars on both NXT and the main roster have opened a new avenue. Superstars such as Carmello Hayes and Dragon Lee compete both on Tuesday and Friday nights nowadays. Add to that the frequent title reigns and appearances by talents from both the red and blue brands on NXT.
We have got a fully prepared development promotion. So much so that the talent already has a taste of the grand stage. Resulting in more chances of success when they eventually decide to move full-time to the bigger leagues.
Well, the number of things working for the Triple H era is impossible to cover in one go. Stay tuned for the next and final edition of this series next week.
(To be continued)