What will Triple H do when Vince retires?

[rge2010]

Ok, we all know that Triple H has taken over this executive role and is been 'primed' to take over from Vince when he retires, or more likely dies! So with Triple H and probably Steph running the show how do you see WWE changing from a 'Wrestling' stand point? I say that because WWE has a board of directors. I am not talking about the corporate side or other media ventures. I am talking about the 'Wrestling' and how this particulate works.

I personally don't see it changing that much from a programming stand point but behind the scenes I think there are areas which require a more youthful approach.

HOUSE SHOWS

With Triple H being a Superstar, he will know more than anybody that the current schedule WWE's performers have really takes its toll on their bodies. Careers are ended prematurely from either injury (Edge, Austin) or being over worked (Batista, Angle). I know house shows make money, they wouldnt do it otherwise but surely cutting down on these would benefit WWE long term? There is an old addage that 'less is more'. Time and time again we hear of empty seats at Raw and Smackdown. Is this due to house shows in neighbouring Cities?! A WWE performers contract obviously includes house show appearences. If they cut these out then surely they would save money on salaries? Over exposure can have negative effects. A lighter schedule would benefit the Superstars first and foremost. Allow them to recharge, cut out the risk of injury, give them less time on the road and prolong their interest in the business.

Your thoughts on this?

FCW

Triple H wants to overhaul the development territory. Having never seen a full FCW show is it about time WWE gave this programming more exposure? As far as I am aware it is only available to view on TV networks in Florida? Surely letting these potential talents showcase themselves to a wider audience will only benefit them when they are called up to the roster? Some could join up with really good momentum! How about putting this show on the proposed WWE Network they are on about? Or even have the shows on WWE.com?

Your thoughts on this?

NXT

Does anyone actually watch NXT Redemption? I lost interest after the first couple they did. Personally I think it has run its course and with Tough Enough and FCW it just seems like a hybrid of the two. Infact, it is a hybrid of the two! NXT does seem to find some decent talents but they are adding them to the roster way too quick and dont seem to know what to do with them. By the time they have figured it out, the next batch of rookies seem to be joining. A vicious circle and again that old addage, less is more! NXT would leave a gaping whole in WWE Programming but I dont really have an idea as to what could replace? A 3rd show doesnt work as ECW proved!

Your thoughts on this?

NEW TALENT

Triple H played a big part in signing Awesome Kong and Sin Cara. So far I am impressed with both. People will argue that it was a no brainer - one is a Mexican Superstar and the other is so unique to a generic Divas division. But why didn't Vince sign them before Triple H got involved? We all know Vince has a penchant for signing big men but is this cycle about to stop? Vince knows the business better than anybody, but Triple H will have a better eye for talent - being a superstar and that. I think Triple will appreciate talent for what they can do rather than the way they look.

Your thoughts on this?

SMACKDOWN

Raw is the 'a' show and Smackdown is the 'b' show. Reports suggest that Triple H wants to bring Smackdown up to the same level as Raw. In order to do this he needs to 'share' the talent. People will argue that there isn't enough on the roster to make both Raw and Smackdown interesting and get their desired ratings. I think this is nonsense. Smackdown lacks stars at the moment but Raw wouldnt miss Morrison and CM Punk if these were to appear on Smackdown. I think Triple H could dust off the Cruiserweight Title and put much more focus on the IC Belt. Tyson Kidd, Sin Cara, Evan Bourne, Chavo, Daniel Bryan are more than capable of carrying a Cruiserweight division. Develop stories around the IC Belt and have it defended on every PPV. Wade Barrett carrying it gives it some crediblity at the moment. Been a former IC Champion I see Triple H doing this. Maybe his input has already started?

Your thoughts on this?

 

[Azane]

House shows are fine, the performers are making good money, working 5 days a week is what the other 200 million people in the country do, and they aren't going to ask for less money without the house shows, most of the contracts for the performers worth a damn is simply their star power, not their work load.

FCW would hurt from high exposure. FCW is where people practice characters, to have any success in WWE they generally have to overhaul their characters. Right now, the people watching FCW are mostly Smarks, or people with enough wrasslin' knowledge to understand why FCW wrestlers change completely the second they step into a WWE arena. Making FCW a casual wrestling company means that you have 1000's of WWE universers wondering why Joe the plumber just came out as El Diablo.

NXT loses its value when the losers keep doing better than the winners (minus Wade). I liked NXT's style more, seeing them wrestle in character, and developing the characters was good, and you could really see who could run with a character, Kaval and Smarks ruined the show when he just ignored the gimmick and was set to win before it started.

Talent, Triple H has a great eye, and everyone I hear associated with one of his picks seems to be a tremendous asset.

Smackdown will never be the A show as long as its taped, and making the show into a midcard war isn't going to fix whats wrong Tyson kidd vs Chavo really sounds like ratings. The IC title scene has been better though, the problem right now, is the WHC holds the old IC title's place in transitioning someone into a real champion. I would love to see the IC title being a stronger link into the main event scene, rather than a ticket to fight Kofi Kingston every single PPV (Cough* Dolph Cough*)


I have a feeling that most people won't notice the transition from Vince to Trips (assuming it goes down like that). Levesque has been watching the company from the inside for nearly a decade, and I bet he already has enough say creatively that any changes would be so minor, or have been in the works for months already.

 

[Mustang Sally]

It's hard to know what changes in style Triple H might make. I think a lot of it depends on whether Stephanie is still involved or not. At this point, I don't know how much input she has anymore, but if she's been working all along, she might mitigate changes her husband wants to make; i.e.; Stephanie's presence would provide some continuity from Vince, meaning that not much would really change.

One minor thing I can think of; When Vince retires, I wonder if Triple H will reach out to Mick Foley, bringing him back in an announcer's role. After all, the only reason Foley left was because he didn't like Vince screaming at him through his headphones, right? If Mick left exclusively because of Vince.....and Vince is gone.....we might see Foley return. And that would be good, because Mick Foley belongs in WWE, not TN-freakin' A or anywhere else.

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

Bah, my bet is that nothing changes. He would want to run the company the same way Vince did. Besides, its more likely that its Stephanie Mcmahon that will run the company once Vince retires, and she will want to please he father.

 

[Adalam]

HOUSE SHOWS

With Triple H being a Superstar, he will know more than anybody that the current schedule WWE's performers have really takes its toll on their bodies. Careers are ended prematurely from either injury (Edge, Austin) or being over worked (Batista, Angle). I know house shows make money, they wouldnt do it otherwise but surely cutting down on these would benefit WWE long term? There is an old addage that 'less is more'. Time and time again we hear of empty seats at Raw and Smackdown. Is this due to house shows in neighbouring Cities?! A WWE performers contract obviously includes house show appearences. If they cut these out then surely they would save money on salaries? Over exposure can have negative effects. A lighter schedule would benefit the Superstars first and foremost. Allow them to recharge, cut out the risk of injury, give them less time on the road and prolong their interest in the business.

Your thoughts on this?

Honestly, I hope to God that house shows are at least limited. These guys have enough risk to injury with the weekly shows and the PPV's. Plus the over exposure kinda hurts their popularity to some degree. People who go to house shows probably also watch the tv shows, and those who can afford it watch the PPV's. That means that they see these guys more often than the average fans who don't go to house shows, but watch the weekly episodes. Either way, these guys don't need over exposure. IF they need more exposure, shoot comercials or something.

FCW

Triple H wants to overhaul the development territory. Having never seen a full FCW show is it about time WWE gave this programming more exposure? As far as I am aware it is only available to view on TV networks in Florida? Surely letting these potential talents showcase themselves to a wider audience will only benefit them when they are called up to the roster? Some could join up with really good momentum! How about putting this show on the proposed WWE Network they are on about? Or even have the shows on WWE.com?

Your thoughts on this?

Showcasing the Developmental territory might help, but then you run into confusion when one guy becomes someone else the next week when they get promoted to the main roster. Besides, NXT seems to be a sampling size viewing of the Developmental guys anyways.

NXT

Does anyone actually watch NXT Redemption? I lost interest after the first couple they did. Personally I think it has run its course and with Tough Enough and FCW it just seems like a hybrid of the two. Infact, it is a hybrid of the two! NXT does seem to find some decent talents but they are adding them to the roster way too quick and dont seem to know what to do with them. By the time they have figured it out, the next batch of rookies seem to be joining. A vicious circle and again that old addage, less is more! NXT would leave a gaping whole in WWE Programming but I dont really have an idea as to what could replace? A 3rd show doesnt work as ECW proved!

Your thoughts on this?

ECW was good when it started, but when Vince started to cut it down, that's when it became the shit we are all familiar with. My main beef is the fact that NXT didn't have any real storylines to show that the contestants could compete in the WWE and tell a story as well. Redemption has rectified this to some degree by adding storylines with Jacob Novak being a white boy Shad and harping on William Regal, Yoshi Tatsu feuding with Lucky Cannon over Maryse, and who knows what else is going down? There's real storylines there, so it looks pretty good right now.

NEW TALENT

Triple H played a big part in signing Awesome Kong and Sin Cara. So far I am impressed with both. People will argue that it was a no brainer - one is a Mexican Superstar and the other is so unique to a generic Divas division. But why didn't Vince sign them before Triple H got involved? We all know Vince has a penchant for signing big men but is this cycle about to stop? Vince knows the business better than anybody, but Triple H will have a better eye for talent - being a superstar and that. I think Triple will appreciate talent for what they can do rather than the way they look.

Your thoughts on this?

Ah yes, the new blood brought in by H. Great job, and I know for a fact that he can do an even better job. I guarantee that if AJ Styles or Samoa Joe were available, Triple H wouldn't hesitate to sign them to the main roster if he wanted to. Trips has a good eye for talent. Sin Cara and Kharma are proof of that.

SMACKDOWN

Raw is the 'a' show and Smackdown is the 'b' show. Reports suggest that Triple H wants to bring Smackdown up to the same level as Raw. In order to do this he needs to 'share' the talent. People will argue that there isn't enough on the roster to make both Raw and Smackdown interesting and get their desired ratings. I think this is nonsense. Smackdown lacks stars at the moment but Raw wouldnt miss Morrison and CM Punk if these were to appear on Smackdown. I think Triple H could dust off the Cruiserweight Title and put much more focus on the IC Belt. Tyson Kidd, Sin Cara, Evan Bourne, Chavo, Daniel Bryan are more than capable of carrying a Cruiserweight division. Develop stories around the IC Belt and have it defended on every PPV. Wade Barrett carrying it gives it some crediblity at the moment. Been a former IC Champion I see Triple H doing this. Maybe his input has already started?

Your thoughts on this?

I would love to see the Blue Brand tied with Raw in terms of talent level and ratings. Smackdown has gotten over Raw in both Bragging Rights PPV's, which I see as a key spot for Triple H to try to build the Blue Brand to Raw's level.

 

[WZMember####]

Smackdown will never be the A show as long as its taped, and making the show into a midcard war isn't going to fix whats wrong Tyson kidd vs Chavo really sounds like ratings.

When did this match take place? That match sounds awesome. Do you realize how talented both men are? No really, do you? Besides, its not like WWE Raw has NEVER had a match like that but I guess thats beside the point. However, I do feel you slap a title or two on Tyson and put him feuding with Orton and the story will be different. Smackdown matches to me usaully well 1st off Smackdown usaully has more matches than RAW and second off are much more involved than RAW.

As to the topic... I think Vince will take forever to retire and thats actually a good thing as long as he is up in the big chair WWE will be good. But when he does you gotta remember he is married to Steph and she is very strong minded herself. She isnt just going to let HHH do whatever he wants without reasons or rhyme.

 

[number13]

I have this really weird feeling that HHH taking over will be the filip the company needs to get back some of the genuine spark that seems to have been missing of late.

I know he was always considered a master of the backstage political manouverings that went on over the years, but taking that into account it could potentially mean that he would be the one guy who is most aware of when someone's trying that against him and not 'fall for it' so to speak.

Aside from that, I think he'd be wanting to put his own stamp on things. Make people (backstage, that is) aware that it's now "HIS" show, and not Vince's, which could potentially mean a major league shakeup of how things are done.

One positive move could be to combine the WWE and WHC back into a single WWE belt (after all, it's ridiculous for someone the size of Rey, for example, to be competing for a 'Heavyweight' championship) and look to re-introduce some of the more classic aspects, like the Cruiserweight division and (if PG was to go out the window too) the hardcore division.

Alternatively, if the belts aren't combined, how about actually dividing the roster based on physique to a certain degree, meaning all the giants and muscle-freaks are competing purely for the WHC (Heavyweights for the Heavyweight belt). The top guys who don't fit that criteria - the likes of Rey, Christian, Evan Bourne, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, etc - but are still adept at putting on superb matches could be lumped into competing for the WWE Championship.

Then beneath those, you keep the US title for the 2nd-tier heavyweights, and the IC title for the 2nd-tier non-HWs. Like College Football to the title belts' NFL.

Further down still, you get the Cruiserweight and Diva championships.

It could then be set up so that the only times the HWs and the non-HWs really meet would be in tag-team competition, with the tag division open to all, but encouraged to find either really well-matched combos (a la the Hardyz, Bros of Destruction, etc) or the odd-couple combos (like Show and Rey, for example). It would bring back a bit of spice to the tag division, as it'd be the only time the fans would get to see the wee guys and the behemoths mixing it up. Might even stimulate some classic tag teams again.

Obviously, outside the title picture you could still have crossover feuds (like Cody and Rey's feud of late), but for the title contenders, let's match like-to-like for a bit and see what happens. Might just freshen things up a bit.

 

[whoopin' ass]

truth - i think having hunter in charge will be a good thing. with vince, it is a little case of envy. he wanted to be a wrestler but his old man would have nothing to do with it so he works like crazy to show he is a success. with hunter, he has been champ several times, he lived his dream. but he also saw first hand what it can do to people. rumors online say that crew/wrestlers are a lot happier and relaxed when hunter is running things backstage instead of vince. i think he is going to work the schedule so people have a little more time off, look and develop talent since he knows characters can morph and change over time. did anyone think he would be champ when he was the blueblood? but his character grew and changed over the years to become who he is today and i think we will see more of that. and i think smackdown will benefit because why have an "a" and a "b" show when you can have 2 "a" shows? i think it will be a good thing.