WWE ‘Silent Protest’ Favors Triple H Taking Over, John Cena Opposes
A WWE “silent protest” being orchestrated by unnamed wrestlers seems to favor Triple H taking creative control of the company in the wake of the much-maligned TLC pay-per-view.
This rumor springs from MetsFan4Ever on the Squared Circle subreddit, and since he’s believed by many to be a company insider, a lot of WWE fans are taking it seriously.
The commenter also claimed that John Cena “held a talent meeting in an attempt to rally the troops, so to speak, and explain that a silent protest is not a good idea but rather working hard and being better is the best way to go,” Cageside Seats reports.
It’s likely that Vince McMahon’s comments regarding up-and-coming talent on the Steve Austin Show didn’t go over too well with many wrestlers trying to grab the “brass rings” he spoke of, and rather than an “ambition problem,” these wrestlers feel the company has a Vince McMahon problem.
McMahon is now 69-years-old. His skills as a promoter moved professional wrestling to its two most successful eras — that of Hulkamania and later the “Attitude Era” that birthed “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. He took pro wrestling to national prominence with WrestleMania, but many feel the time has now come for him to retire.
Triple H, a former star of the Attitude Era and McMahon’s son-in-law, has been seen as the heir apparent whenever Vince steps down, but there is no clear indication that will be any time soon, and as long as McMahon continues to hold the reins, it’s challenging for any other creative ideas to break through.
Many who’ve worked for him claim that he micromanages every piece of major WWE programming — Smackdown, Raw, the pay-per-views — even going as far as telling the announcers what to say on commentary.
Triple H has been mostly an on-screen personality for WWE, though his creative direction for NXT has been nothing short of stellar and widely embraced by fans.
Commenters on the Squared Circle subreddit were highly critical of Vince McMahon and John Cena for their roles in trying to keep young talent down.
“Sounds like Cena is trying to protect his spot,” said one.
“I’m done with Raw after last Sunday,” said another. “There is no reason to have Cena vs Lesnar 25. NOBODY GIVES A [expletive][expletive][expletive].”
“Kinda hard to step up with s****y booking and s**t writing, brother.”
“Anyone who watched the SCSA-Vince shoot knows they CLEARLY Vince is out of touch with the current fanbase. At this point in his life he should be enjoying his money, spending time with his grandchildren, and actually swimming in his pool, not booking a weekly TV program. NXT is the far superior product with a fraction of the resources. Cena is the epitome of Vince’s out of touchness.”
If it’s true about the WWE silent protest, do you think the wrestlers are justified, or should they do as John Cena advises and work harder?