1 year of Triple H: 4 Vince McMahon issues that still persist in the WWE product
It has officially been a year since Vince McMahon initially retired from WWE and Triple H took over the company's creative duties. The Chairman went off the grid for a few months before returning to administrative and general creative duties in Endeavour's takeover of the company.
The Game has gone about shaping the on-screen product in his own style, making many changes and breaking all kinds of records. The change has been gradual, so some hallmarks of Vinny Mac's booking style are still prevalent in the product today.
Here are four Vince McMahon issues that still persist in the WWE after one year of Triple H's leadership
#4. More promos than wrestling on weekly WWE television
In recent weeks, numbers have emerged highlighting the differences between the time alloted to matches on weekly television in WWE and AEW. While wrestling matches take up about 50% of weekly TV time in the land of the Elite, in-ring action takes up about half of that in the Stamford-based promotion.
This sent the Internet Wrestling Community into a raging debate over whether storylines or matches should dominate a pro-wrestling program. It also reminded fans of the Vince McMahon days, when the scarcity of in-ring action was a main criticism. It seemed to improve in the first days of the Triple H era, but focusing on building storylines like The Bloodline and Judgment Day has necessitated more promo time.
In The Game's defense, WWE does have more than twice as many Premium Live Events as AEW has PPVs, so the former is bound to have more storytelling on weekly TV.
#3. Like it was in the Vince McMahon era, rematches are still a big part of WWE television
Another big criticism of the Vince McMahon booking style in WWE over the years was the repetitive nature of feuds on weekly television. Especially on RAW, The Chairman was often accused of running feuds into the ground with never-ending rematches, making the show feel stale.
This has been greatly reduced in the Triple H era, but the issue still persists to a degree. Feuds like Karrion Kross vs. AJ Styles have seen multiple rematches, eliciting collective groans from fans (and "Vince is back" speculation). While this particular issue is much less prevalent now, it still persists in the product.
#2. Organic fan favorites have arguably continued to be "held down" under Triple H's regime
Vince McMahon was famous for being a stubborn booker at times. On many occasions, the WWE Universe found itself at odds with The Chairman Of The Board over their "fan favorites" being ignored in favor of his "chosen ones." For every Mick Foley, Daniel Bryan, Becky Lynch, and Kofi Kingston crowned due to overwhelming fan support, there's a Damien Sandow that didn't make it.
The Triple H regime has also been guilty of not crowning fan favorites at their hottest moments. From Drew McIntyre in Cardiff to Sami Zayn in Montreal to LA Knight at MITB, The Game has been accused of not capitalizing on organic momentum.
While this has reportedly been done to stay on track with long-term storyline plans, many fans are still irked that these favorites didn't get their moments at their hottest. Only time will tell if The Cerebral Assassin made the right choices.
#1. Vince McMahon's "chosen" top stars still rule WWE in the Triple H era
Roman Reigns. Seth Rollins. Austin Theory. Gunther. Kevin Owens. These are some of the top champions in WWE today. They are also some of the leading lights from the final year of Vince McMahon's reign, having all held titles or headlined WrestleMania in that time. Some of these champions' current reigns began under The Chairman, and his vision still feels alive through them.
They are, of course, champions because they are very talented, but some fans feel there hasn't been enough change in the champions' department under HHH. A section of the WWE Universe feels The Cerebral Assassin has taken too long to crown his NXT favorites like Johnny Gargano and Butch.
With the likes of Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, and Damian Priest all either holding or close to winning titles, though, the tide slowly seems to be turning. However, with McMahon involved in the company's administration, we could be in for some swerves in the future. We just have to wait and watch.