Control of WWE.... Now What?

[JBM]

On the 19 Aug 13 edition of Raw, Vince, Stephanie, HHH and Orton all stood in the ring together and seemingly happy with the outcome of Summerslam. This seems to contradict the theories many of us predicted on the fight for control of WWE.

What we know is HHH turned heel by screwing over Daniel Bryan, and helping Randy Orton cash in the MITB briefcase to become the new WWE Champion. We know that Vince came off as a 8 year old on Christmas morning the next night on Raw because of HHH's actions. We know that Stephanie endorsed it all in the ring by hugging it out with Orton, and participating in the antics. We know that Daniel Bryan faces a huge obstacle in overcoming the McMahon family and Orton to win back the WWE Championship.

So where does WWE go with this? How does the story go back to a power play for control of the WWE?

Is HHH going to get out of control with his power and turn on Vince? Is Stephanie the one pushing his buttons so that she becomes the one vying for total control of WWE? If so, how does Vince overcome his heelish behavior to gain favor with the fans? Or will Vince remain the heel and somehow HHH turns face between now and Wrestlemania?

I think most on here predicted the outcome, but I'm not so sure everyone expected there to be so much unity between the boss and HHH following SS. So what say you Wrestlezone....how do you think this one is going to play out?

JBM

 

[agent77]

Stephanie will be the straw that breaks the barrel between Vince and Trips. Its an old formula >> this follows the Austin/Vince formula, with now Bryan/Trips in their place. Everyone who's watched wrestling the last 30 years will know how this ends up. There hasn't been an angle that hadn't been done - just rehashed, and retold in a different way.

 

[MCMG]

I suspect that HHH will be face before the end of WM30. It is just inevitable that he will get tired of Vince's regime and will become the face that everyone loves. I wouldn't be surprised if HBK talked him out of his current state.

When this exactly happens but I think Vince/HHH will be a team until the end of the year. Thereafter, it will be foreshadowed that they will split and I think we will see Triple H pedigree Vince at WM30.

 

[JBM]

Stephanie will be the straw that breaks the barrel between Vince and Trips. Its an old formula >> this follows the Austin/Vince formula, with now Bryan/Trips in their place. Everyone who's watched wrestling the last 30 years will know how this ends up. There hasn't been an angle that hadn't been done - just rehashed, and retold in a different way.

Thank you for your truly insightful response. You must have spent a lot of time thinking of it. I've been watching off an on for 25 of my 31 years of life, so I know it's nothing original. Doesn't mean it hasn't sparked my curiosity, or that of others on how it will play out. There are certainly different aspects of it that weren't involved in the past.

Who else will be involved? Will the roster begin to split up as each wrestler picks who they will support? Or will they keep it just between the current players?

 

[JBM]

I suspect that HHH will be face before the end of WM30. It is just inevitable that he will get tired of Vince's regime and will become the face that everyone loves. I wouldn't be surprised if HBK talked him out of his current state.

When this exactly happens but I think Vince/HHH will be a team until the end of the year. Thereafter, it will be foreshadowed that they will split and I think we will see Triple H pedigree Vince at WM30.

I hadn't put much thought into HBK getting involved, but it makes sense. Leading up to SS, they did a great job of inserting a lot of subtlety in the plot and taking their time with it. If they were to remain a team through the end of the year, I wonder if they would continue to offer that same subtle approach between now and then.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

I don't think they are doing the "power play for control of the WWE" storyline.

I think they are doing The Corportion/Mick Foley storyline (1998-1999). Triple H and McMahons/The Shield join to make a heel faction with Randy Orton as their Champion and Daniel Bryan playing the role of Mick Foley,the underdog.

 

[MCMG]

I hadn't put much thought into HBK getting involved, but it makes sense. Leading up to SS, they did a great job of inserting a lot of subtlety in the plot and taking their time with it. If they were to remain a team through the end of the year, I wonder if they would continue to offer that same subtle approach between now and then.

HBK will cut a promo in the ring "addressing" HHH. He will try to talk him out of it but will get an RKO for his troubles. He also trained Daniel Bryan and is rocking an impressive beard meaning he is guaranteed to be involved.

I'd imagine that Vince will make some decisions that HHH doesn't agree with and vice-versa. I'm excited about the story no doubt and all the variables: The Shield, Bryan, Cena, Ziggler, HBK, Flair and other superstars that may or may-not take sides makes this very interesting. Subtlety has never been a thing the WWE has used and I fear they may go for a TNA/NWO complete split of the roster.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's hard to say. As of right now, simply based on what we've seen thus far, maybe the whole power struggle angle is off and they simply decided to go into another direction. In this particular case, again this is just based on what we've seen thus far, it looks as though the angle with the current power structure is bent on securing "the future" of the WWE.

As part of doing so, they're going with the "doing what's best for the business" in which only a certain type of wrestler or wrestlers are "deserving" to be in certain positions. Randy Orton fits the mold of someone with sort of the ideal overall package. He's got the looks, the aggression, the general image, etc. Guys like The Shield are the aggressive muscle used to enforce the image of the "corporate powers" while "punishing" or "embarrassing" those who speak out against them. IF that's ultimately where this is going, then the ultimate end goal might be for Daniel Bryan to ultimately rise up to take out this corporate power center as part of a massive push.

As I said in another thread, John Cena is going to be out for the rest of 2013 and the beginning of the Fall TV season isn't far off. With Cena out of the picture, then I don't see how WWE can possibly afford not to have really over babyfaces looking strong. Monday Night Football kicked WWE's ass as never before last year and I think the only POSSIBLE way of avoiding that is to firmly get behind guys who are extremely over, such as Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, and push them extremely hard as the top babyfaces of the company. I'm not saying it's guaranteed to work or anything like that, but Cena's gone so I don't see how they can't put very over talent that feel very fresh into the top angles. It's really their only shot of avoiding sliding back into ratings oblivion, possibly even further into it.

As others have mentioned, however, it's possible that the McMahon family "falls apart" at some point in which Vince could be sort of "forced out" by Stephanie and Triple H or Triple H is "forced out". It's difficult to really tell at this point because Triple H's heel turn at SummerSlam and then reconciling with Vince last night on Raw puts the whole power struggle angle into a tailspin. If Vince or Triple H winds up "forced out" as part of some sort of "hostile takeover", then I ultimately expect that person to sort of come with hat in hand in order to ask for help but guys like CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, possibly Dolph Ziggler, etc.

 

[JBM]

Jack-Hammer,

Personally I have to believe that they are eventually going to come back around to the power play for company control. Vince is getting old. According to Wikipedia he's turning 68 this week. Though I'm sure he could continue to do things just fine with the company, I think that he wants to make sure there's a proper transition for his family and for the future of the WWE. HHH appears ready and will always have Vince in the background at some capacity until his dying days to offer some advice.

The rumors have beens swirling for months, and they've already planted the seed for it. Of course, Vince's ego could have gotten in the way and as you suggested, they could have put a complete stop to the storyeline all together. But there's a part of me who thinks that Vince is a human being who may want to enjoy the golden years of his life with his wife and grand children. And that now is as good of a time as any to do so.

So with that, I think they slowly build some tension and turmoil into the storyline with Vince eventually turning face to eventually ride off into the sunset with the WWE universe cheeering him on after the control of the company is some way or another passed on to HHH. Every WWE superstar past, present, and future will come to the ring clapping and crying and carrying him out of the arena as meteor's shoot across the dark lit sky and the world sheds a tear for the end of the Vincent Kennedy McMahon era of WWE.
(I suppose that was a bit dramatic, but with Vince, you never know)

 

[Mitch Henessey]

At first, I thought Triple H's heel turn was a means of getting to Orton before Vince could, so Triple H could have a major player and the WWE Champion on his side in the power struggle. But seeing Triple H celebrate with Vince shocked the hell out of me, because both men have been at each other's throats for months now.

And I was even more confused with Stephanie. When I first saw Stephanie come out the other night, I thought she was going to go into some big speech about "doing the right thing" and being the peacemaker between Triple H and Vince....but she quickly ran Bryan down, and had security throw him out. Then to end the night, we see Orton, Vince, HHH, and Stephanie celebrating together.

For so long we were lead to believe Vince and Triple H were going to try and take one another out, with Stephanie stuck in the middle, but WWE threw a few curveballs at us over the past two days.

Going by what we saw last night, the plan is to make Daniel Bryan's life a living hell, as he fights to regain the WWE Championship. I thought Stephanie and Triple H were great last night, because you have to remember, along with Vince, they're supposed to piss you off now. It's supposed to piss you off that Stephanie happily hugged the same man, who attacked her twice (one attack was with Triple H handcuffed to the ropes, while Orton kissed her) on the road to Wrestlemania 25. It's supposed to piss you off that Triple H, like a weasel, stooped so low to side with and gain the services of a man, who tormented his family a handful of years ago. That's the point.

Plus, Triple H and Orton stole Bryan's moment. Stephanie and Triple H degraded and talked down to Bryan like he was a small child, to the point where both promos from Trips and Steph rubbed me the wrong way a few times. Yes, I know. A lot of internet fans think Paul Michael Levesque is the scum of the Earth or Satan himself, but the man is at his best, when he's a heel, and I'm sure he'll play a crucial role in solidifying Bryan as one of the top guys in WWE.

With the way things are going, I have to believe WWE is setting Bryan up for the big WWE Championship win somewhere down the line, possibly at Wrestlemania. Storyline wise, they're going to drag Bryan through the dirt, until he finally rises up, and topples the smug and evil corporate jackasses, who tried to hold him down. When it comes to fiction, I'm a firm believer in good defeating evil, and Bryan is the ultimate underdog.

 

[2Future4U]

now would be a great time to bring back Shane McMahon, he hasn't been seen on WWE TV in ages and would be a perfect pick to help back Daniel Bryan. the lone wolf son returns and causes an uproar in the current WWE corporate alliance

 

[Lord_Frish]

My assumption here is that the plan is centred on giving Cena a big return. Orton will hold the title for 4 to 6 months with Bryan and a bunch of others getting screwed along the way (possibly including Vince getting screwed over by Steph/HHH). The two main ways I see this going down is, A) Bryan vs Orton in some form of a no DQ match at Rumble with Cena coming out at the end and helping Bryan win the WWE Title. B) Which I think is more likely, Cena shows up for the Road to Wrestlemania and straight away has a WWE Title match with Orton at Mania. Which would leave Bryan in some kind of power struggle match that has Vince and HHH as rivals. The first would be more interesting and probably make most people happier, but the second option feels more likely to me.

 

[Mustang Sally]

It's way too early to presume there's eternal peace in the kingdom. I really thought Triple H was going to Pedigree Orton.....or Vince..... and blow the whole program out of the water before it barely began.

Shows what I know. There are going to be plenty of twists and turns in the storyline before WM30. If it's true the USA network has demanded the company give us more McMahon-Levesque soap opera, we're bound to see tons of it in the months ahead......and although many on this forum complain that everything in WWE is too predictable, I doubt any of us are going to be able to make the call as to how the whole mess will end up by next April.

First up, imo, will be Randy turning on his three benefactors. He's no one's idea of a corporate champion, is he? I think he'll shortly be telling Triple H and friends: "Thanks for your assistance cashing in on MITB, but your help is no longer needed. Now, piss off."

There's lots to do and a thousand ways to do it..

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I have no idea where this is going. It could be HHH vs. Vince eventually or The Corporation sticks together. That means it can go any number of ways.

I doubt this ends with Daniel Bryan becoming the face of the company, so calm down, boys. If Vince and HHH stay together and don't end up feuding with one another, I think we may be looking at Orton vs. Cena for the title at WrestleMania. If The Corporation crumbles and Vince and HHH are at odds, your guess is as good as mine.

I think Daniel Bryan's going to have a really nice Fall and early Winter... and that's about it.

 

[LSN80]

I doubt this ends with Daniel Bryan becoming the face of the company, so calm down, boys. If Vince and HHH stay together and don't end up feuding with one another, I think we may be looking at Orton vs. Cena for the title at WrestleMania. If The Corporation crumbles and Vince and HHH are at odds, your guess is as good as mine.

They did put Bryan over Cena clean, and centered the main segments of the show around him on Raw. Granted, Cena is out, but could it be possible they're going to try and push Bryan to that solid 1B to Cena's 1A?

The way they've structured Raw around Bryan for the past month and a half would seem to indicate that.

I think Daniel Bryan's going to have a really nice Fall and early Winter... and that's about it.

You may be right, but right now, he's being positioned as "The Guy" going after Orton and HHH. I don't see Orton holding the title until Wrestlemania, but I could be wrong. And even if they do go with Orton vs. Cena as their main event, Bryan vs. HHH would seem a logical match to me.

With the way they've seemed to structure the feud, Bryan seems primed to be positioned as a top face for some time to come. They structured an angle and a match around him at their (arguably) second largest PPV of the year, so is it really out of the question he could be in a prime match come Wrestlemania?

Ideally, they could bring this full circle by playing his story out the way they did Cena's this past year. Struggles and defeats, with people turning on him, only for him to find redemption and have a big Wrestlemania moment. Will he win the Royal Rumble and main event Wrestlemania?

I doubt it. But I still think he's being positioned and pushed to be the guy for some time to come, and he's not going to just fall into obscurity when Cena returns.

First up, imo, will be Randy turning on his three benefactors. He's no one's idea of a corporate champion, is he? I think he'll shortly be telling Triple H and friends: "Thanks for your assistance cashing in on MITB, but your help is no longer needed. Now, piss off."

This is an interesting proposition. It stretched my disbelief to the maximum, not when HHH embraced Orton as their champion, because it's just business. But the tense moment where he and Stephanie stared one another down, then embraced?

That was just a bit too much for me. He's the same guy who DDT's her and kissed her while HHH watched on, handcuffed. I understand they're going the just business route, but I couldn't forgive and forget someone who did this to my wife.

[YOUTUBE]a58FP2JV8XM[/YOUTUBE]
This was still as uncomfortable as I've ever felt watching Raw, in a good way. Michael Cole did a nice job of trying to bring up the heinous things Orton has done to the McMahon's over the years, and I hope, announcing wise, they keep some focus there.

I'm not sure where Bryan fits here. But following Summerslam and Raw on Monday, they put the spotlight solely on him. No one came to help him, and he fought the Shield off on his own. If they weren't going forward with Bryan as their guy, why set the show completely around him, and his issues with HHH and Orton?

Bryan may not headline Wrestlemania, but he's being positioned as a huge player here and down the road, even when Cena returns. I'm fine with that.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

I don't see it as a power struggle. I see the faction getting bigger. Shield is already obviously along with them. I think maybe Heyman could form an alliance with them. The motive there is simple, it's greed.

What I'd love to happen is for CM Punk to sell out and join McMahon so he can ensure a spot in the main event at Mania that he so desperately wants.

 

[sjdigitall]

I don't see it as a power struggle. I see the faction getting bigger. Shield is already obviously along with them. I think maybe Heyman could form an alliance with them. The motive there is simple, it's greed.

What I'd love to happen is for CM Punk to sell out and join McMahon so he can ensure a spot in the main event at Mania that he so desperately wants.

CM Punk joining would be interesting but considering they just turned him face i doubt it. My Corporation would include:

HHH
Orton
Vince
Stephanie
Brad Maddox
Shield
Barrett
Miz
Big E Langston

I can really see Miz joining the corporation. From a storyline perspective it makes sense seeing as right now his career is going nowhere and by 'selling out' and joining he can revitalise it.

Barrett is also a similar case in that he needs a revitalisation.

Big E Langston would be a good muscle with The Shield

Brad Maddox played the role of corporate kiss ass so well on monday.

 

[oldschool123]

CM Punk joining would be interesting but considering they just turned him face i doubt it. My Corporation would include:

HHH
Orton
Vince
Stephanie
Brad Maddox
Shield
Barrett
Miz
Big E Langston

I can really see Miz joining the corporation. From a storyline perspective it makes sense seeing as right now his career is going nowhere and by 'selling out' and joining he can revitalise it.

Barrett is also a similar case in that he needs a revitalisation.

Big E Langston would be a good muscle with The Shield

Brad Maddox played the role of corporate kiss ass so well on monday.

I would like to see the Corporation stay small:
The brass:
Vince
HHH
Stephanie

Their puppets:
Brad Maddox
Vickie

Chosen Champion:
Orton

Enforcers:
Rollins
Ambrose
Reigns

By keeping it small the members look stronger. If they need more muscle than The Shield doesn't that make The Shield look weaker?

Of course there will be guys like Barrett who will try to buddy up with them and do their bidding to curry favor but the core group of the Corporation should stay small.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I'm not sure where they are going with it.

DB needs someone on his side though. He can't keep taking a beating from this "corporation." I doesn't necessarily have to be someone who would be fighting for control. Initially, I thought of Linda McMahon or Shane siding with DB but I don't think either one of them want to be seen on WWE TV again.

I do think that DB should form some kind of face group or at least alliance.

What about Stone Cold Steve Austin coming back, not to wrestle but to back Daniel Bryan (and to dole out a few Stunners and drink a few Steveweisers along the way).

Now, I know what the IWC is going to say. You're going to say that giving DB a group makes him look weak. Well, getting beat up every week makes you look weak too. DB needs a couple guys (at least one that can wrestle) on his side to make this storyline work.
It's too bad CM Punk is caught up in the Heyman storyline otherwise Punk could be in DB's corner.

Can you imagine Triple H & Randy Orton vs. Punk and DB? That would be cool.

 

[NickRude]

i think its safe to say its all ending at Mania 30..the faction just started..itll reign supreme for a few months, Bryan will get the strap back, the faction starts folding and either HHH or Vince turns heel. I just have a feeling if they do do the control of WWE match, and Vince doesnt bring someone from the past back i got a feeling Bryan/Vince unite, while HHH maybe wrestles him or if not someone else

 

[Chrome]

Say the following in Triple H's voice:
Please don't criticise this heel turn in relation to the Be A Star program do so because it's a Kayfabe nightmare. I can go Toe to Toe with the Undertaker but now im such a pansy that I need the Shield to protect me. Oh and I will endorse the guy who put the grandfather of my kids in the hospital, and Punted my wife, Or hey wasn't I the leader of DX the most notrious anti authority group in WWE history?
/End

No Triple H we want to attack this character change do so because it makes no sense.

I think this plays out with Vinnie Mac winning it all at Wrestlemania.. this has to be why he isn't on TV lately.