Triple H did not lay the foundation for WrestleMania 40's success: Who was it?
WrestleMania 40 was a huge success, and Triple H has been credited as the mastermind behind it. Ushering in a new era in WWE, The Game pulled off what many consider the greatest WrestleMania in WWE history. And, given all the work he put into pulling it off, there can be no denying that he deserves his flowers. But, did he lay the foundations for the show? Or, is there someone else behind it all?
The answer is, yes, there is someone else who laid the foundations for the incredible success WrestleMania 40 had. This person is none other than the former chairman of WWE, Vince McMahon. While Triple H did a great job with the event's execution, a decision Mr. McMahon made a year prior set things up perfectly. And, this decision has everything to do with Cody Rhodes.
The moment that defined WrestleMania 40 was undoubtedly the main event of Night 2, where Cody Rhodes became the Undisputed WWE Champion. However, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The American Nightmare was meant to win the title at WrestleMania 39. This plan was changed after several internal discussions, ultimately leading to Vince McMahon's decision not to put Rhodes over. A decision, that even Triple H did not object to.
"Regarding the perception from the outside that it was Vince who made the call not to put Rhodes over at last year’s Mania, a call which now internally has been credited for the record-setting nature of this year’s show, Vince did have the final say at the time. But it was noted Levesque agreed to that as well, and it would have happened either way."
This decision ultimately led to what was an incredible match at WrestleMania 39. What's more, Rhodes' loss got the WWE Universe that much more invested in seeing him finish his story. So, while Vince McMahon wasn't directly involved with WrestleMania 40, one can say he did lay the foundation for it to succeed.
Vince McMahon and Triple H used Cody Rhodes' loss to put over another WWE superstar
While there can be no denying that Cody Rhodes' win at WrestleMania 40 was incredible, why couldn't it have happened at WrestleMania 39? Well, apart from the fact that WWE felt it would make the storyline stronger, an argument was made that it could also help put over another WWE superstar. And, this superstar just so happened to be Jey Uso.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Vince McMahon, Triple H, and the rest of WWE management, felt that keeping Roman Reigns as champion would allow them to turn Jey Uso into a singles star. They felt that the 38-year-old could embark on a single run as a babyface and be a huge merchandise draw as well.
"A lot happened behind the scenes, with the key points being argued and eventually agreed by all parties it would be stronger a year later. It was also argued that keeping Reigns as champion would open up a key storyline to make Jey Uso into a major singles star and merchandise draw as a babyface."
In hindsight, things worked out exactly as planned. Jey Uso is now one of the biggest superstars on WWE's roster, and Cody Rhodes also got to finish his story, but just a year later. The new era has officially kicked off for WWE, with Triple H at the helm, and the WWE Universe cannot wait to see what more the company has in store.