Time To Change The Game - 5 noticeable improvements to the WWE product with Triple H in charge
Paul "Triple H" Levesque was announced as WWE's new head of creative on Monday, July 25, 2022. The announcement came just three days after Vince McMahon's unexpected retirement. The change sent a wave of excitement amongst Triple H's NXT fans and detractors for Vince McMahon's booking style.
The King of Kings "Triple H" had to put together a memorable Summerslam to announce his arrival. The timing was between the go-home episodes of RAW and Smackdown plus the post-Summerslam RAW. The task at hand presented a golden opportunity to make a statement for his new era.
Let's take a look at five changes we can already see in the WWE product from Triple H's first week as head of creative.
#5: WWE's commentary and dialog sounds more natural
Did anyone else catch a dialogue between Michael cole & Corey graves?
Graves : “I like it better then you weren’t allowed to have an opinion”
Cole: “that’s changed, a lots changed”
This the Triple H effect already in motion??
#SummerSlam
One of the biggest beneficiaries of the new WWE era in terms of improved fan perception so far is Michael Cole. The long-serving play-by-play commentator has long been maligned by a section of the fan base. They viewed him as Vince McMahon's robotic mouthpiece. The new regime has breathed new life into his legacy.
Cole's work alongside Pat McAfee has earned him some respect within that fanbase. But his stock has gone through the roof in the new era. The 25-year veteran has benefitted from the lifted restrictions on words such as "hospital" and "belt". His commentary, and the dialog on WWE programming in general, feels unleashed from the shackles of strict scripting.
#4: Different match style on weekly television
Haven’t felt a buzz around #WWERaw like this for a long time, so excited for the future!
Times are changing.
Also, this finish was bloody lovely… https://t.co/pl5l1kdBt2
Triple H has changed things up in a very short time. The matches on RAW and SmackDown are beginning to have an NXT black and gold feel to them. The rematch-happy booking format and the DQ finishes are gone. The previous era had become notorious for that.
One could argue that giving away great matches on free TV makes premium live events feel less special and exposes the talent to injury and exhaustion, but there is no doubt that it makes the weekly shows more exciting.
One of the hallmarks of Vince McMahon's weekly television style was keeping matches slow and grounded. This, it can be argued, helped safeguard WWE Superstars from injury and added a big-fight feel whenever they went full-speed. However, it also undoubtedly made RAW slightly more boring, especially with the repetitive booking patterns therein.
#3: The 24/7 title is absent from the WWE programming
The 24/7 title has not been seen in the WWE programming since Triple H took over creative. The title was often used for comic relief and to keep underutilized talent on television, and was despised by the hardcore fanbase. It is seen as an albatross around the neck of anyone involved with it except a small group of performers synonymous with it.
It can be argued that R-Truth, Dana Brooke, Reggie, Akira Tozawa and Tamina have been entertaining in the 24/7 scene. It can be further argued that these five superstars have exhausted their potential with the title in its current format. It is thus likely that the title will be repackaged into a more serious prize under Triple H or be scrapped altogether.
#2: "Long overdue" character changes under Triple H
.THE MAN is back on #WWERaw!
@BeckyLynchWWE delivers the 🔥🎤. https://t.co/xbRagMqsLW
Becky Lynch turned face at Summerslam 2022, almost a year after turning heel at the same event. Big Time Becks' year-long saga against Bianca Belair showed that WWE could still pull off long-term bookings, an art they were accused of forgetting.
This change was followed by Ronda Rousey's heel turn in the Smackdown Women's Championship match of the night. The Rowdy One's return to the dark side was also well-received, as her face run did not connect with the audience. With Los Mysterios and The Street Profits continuing to tease friction, we get the feeling that more shocking turns are on the way.
#1: New talent come in and make a statement
Iyo Sky, Bayley and Dakota Kai introduced their alliance to the world at Summerslam. On their first night on RAW, the trio wasted no time introducing themselves to the red brand's women's division. They went after arguably the biggest star on the roster, Becky Lynch, and pulled her out of commission by attacking her already injured shoulder.
The WWE Universe is excited to see what the NXT standouts can do as a group, and what impact they will have going forward. The splash they made on their first night suggests that they will be a force to be reckoned. So far, they are the biggest beacon of the new era.