The "Confirmed Stories of Triple H Being A Total Douchebag" Thread

[sek69]

 

Well what he does have more direct input on (NXT) has been demonstrably better than most other wrestling shows so we have that to grade him on. Of course they benefit from only being an hour a week, I'm sure NXT would be just as unbearable as Raw if it was 3 hours every week.

 

I don't expect WWE to be drastically different if/when he takes over, there's still going to be an advantage to being a tall muscle guy after all, but just the fact that he seems to be willing to go out and find the best guys anywhere in the world is an upgrade.

OK, serious question time...what does HHH do on NXT? I know it's his pet project, but how much of a hand does he actually have in running the thing. I know he's got a much broader scope of what kind of talent he's willing to bring into the company. That goes back to him hiring Mistico and Amazing Kong, and I'll give him full credit for that, despite how those two panned out. But the actual NXT product that we see...how much of that is actually him?

 

Look, if HHH takes over for Vince, surrounds himself with guys like Ryan Ward, and tells them, "I'm gonna go hit the gym, you guys take care of shit around here, don't screw anything up", I would be perfectly OK with that. And that very well may be the model he aims for when he takes over (whether or not circumstances allow that to happen is another story).

 

But just last year, HHH followed up a legitimately selfless loss to Daniel Bryan at Mania by main eventing a pair of PPVs against one of the hottest acts in the company while Bryan was buried in the midcard against Kane, and then followed that up by splitting up said hot act for no good reason whatsoever so one of it's members could spend the rest of the year palling around with him. Am I really to believe Kevin Dunn held HHH at gunpoint and forced him to put himself in high profile angles at the expense of hotter, better acts? Is that really so unlike HHH? Or do you agree with me that maybe the situation is a bit more complex than people are painting it as?

 

 

 

Pretty sure he's backstage at tapings producing, he was the driving force behind the performance center they all train at. I don't assume he's up all night with NXT scripts fretting over match finishes, he probably tells Ryan Ward who he wants to push and approves the final results. He honestly comes off as Vince with far. far less micromanaging tendencies. That alone bodes well for the future of WWE, since that seems to be the driving factor behind the quick burnout time on the creative team.

[S.L.L.]

 

 

If we are going to draw conclusions on HHH's ring work and how he'll run the company. Based on ringwork and him not putting over a ton of guys. I'd say he's embezzling from the company. I don't even like the guy.

I...really don't understand what the point of this comment is. Like, not at all.

I don't even like the guy. I 'll find out in a few years if he has the skills

 

We all will, obviously. I'm just saying it's very weird - especially given the general attitudes people have had towards HHH until recently - that people are starting to line up to give him the benefit of the doubt when there's no real evidence that's he's doing anything differently than he ever has. It is also weird that this image seems to be emerging that because he isn't the most powerful figure in the company - and has, in fact, been on the losing end of some power struggles recently - means he wields no power, and we, in fact, have no idea what WWE TV looks like when HHH exerts power on (and that it doesn't have an alarming tendency to suck). Is it really crazy for me to be suspicious of the guy with the long, established track record of being bad at his job because of a demonstrated, consistent failure to understand how pro wrestling works, and to find it strange when people just start having his back out of nowhere?

The 1st part is that he was such a selfish worker and only caring about himself. That he'd likely being selfish as CEO and would be screwing people over by embezzling money. It's my sarcastic way of saying judging how someone works is a way he's going to run the company. If Misterio was CEO would he be the most giving boss?

 

 

The 2nd part I get what you're saying. I'm just at my wits end of creative in the WWE. I know I'm getting bad creative going forward in the WWE. HHH's baby NXT seems to be doing a better job at that. Does that mean it'll translate when he.'s the guy. No we have no idea. It's more of I'm hoping he makes the proper changes.

The first part feels like a reach. I'm pointing to things HHH has actually done with his power to illustrate how he's misused it. You trying to negate that by taking it to a theoretical hyperbolic extreme to make it sound silly...well, it sounds silly.

 

The second part...I honestly sympathize with you. I think all of us - Johnny Sorrow excepted - are gobsmacked by how unconscionably stupid and hateful towards their audience WWE brass are, and we all hope deep down that that's gonna change. I just don't see the value in setting HHH up as the great hope for the future when there's really not much reason at this point to believe he's actually going to deliver. Personally, if it's hope you're looking for, I find it much more sensible to set the bar low for him and be pleasantly surprised if he doesn't fuck up, than to set the bar high and be disappointed when HHH ends up running the promotion like HHH.

 

Will he make the proper changes when he's in charge . If I had to bet it would be no. My whole reason of jumping into the thread was it feltthat HHH was getting the brunt of the criticisms while it's Vince that has gotten us here.

 

You might be the only person who feels that. At this point, the story seems very clear: Vince McMahon and his toadie Kevin Dunn took a break from sabotaging NXT call-ups to fuck over Daniel Bryan at the Rumble because Roman Reigns must be pushed to the moon now for reasons, and benevolent populist Triple H was forced to watch, powerless to stop them. And I'm not even saying that story is entirely wrong. This was Vince's call above all others, and he deserves the blame above all others. But that is clearly the story being told.

 

I wouldn't call it "legitimately selfless", as Triple H has been milking that loss for all it's worth to get himself over as the babyface in WWE's creative hierarchy in recent weeks, with the propaganda initiative suspiciously coinciding with the company seemingly going out of their way to sabotage his return.

 

 

Legitimately selfless at the time? Legitimately selfless by HHH standards? I want to give the dude a little bit of credit for that.

[S.L.L.]

Pretty sure he's backstage at tapings producing, he was the driving force behind the performance center they all train at. I don't assume he's up all night with NXT scripts fretting over match finishes, he probably tells Ryan Ward who he wants to push and approves the final results. He honestly comes off as Vince with far. far less micromanaging tendencies. That alone bodes well for the future of WWE, since that seems to be the driving factor behind the quick burnout time on the creative team.

 

 

If that's the case, that is probably the biggest reason to be optimistic for HHH taking over that I've heard thusfar. There's a lot of stuff weighing against it, but I'd consider that a clear positive for him.

 

 

[Matt D]

I get where S.L.L. is coming from. I mean, imagine looking away for a year or two and looking back and everyone being positive on Triple H.

[shoe]

I agree SLL when he was an active wrestler he sabotaged a lot of people. He protected his position. I think taking that element out of it. It becomes less personal for him when it comes to dealing with talent. I think his motivations are different from being a wrestler versus being CEO.

[Alucard]

But just last year, HHH followed up a legitimately selfless loss to Daniel Bryan at Mania by main eventing a pair of PPVs against one of the hottest acts in the company while Bryan was buried in the midcard against Kane, and then followed that up by splitting up said hot act for no good reason whatsoever so one of it's members could spend the rest of the year palling around with him. Am I really to believe Kevin Dunn held HHH at gunpoint and forced him to put himself in high profile angles at the expense of hotter, better acts? Is that really so unlike HHH? Or do you agree with me that maybe the situation is a bit more complex than people are painting it as?

 

On the first part, to be fair - Bryan/Kane main evented Extreme Rules, Evolution/Shield was in the middle of the card. Then Evolution/Shield main evented Payback because of Bryan going down with injury when they had originally planned Bryan/Kane again in a stretcher match.

[Mini Bennett]

Thankyou for pointing that out, Alucard. I can't believe a post with that many half truths wasn't immediately stomped on and put out. Also forgetting Hunter definitively lost all of those matches with Bryan and the Shield,and he hasn't won anything since.

[Strummer]

 

I wouldn't call it "legitimately selfless", as Triple H has been milking that loss for all it's worth to get himself over as the babyface in WWE's creative hierarchy in recent weeks, with the propaganda initiative suspiciously coinciding with the company seemingly going out of their way to sabotage his return. Clearly you can credit Hunter for being a smart politician, but I don't think we can draw any stronger conclusions than that.

 

yeah, here's round 2.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2283701-inside-wwe-an-exclusive-look-at-how-a-pro-wrestling-story-comes-to-life

 

good cop, bad cop or new kayfabe?

 

terrifying thing is if Hunter and Steph aren't fighting for Bryan, who is?

[Migs]

Reading this thread while listening to Triple H on the Austin podcast is fantastic.

[kjh]

Part of the problem is that Triple H is still an active television character and occasional wrestler. He's still protecting that position. He's still in the no. 2 program at WrestleMania, knocking Bryan one match down the pecking order in the original plans at least. Given that they've already teased Rock vs. Hunter, that's likely the big match for next year's Mania at Cowboys Stadium. Maybe he's not directly sabotaging people anymore, but that doesn't mean his overwhelming presence on WWE television can't hinder talent.

 

Regarding Extreme Rules, Evolution vs. Shield was clearly pushed as the biggest match on the show, even though Bryan vs. Kane went on last. Plus, putting people over is a bit meaningless, if you're the one who laughs last.

[Matt D]

I think Trips got Rollins over pretty well. The storyline, as presented, was that Hunter realized he couldn't beat The Shield, no matter what he did, even after reassembling his dominant supergroup, so he ate his pride and offered one of them the world. Yes, he "won" in the end, but certainly not on his terms.

[shoe]

HHH will also be doing the job last year, this, next year. He's the authority figure who's going to get his just desserts . Of course it's going to happen at Mania. It's not just a HHH thing it's an Undertaker thing, Sting thing. and Rock thing. Again it goes back to the booking of the WWE. I'm not advocating it , but until WWE gets out of its booking formula it is what it is. It's not just a HHH thing.

[kjh]

I wouldn't be quite so confident Sting is going over this year. In fact, WWE's booking formula where outsiders often lose their debut match and retiring legends rarely go out with a win, points in the other direction. I'm not even sure that's the wrong decision, as there's not much mileage that you can get out of 56 year old Sting. It depends on the crowd.

[Grimmas]

It's hard to believe that the WWE is so stupid that they are running Triple H vs Sting and not something that actually builds up the future like Rusev-Sting or Luke Harper-Sting or Bray-Sting.

[Migs]

Or at the least cashing in on the obvious money match and doing Undertaker-Sting.

[Badlittlekitten]

Is Taker/Sting a 'money match'?

 

At least HHH vs Sting might be watchable.

[Migs]

I think HHH-Sting won't be particularly watchable either.

 

I think you go one of two directions - go with the match people have discussed for years (Undertaker), or put him against someone who's a top-flight worker to get a decent match out of it. HHH-Sting is going to be an overblown epic.

[sporadic]

I wouldn't be quite so confident Sting is going over this year. In fact, WWE's booking formula where outsiders often lose their debut match and retiring legends rarely go out with a win, points in the other direction. I'm not even sure that's the wrong decision, as there's not much mileage that you can get out of 56 year old Sting. It depends on the crowd.

 

I think Sting goes over simply for the fact the buzz he generated after appearing at Survivor Series as well as the fact I think they're still going to try and target Undertaker vs Sting for WM32. I don't think either match will be enjoyable but for pulling in and generating buzz I think it makes sense Trips puts him over.

[NintendoLogic]

HHH's current on-screen persona has been good about showing ass and putting people over. Stephanie is a far worse offender in that regard.

[Matt D]

Taker/Sting vs HHH/Brock would have been a money match. Maybe even Taker/Sting vs HHH/Kane, to be honest. I think that would have drawn nostalgia and casuals (and/or the people Kris Z talks to) more than something like Taker/Sting vs HHH/Rollins.

[Kil]

It's hard to believe that the WWE is so stupid that they are running Triple H vs Sting and not something that actually builds up the future like Rusev-Sting or Luke Harper-Sting or Bray-Sting.

 

Who the hell wants to see Sting finally have a Wrestlemania match and lose? And he sure as hell should be losing against any of those other guys. The entire point of Sting working WM is for a feel good moment, you don't bring the guy in for this to do a job. He needs to go over and better he goes over Triple H than anyone else on the roster who'd be hurt by being beat by a fifty-something year old.

[Strummer]

I thought from the beginning they would attach a stip to Sting/HHH but realy what the hell is the point when the company is basically admitting stips mean nothing

[Johnny Guitar]

It's hard to believe that the WWE is so stupid that they are running Triple H vs Sting and not something that actually builds up the future like Rusev-Sting or Luke Harper-Sting or Bray-Sting.

 

Regardless of WCW's booking and business. Alot of people perceive Sting as a genuine star and the main drawing angle for if he ever jumped ship to the WWF is that he would work with the top guys.

 

Had he shown up anytime between say 1992 and 2002, fans would of expected and wanted him to work an angle with Savage, Bret, Shawn, Taker, Austin, Rock or HHH (depending on the time frame). Working with anyone else would have been perceived as a letdown.

 

I think you're right that there is more to be gained for the future with Sting working Rusev, Harper or Bray. But none of them are really seen as the elite core of guys. Although they should be. So Sting working his first match with them might be seen as below expectations.

 

I think theres also a problem in that even if Sting worked with those guys that no one has any faith in WWE's follow through in making a star. Lets say Harper beat Sting at Wrestlemania, ala Vader/Sting at GAB'92. Alot of people would expect to see him jobbed out in the following months thus rendering the whole thing moot and another thing in the long list of WWE fuck ups and wasted opportunities,.

[Mad Dog]

 

I could have sworn Meltzer said the NXT show in Ohio next month already sold out. I am guessing its in a small ballroom though since its in conjunction with the Arnold Classic weightlifting weekend.

It is sold out. It's supposed to be at the LC Amphitheater. It's an outdoor concert venue, with a lawn. 5,500 capacity for concert events. Usually pit seats and lawn seats, and from the ticket layout, I'd guess the ring will be where the pit seats usually are. No idea how many tickets sold, but there's room at that location to sell more. Also is being co-promoted by Arnold. Not sure if there were tickets packages including the NXT show.

 

Was this promoted on NXT in any way? Was there local promotion for the event?

 

Why are they bringing all these guys to a bodybuilding competition/convention where WWE is going to try and recruit?

 

It's an indoor/outdoor venue actually. They're doing it indoors. Trying to run an outdoor event the first week of March would be insanity.

 

A lot of sporting events latch onto the Arnold Expo weekend. WEC did it several times to great success before the UFC shut it down. It's one of the biggest events that come through the city on a yearly basis. The tickets were sold as their own deal. They went on sale at 10 and a friend of my wife could only find standing room only by about 1 the same day. I was on right at 10 to get my tickets.

 

I'm guessing there's going to be a lot of people traveling in for this. But Columbus has always supported wrestling. ECW, TNA and RoH have all done well here.

[Matt D]

I love the evil plan of hiring a bunch of acclaimed indy talent and then using that talent to hire a bunch of bodybuilding stiffs. Cerebral Assassin.