In some way, I feel kind of bad for WWE leading into this year’s Wrestlemania. Having John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins and Randy Orton all out of action for the event really does leave the roster depleted in terms of star power. However, it’s also been a huge reality check for WWE. The reasons for the lack of star power is really down to WWE’s resistance to push and protect new talent, with all three members of the Shield being a notable exception. All of this has lead to a huge dilemma for WWE going into Wrestlemania. Last year’s Wrestlemania main event was planned out around six months beforehand. As of me writing this, there’s been no real indication on television over what the main event will be. Wrestling reports have thrown around a bunch of different scenarios but one “planned” main event was reported this week which I believe would be the wrong way to go for Wrestlemania 32.
This may contradict what I said earlier but there’s actually been a number of teases in the past few years for Roman Reigns vs Triple H. The idea of this match was actually hinted at more strongly in late 2015, with Roman Reigns’ beatdown of Triple H at TLC writing the COO off television. Coming off TLC, I was feeling pretty excited about a potential match at Wrestlemania 32. The next night on RAW though, Roman captured the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
The manner in which the title change was done got Roman over big time. However, it does create a huge problem in terms of booking Roman Reigns vs Triple H. It’s now a safe bet that no matter what happens at the Royal Rumble, Roman will be in the main event of Wrestlemania. They could change their minds but why else would you push Roman this way? Better yet, why would miss out on this opportunity to elevate Roman by having him potentially win the main event of Wrestlemania? To relegate Roman to just having another match on the card would be a waste of all that effort. I don’t really have a problem with Roman Reigns being in the main event of Wrestlemania 32. I don’t have a problem with Roman fighting for the WWE World title, as champion or challenger. I do have a problem with Triple H being in the main event of Wrestlemania 32.
As I mentioned earlier, the active roster is lacking in terms of star power at the moment. This is forcing WWE’s hand to get behind the likes of Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens as they’ve really got no choice. The idea that they have to rely on one of their old stars to elevate the new ones is very detrimental to the building of future talent. I understand that the WWE could portray this as the passing of the torch to Roman Reigns and it’s not like Triple H is someone that pops up every now and then. He’s a regular on-screen personality. However, he’s not an active member of the roster. If he is seen fighting for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at 46 years old in the main event of Wrestlemania, how damaging would that be to everyone else? From a backstage perspective, it would be the WWE’s subtle way of telling their current talent that they’re not good enough to be fighting for the WWE World title. That’s not the stance that I’d take as this is the talent that you’ve got to push following Wrestlemania. None of these stars that are injured will be ready for that period nor will the returning part-timers be around.
Wrestlemania has to act as a catalyst for the future of the product. It’s the highest-grossing event of the year so you have to make the most of the viewers that are tuning into the event. What incentive is there for them to stay subscribed to the WWE Network? Which stars that have appeared at this event will be their on RAW the next day? I understand the use of stars like Brock Lesnar and The Rock as a means to attract mainstream attention. The Rock’s announcement of his attendance at the show on Instagram did a great job in hitting that non-wrestling audience as he has a huge Instagram following. However, it’s not like these stars are going to be there the next day. If you’re going to use them, use them in a way that benefits the company. Don’t use them in a way that just benefits them. That applies for Triple H.
I don’t think Triple H would ever be considered for a WWE World title match unless the roster suffered too many huge losses. There’s been huge losses but I think Triple H being in the main event wouldn’t be a solution. Even worse, what if he actually WINS the WWE World Heavyweight Championship? Worst of all, what if he wins this year’s Royal Rumble? You’re left with twenty-nine wrestlers who were all over-shadowed by the on-screen non-wrestling authority figure. It would also be illogical for Triple H to book himself to be in the Royal Rumble match when he could just book himself in the main event of Wrestlemania itself anyway. That’s the route I’d go down IF I were to do this match for the title. However, I wouldn’t. If you’re going to use a part-timer to elevate a new star, why not have it be Brock Lesnar?
Brock wrestles a lot more than Triple H does, even appearing in a lot more live events in the past year. He’s got the in-ring skills and did put on a great match with Roman in last year’s Wrestlemania main event. It’d actually be a good use of continuity and Brock vs Roman II would be a good selling point for Wrestlemania. Brock is also nearly ten years younger than Triple H, which is not as bad as someone approaching their fifties potentially winning the world title.
I am not bashing the idea of Triple H vs Roman Reigns at all. I am bashing the idea of their match being for the top title of the promotion. I feel that is best reserved for the active roster. I understand that it is a lot easier said than done, especially when all of their past candidates for the main event are out of action. However, Triple H should not be anywhere near the title picture in a time period where the WWE talent pool is so strong. From a storyline perspective, it makes no sense for him to fight Roman for the title as he has no need for it. From a business standpoint, it’s going to have damaging ramifications for the future of the product. There’s nothing for Triple H to gain, whether he wins the title or not. I understand that options or limited, but it’s not to the point where we need to have Triple H potentially becoming a 14-time world champion. That’s far from best for business.
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