Stop Trying to Make People Like You, Triple H

No.
Photo Credit: WWE.com

WWE is currently embarking on a European tour, and doing so without top guy/heat magnet Roman Reigns. The Big Dog's battle with the mumps couldn't have come at a worse time, as The Shield had FINALLY reunited and his loudest boo-birds had a reason to cheer him again. Things finally were turning up Reigns, and then he got sick with a disease that is now heavily vaccinated against and considered nearly eradicated. Oops! Whether he's a secret anti-vaxxer or WWE's Wellness plan doesn't include mandatory vaccinations for all employees, Reigns' health has cost him perhaps the hottest time of his post-Shield breakup career. Anyway, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose seem to be doing alright, as they were getting big reactions before Reigns joined them, and their feud against The Bar HOSS International has been one of the highlights for match quality on RAW this year. Of course, Reigns was an integral part of the TLC main event, so WWE had to sub someone in for that match. Kurt Angle wasn't his 2001 prime self, but man, he was surprisingly adept given his present physical state. It's a good thing WWE resisted the temptation to put someone else in the flak jacket and black pants again afterwards until Reigns got back, right?

Right?

What happens when The #KingOfKings becomes a #HoundOfJustice? We found out when @TripleH joined forces with #TheShield at #WWEGlasgow! pic.twitter.com/oN9AhZjhr6

— WWE (@WWE) November 2, 2017

Fuck.

I know this thing was a house show and probably won't be acknowledged on camera, but man, WWE took the time to put it on the fucking Twitter account, so it's more than just fans leaking viral video. The company recognizing it brings the evil to life, and make no mistake about it, the guy marrying into capital co-opting a popular gimmick to replace the lone person of color in a stable is evil. Oh yeah, the last time Triple H was on camera, he was getting his ass whipped by Rollins at WrestleMania, second level of wrong. Finally, Triple H spent a good half-year trying to eradicate The Shield before he succeeded by bribing Rollins, so yeah, this thing is a triple play of wrong. But then again, it was something for the house show crowd, which means I could be blowing this out of proportion like a dimestore Wade Keller.

But overall, it's more of a symptom of a bigger problem that has been brewing in WWE ever since Trips, or more accurately, Paul Levesque, decided to rehab his image among hardcore fans and counter himself as The Alternative to old man Vince McMahon: posing with NXT signees, bringing back fan-favorite persons or things after McMahon allows them to be bullied off Smackdown or atrophy in the archives, the entirety of Justin Barrasso's news reporting at Sports Illustrated's website, and now this. Triple H is trying to get everyone to like him, which isn't bad without context. Everyone should want to be liked, right? Except he's painting himself as the savior of WWE from his doddering father-in-law, and I'm highly suspicious of it.

Again, this isn't to say WWE won't get better under his leadership. NXT shows that his own guidance and direction can produce something consistently entertaining, which is more than anyone can say about RAW or Smackdown right now. But this kind of thing happens all the time in the corporate world. Public relations is a huge component to success in the corporate world, and if Levesque can show that he's got his finger more on the pulse than his father-in-law, maybe he gets control before McMahon finally dies of the techno-organic virus in 2051. Given how much of the wrestling world, both within the specific bubble of Wrestling Twitter I reside and outside of it, has lauded Trips as a genius level panacea, I can assume it's working.

However, creative is only one component of a place where WWE can improve. Levesque can produce killer content every week, but if the culture of bullying remains, who cares how good RAW is? If wrestlers still don't have healthcare or this bullshit abuse of the independent contractor label continues unabated, then how is Levesque any better than McMahon? I guess what I'm saying is I don't trust anyone in any front office, especially one with as bad a reputation with labor relations as WWE. I don't think you should either.