5 reasons why WWE is steadily outmaneuvering AEW under Triple H's regime
Triple H might have been the WWE Head of Creative for only a few weeks, but he has breathed new life into the company since taking over Vince McMahon's reins.
The Game made a big splash at SummerSlam by bringing back the likes of Bayley, Dakota Kai, and IYO SKY, and since then, there have been more returns and shake-ups on both RAW and SmackDown.
WWE is currently riding a wave of momentum as fans anticipate how the incoming regime will improve the product that has gone stale for the longest time.
Over in AEW, President Tony Khan has been impressed by the changes brought about by the King of Kings.
Khan commented in an interview with Superstar Crossover:
"The shows they've been doing are generally better than the shows that they've been doing before the change, which is good for the wrestling business. It's a little bit different than what we've been going up against before, and in terms of me being the CEO of AEW, I see some positives and some negatives, but I see a lot of positives," Khan said.
Triple H has proven with NXT that he can successfully run a brand that connects with wrestling fans. Despite being early days, here are five reasons WWE is already outmaneuvering AEW under the Cerebral Assassin's regime.
#5. Triple H is making the WWE women's division important once again, including the introduction of the Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament
The Return of the Role Model
She is back to take CONTROL
@itsBayleyWWE @ImKingKota @shirai_io https://t.co/UAjDuqom4f
The WWE Women's Revolution first came to the fore in NXT under Triple H's stewardship. He pushed the likes of the Four Horsewomen Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and Bayley long before they became bonafide stars on the main roster.
It's clear that Hunter is a huge admirer of women's wrestling and it's hoped that he will bring renewed focus to the division once The Game's in charge. Fans don't have to wait long to see what changes are set to take place.
After a hard-fought RAW Women's Championship match between Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch at SummerSlam, Bayley made her long-awaited return after more than a year out with injury. However, she wasn't alone.
The Role Model was joined by NXT stars IYO SKY (f.k.a Io Shirai) and Dakota Kai, who had previously been let go by the company.
The trio made a huge impact when they attacked an injured Becky Lynch on the RAW. Bayley is currently targeting Bianca Belair and is slated for a blockbuster 6-Women Tag Team Match at the Clash at the Castle event with her crew against Belair, Asuka and Alexa Bliss.
That's not all. The Women's Tag Team Championship has been vacant since former champions Sasha Banks and Naomi walked out of the company. The Game has wasted no time introducing a tournament to crown new champions, putting the spotlight once again on the underutilized division.
AEW has also had issues with its women's roster, which has been well-documented since its inception. Their division is clearly inferior to WWE, even though there has been some improvement.
While Tony Khan has managed to create many homegrown stars such as Britt Baker and Jade Cargill, other stars are still struggling to make an impact, such as Ruby Soho, Kris Statlander, and Toni Storm, and even the Women's Champion Thunder Rosa, to a certain extent.
#4. Triple H has restored the WWE midcard titles' prestige while AEW's midcard title is being hot-potatoed
The #USTitle & The #ICTitle finally getting the spotlight they deserve ♥️
#WWE #WWERaw #SmackDown https://t.co/mfKj5mbjWW
One noticeable improvement under Triple H's regime is the renewed focus on WWE's midcard titles. We've seen vignettes highlighting the rich history of the United States and Intercontinental Championships on both RAW and SmackDown.
Champions Lashley and Gunther have also headlined their respective brands with successful title defenses against fresh opponents in Ciampa and Shinsuke Nakamura.
This past week's SmackDown main event saw the Intercontinental Champion and the King of Strong Style compete in a hard-hitting, back-and-forth match. On the other hand, RAW was headlined by Bobby Lashley facing former NXT Champion Ciampa, who delivered a star-making performance.
The Almighty is set to defend his United States Championship against AJ Styles for the first time on an upcoming episode of RAW.
With the main world titles wrapped up with Roman Reigns at the moment, it makes sense for Triple H to elevate the midcard championships and restore their prestige, given how badly they've been treated under Vince McMahon.
Over in AEW, the TNT Championship felt like an important championship when it was around the waist of Cody Rhodes, Darby Allin, Miro, or the late, great Brodie Lee.
Since the turn of the year, however, the belt has been passed around so much between Sammy Guevara and Scorpio Sky that it has lost its luster somewhat. Here's hoping that Wardlow can rehabilitate the title's reputation once again.
#3. WWE is strengthening its roster by bringing back the likes of Karrion Kross and Hit Row
.@realKILLERkross puts everyone on notice ⏳
#WWE #KarrionKross #SmackDown https://t.co/Idzab4oGS8
Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux shocked the WWE Universe with their return to SmackDown. The pair were released by the company last year after a disastrous initial main roster run.
Kross returned with a vengeance, attacking Drew McIntyre and immediately inserting himself into the main event picture by threatening The Bloodline with Scarlett's hourglass to close the show.
Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp (via Fightful Select), revealed that Triple H was reportedly "dismayed" over how Vince McMahon handled Kross initially and seemed focused on righting his many wrongs his father-in-law has committed on his NXT projects.
With Triple H in charge, the WWE Universe is already starting to speculate which former WWE stars who were let go previously would make their return. We've already seen the likes of Dexter Lumis and Hit Row appear on the main roster. Can we see Johnny Gargano and Bray Wyatt next?
#2. Triple H has spotlighted underutilized WWE talents by giving them more TV time while AEW stars are being lost in the shuffle
How did @FightOwensFight just do?
#WWERaw twitter.com/WWEonFOX/statu… https://t.co/70jApNw0Wf
With Triple H in charge of WWE Creative, we have seen superstars who have been previously misused given a fresh chance once again.
This past week alone, we saw Kevin Owens show renewed aggression, Dolph Ziggler having an excellent wrestling contest with Chad Gable, Mustafa Ali featuring prominently once again, and Ciampa making a splash on the main roster.
With 3 hours of RAW and 2 hours of SmackDown each week, there's certainly more than enough time for The Game to utilize the talents that he has at his disposal fully. With a proper direction and more intriguing storylines, the WWE Superstars finally have a chance to reach the highest potential of their abilities.
Tony Khan has also scored his fair share of excellent signings that have recently made a considerable impact, including CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and Claudio Castagnoli.
However, his track record is starting to look a little spotty. The main problem is that the AEW owner is picking up too many talents to the point where his roster is starting to feel bloated.
Ruby Soho, Toni Storm, Athena, Keith Lee, and even Adam Cole felt like big deals upon their signings. However, they've been relegated further into the background in favor of the next WWE reject.
#1. Triple H is creating fresh match-ups, unlike Vince McMahon repeating same matches every week
Bobby Lashley v AJ Styles for the US Title is official for next weeks #WWERAW.
A first time ever match.
Can’t. Wait. https://t.co/VddMSYryME
Bobby Lashley vs. AJ Styles, Lashley vs. Ciampa Gunther vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. Triple H is making a concerted effort to deliver fresh match-ups weekly, which is much appreciated.
One of Vince McMahon's biggest criticisms is that he tends to book the same matches over and over again to the point where it becomes repetitive. This has contributed to an increasingly stale product.
WWE has a stacked roster that previously suffered from a lack of screentime. The Game has already shown that he will utilize his roster to the fullest and give opportunities to mistreated stars.
Tony Khan, however, has less television time to fully showcase his deep roster and is forced to rotate wrestlers frequently. This has been detrimental to his product as his stars aren't able to build consistent momentum when they disappear from programming for weeks at a time.
Miro has been relegated to backstage promos when he should be a main event star right now while PAC has been missing in action, along with the recently-debuted All-Atlantic Championship.