Reviving the Revival
The Revival aren't buried, and Triple H knows it.
After this past week's Monday Night Raw, it seemed all too easy for everyone to say that Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson are on a downhill slope, especially after the beating they took at the hands of old-timers such as Scott Hall and DX.
Of course, you cannot blame the fans who have been privy to such instances in the past of returning legends ruthlessly destroying the momentum of young budding talent. Take for example the Ascension, who went through a ruthless string of beat-downs by legends and character assassination towards obscurity, or when at Raw 1000, the reuniting DX managed to make the intriguing Damien Sandow look like a complete fool.
So it figures that the same result is bound to happen with the Revival; after all, when hasn't WWE rehashed terrible story arcs?
There are two elements that need to be taken into consideration regarding this instance and more importantly, one dazzling promo.
The first is that the legends in the ring were joined by the newly formed Balor Club faction and it was their involvement that not only triggered a match between Revival and the Club (after which the beatdown happened), but also their leader Finn Balor got the last shot in.
Balor himself in recent times has been victim to a burial by an out-of-his-prime veteran star. The fact that the demonic Kane made Balor look like a chump, en route to his Royal Rumble Universal Championship match was an all new low. Kane neither needed the bump nor did Balor deserve this treatment.
The rehabilitation of Balor, however, has been going smooth, with the Demon King bringing his former Bullet Club stablemates Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson into his fold. It's unearthed tons of personality and a potential out from the oft bland babyface Balor.
For a while through his enigmatic run in WWE, fans had forgotten that Balor is superb on the microphone and quite the killer as the Real Rock-N-Rolla. His "I don't care" attitude is what made him a superstar in New Japan.
In honesty, the whole angle wasn't a vindictive burial of Revival in terms of the Ascension, but rather a showcase for Finn and his faction. After the show ended and as fans cleared the arena, the last two men standing on stage were Balor and Triple H. The latter raised the former's hand as a sign of support.
Revival, in all honesty, was not a factor, and sure they could have used anyone else for this specific segment to put over Balor Club, but truly they are the best fit. All about their fists, the Revival provide a perfect foil to the unnecessary showmanship of the legends.
Their so-called burial isn't about showing up two rip-offs of legendary tag teams but actually carrying forward a narrative arc that the tag team is known for. In many ways, it's the kind of development that tag teams rarely get.
Speaking of Triple H supporting homegrown talent, the second reason this isn't the burial most people imagine it is; is because at the end of the day, The Revival are a product of Hunter's own efforts.
Triple H might not have control over the handling of every superstar that graduates from his baby NXT, but you can be sure that when they engage with him, they are not going to be mistreated the way most NXT graduates have been so far.
Vince McMahon's lost approach to making superstars might have ruined a good too many NXT stars, but believe this; the cream rises to the top, and Triple H will help it there. With the Revival, I'm sure Triple H has a set plan in mind. Right now, it was about rehabilitating Balor, while also giving his new found partners a freshly made feud for their recent tweener roles.
Anderson and Gallows will fit smoothly into a rivalry with Dash and Dawson, hopefully building towards a multi-team clash at this year's Wrestlemania. The trigger has been laid out.
More importantly, Triple H is aware that at their position, Revival really have nothing to lose. The injuries to both Dash and Dawson already derailed their red-hot momentum last year. They're now on square one and what they need is a feud to rebuild them; one tailor-made like this to their styles is the perfect opportunity.
Plus clearly, from their post-RAW backstage promo, it seems the team can handle themselves.
So, let us all as fans, be like the Revival: don't consider this a burial, and don't cry over spilled milk. These two are top guys, and they're here to stay.