10 years of RAW Walkout: What happened between Triple H and the WWE roster?
10 years ago today, the WWE roster voted "no confidence" in WWE COO Triple H and walked out on live TV. What exactly happened on that fateful night of October 3, 2011, and what caused the infamous RAW walkout?
Triple H fired The Miz and R-Truth on the road to WWE Hell In A Cell 2011. The Game took this measure after The Miz and Truth interfered in his match against CM Punk at WWE Vengeance 2011, and attacked the referee as well. The unstable duo exacted revenge for the same during the main event of Hell In A Cell.
Alberto Del Rio defeated John Cena and CM Punk to win the WWE title inside the hellish structure. After the match, The Miz and Truth emerged from nowhere and launched an attack on all three competitors. They didn't spare the referees as well, and also attacked two cameramen. Triple H and the WWE roster came out to stop the attack but the cell was locked from inside. The lock was eventually broken with bolt cutters, which led to the New Orleans Police Department arresting The Miz and Truth.
WWE personnel's mass walkout on RAW
The next night on RAW, the WWE roster voted "no confidence" in Triple H. They claimed The Game had created an unsafe working environment. WWE's top superstars, referees, commentators, and other personnel walked out on Triple H at the end of the show, with the live audience booing them out of the arena.
Triple H was frustrated and confused over what happened. Here's what he said shortly after:
“I just don’t know what these guys are thinking anymore,” said Triple H.
Despite massive pressure, Triple H made it clear that he was not going to step down as WWE COO. He stated that the October 10, 2011 edition of RAW would continue as planned. Soon after, he was joined by John Cena, Sheamus, and CM Punk. To a loud pop, Triple H announced a singles match between Sheamus and Cena, with him acting as an official. Punk happily took on the announcing duties.
The match came to a halt when Vince McMahon came out and requested everyone but Triple H to leave. McMahon informed his son-in-law that WWE's Board of Directors dubbed him a "possible financial catastrophe" and that he had been relieved of his duties.
To Triple H's disgust, Vince McMahon revealed John Laurinaitis as the new Interim General Manager of RAW. Laurinaitis quickly restored order and welcomed the WWE roster back to the arena. A match between John Morrison and Christian was immediately announced, and the duo wrestled in street attire that they were donning at the time.
Thus, the short-lived WWE Walkout came to an end. The angle had tons of potential and received some great reactions from fans in attendance. It generated major buzz on social media, and one wonders what would've happened if WWE had let it continue for a while.
Do you remember the RAW Mass Walkout of 2011? Share your favorite moments from the angle!