It’s been five months since Vince McMahon stepped down from WWE. That seems like a short period of time, but in the world of professional wrestling that’s an eternity. In that time, WWE’s programming has remained largely unchanged with only some minor, occasional adjustments. For example, NXT 2.0 is back to being “black and gold” NXT. RAW has a vignette that plays before the show starts. The opening segment of each production isn’t a guaranteed "promo train” with one superstar interrupting the next until, inevitably, an impromptu match is booked. Sometimes RAW or SmackDown will open to a brawl already in progress or a match about to begin, welcome deviations from the fifteen minute monologue norm.

But nothing substantive has changed. In some cases it feels like we’re holding on to Vince McMahon’s vision out of respect for what he did rather than pushing forward into the future. There are still long stretches of meandering, scripted dialogue, and nonsensical, time-killing storylines. The aesthetic of RAW and SmackDown hasn’t evolved in over twenty years; the look and feel of backstage segments, in particular. Backstage beatdowns happen several times a week, sometimes on the same show, revealing WWE’s limited number of narrative devices.

Yes, WWE Superstars now use the words “wrestler” and “wrestling”, but is that what WWE television really needs to get markedly better? Unbanning words Vince McMahon disliked is not the same as telling riveting stories or updating the visual language of a show.

Some of this lack of change is possibly by design.

Triple H, the new head of creative, is tasked with demonstrating he can run several television shows simultaneously. That’s a tall order. It’s understandable why he might not throw out the creative book and start from scratch. He must demonstrate that he’s a dependable show-runner. Leaning on the established infrastructure is wise. It’s time for something more, though. He’s demonstrated dependability and the WWE machine hasn’t ground to a halt fallowing the departure of Vince McMahon. There’s room to be more creative. Apart from WWE’s premium live events, which are reliably entertaining, and The Bloodline story, weekly WWE television has been fairly paint by numbers. Heel does X, babyface does Y. Good guy group wins this week, bad guy group wins next week. And on it goes. It would be nice to see Triple H take a big creative swing or, at the very least, take a handful of small creative swings. Whether he hits or misses is irrelevant because the machine runs regardless.

What’s wrong with sprinkling in a new camera angle here or a ringside interview there? Let’s explore the three-dimensional space of the arena, observing brawls in new, exciting ways. Perhaps backstage interviews could look and feel more naturalistic with the camera crew running up to a wrestler as they’re walking through the halls. Maybe one or two promos could be slightly less scripted, especially for those who’ve already demonstrated a talent for improvisation.

What are some small, seemingly inconsequential aspects of RAW or SmackDown’s aesthetic that could be prettied up? Perhaps it’s time for a redesign of the various WWE titles - make them visually synonymous not unlike the current Men & Women’s world championships. Imagine a coronation ceremony where Roman Reigns receives a new, single WWE Heavyweight Championship and The Usos receive new, single WWE Tag Team Championships in honor of their history making reigns.

These are fun things to consider.

More than any aesthetic, narrative, or structural changes, though, there is one significant change I’d love to see in Triple H’s WWE.

Flexibility.

Triple H is the head of creative in WWE following the resignation of Vince McMahon.

I’d like to know that Triple H has his finger on the pulse of pro-wrestling fans and isn’t insulted when fans don’t cheer or boo “the right way”.

In the past, a disconnect formed between fan and promotion, where the WWE blatantly plowed ahead with their chosen prospect despite consistent auditory input in opposition of that choice. The fans would then feel as though they weren’t being listened to, occasionally resulting in hot crowds attempting to “hijack” segments and shows. As an analyst and as a fan, I’d like to see an end to that dynamic.

I want WWE and the fans to be on the same page. That makes for a more satisfying viewing experience.

Perhaps this is the big creative swing I’m looking for; a willingness to listen and adapt. I’d like to rest assured, particularly as we near another WrestleMania season, that the most “over” (popular) wrestler or story gets the “push” it deserves.

Take, for example, the aforementioned Bloodline, arguably “the best thing” in wrestling right now.

As Sami Zayn has embedded himself more and more in the story, the more beloved he’s become.

This is because he’s a sympathetic character yearning for acceptance.

It’s irrelevant that he’s a heel member of a heel group. His goals are relatable, even endearing.

He’s also just an excellent performer delivering a stellar performance. Fans don’t differentiate between the character and the performance. Put another way, modern wrestling fans cheer good performances and boo bad ones, regardless of a character’s moral alignment.

Hence why Roman Reigns is cheered when he asks a new town to “Acknowledge me”, and why the Boston crowd at Survivor Series came unglued when Jey Uso finally embraced Sami Zayn.

The fans are just enjoying this great story that’s being told one week to the next. And we can all see what’s going to happen from a mile away (which isn’t a bad thing at all). The Bloodline is going to turn on Sami Zayn. If Triple H doesn’t want the fans to get behind Sami Zayn after that happens, and cheer him all the way to a WrestleMania main event against Roman Reigns…then I really don’t know what to say.

The fans will rally behind Sami the minute he’s betrayed. He’ll become the most sympathetic character in the company and, therefore, slot naturally into the very open top babyface position. No one’s going to be cheering him because they want him to rescue the tag titles from the Usos. Fans will want something better than that concession prize.

For months people have been asking, “Who could possibly unseat Roman?”

The answer now stares us in the face, a star rising through the ranks, “getting over” organically. There’s nothing fans love more than a hero they feel they’ve chosen.

Is Sami a bigger risk than Cody Rhodes? Perhaps on paper but, in reality, not at all. Sami has demonstrated an aptitude for every requirement of a WWE Superstar. He has the ability to make people laugh and cry in equal measure. He’s a polymath, able to do whatever is required of him. He already has an established relationship with Roman Reigns, one that’s fraught with tension. If WWE doesn’t make an adjustment, based upon the groundswell of support Sami will get at The Rumble (or whenever The Bloodline casts him out) it risks perpetuating the negative dynamic of the company and the fans being needlessly at odds.

It also risks the fans turning on whomever WWE does choose.

The WrestleMania main event has been a source of heated debate and it will take years of reconditioning to make it less controversial. At the heart of the controversy is a disagreement about the very purpose of the main event. Is it a reward for a year’s worth of hard work, a grandiose employee of the month plague given to a deserving Superstar, or is it a reservation held for preexisting “top guys”? This year presents an interesting dilemma because the conversation will swirl around two liked full-time Superstars (unless The Rock is free, which changes everything). It’s entirely possible I’m wrong, and the crowd will rally behind Cody and no contingent will go against him upon his return. But this will be Triple H’s first WrestleMania as head of creative, and I want it to be a resounding success. I want it to signal a substantial change in booking philosophy.

Not to say it can’t be a success if Sami is teaming with Kevin Owens against The Usos for the tag titles and Roman is defending his title against Cody Rhodes. Those are undoubtedly great additions to any card. But who is naturally capturing the hearts and minds of WWE fans right now? Who is coming up with chant-worthy catchphrases? Who is the dependable performer who’s made chicken salad out of chicken you know what, made the most out of his TV time, and positioned himself to be a once in a generation style babyface?

There’s only one answer.

It’s time to get ahead of this and start booking The Bloodline, and Sami Zayn, with the intent that it/he will main event WrestleMania. This will earn the good will of fans, remove the barrier between the audience and the company, and result in an historic match at WrestleMania.

It’s time to take a chance.

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this article check out some others. You should also subscribe to my podcast The Work Of Wrestling (available wherever you get your pods every Monday). If you’d like to support me subscribe to my Patreon and you’ll get two exclusive podcasts every month. If you’re in need of a new wrestling tee-shirt visit my store at Pro-Wrestling Tees. Thank you again. May the Moment of Pop be with you!

It's Time, Triple H

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