WWE News: Triple H’s Blueprint For NXT Call-Ups, Why They’ve Failed & How The Brand Split Will Affect Them
Once Shane McMahon returned to the WWE after his seven-year hiatus, rumors began swirling that there was a backstage power struggle in play, with concerns over whether Stephanie McMahon and Triple H would assume power once Vince McMahon stepped down or if Shane was actually being considered once again. This led to further speculation that Triple H and Vince were at odds over a number of different issues pertaining to the future of the business as well as how current storylines were being portrayed.
Now, we have a little more insight into one of those differences rather than generalizations that might have quite a broad range of possibilities. Triple H may be in line to become Vince McMahon’s successor when the current chairman eventually steps down, so the best way for Hunter to grasp everything would be to run a brand of his own. And thus, NXT was born. Triple H has groomed the WWE’s developmental system into a legitimate touring brand that some argue has better content than the more mainstream product that is the WWE.
What once may have been considered nothing more than the minor leagues, the NXT, under Triple H’s watchful eye, has blossomed into a breeding ground for some of the world’s top talent. It is there they get to hone their craft with the eventual hope of displaying it on Monday Night RAW or SmackDown. Triple H is proud of what he’s built, as he’s literally designed the future of the WWE. But what happens with NXT alumni once they get called up is a different story.
Triple H
– King of NXT
– Authority
– 13 time world champion
– Knows how to book good feuds pic.twitter.com/RA0iinCTXE— Jina Nicole (@JinaVegaLopez) May 17, 2016
It’s been a mixed bag as far as the successes and failures of recent NXT call-ups, but if it were up to Triple H, things would obviously be better for most, if not all of them. According to the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The Game has a game plan for how an NXT star should transition to the main stage. Triple H does not want any of the NXT stars to be called up unless/until the WWE writing team has six months worth of creative for their arrivals. It’s understandable that they seem hard to believe.
This edict doesn’t necessarily mean that each individual should be reaching the main event scene within those six months, but Triple H is looking for specific directions for that first half-year or else he’d rather keep them in NXT until such plans are laid out. It just hasn’t been the case recently. There were certainly some significant impacts made by former NXT standouts like The Shield, Rusev, Big E, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn, but even Owens got lost in the shuffle for a moment after his three-month feud with John Cena ended.
This news focuses more on the recent call-ups for the likes of Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Tyler Breeze, The Vaudevillains, and Enzo & Cass. Triple H wants to make sure that his former students are afforded opportunities because he doesn’t want the impression to be that NXT can’t make stars. In Crews’ and The Vaudevillains case, they were not even made aware of their main-roster call-ups until WrestleMania weekend. There were reports back in April that Vince quickly soured on his newest WWE stars, but if there weren’t six months worth of creative to support them, you can’t blame Triple H for being upset with how they’ve been used.
There is some serious talent still marinating in NXT, and perhaps Triple H has campaigned to keep the likes of Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, and others where they are until he sees proof that the WWE has six pay-per-views worth of feuds and material for their arrivals.
The recent news of WWE deciding to reinstate the brand split will certainly affect how this all plays out. Two separate rosters with two branches of writing staffs dedicated solely to their own brands. In order for the split to be executed effectively, massive call-ups will be made in the next two months. Vince already confirmed that would be the case. But if Triple H has a say in all this, he’ll need a firm road map for the Balors and Joes and Bayleys of the world before they end up lost like the Breezes, Crews, and Corbins.
[Image via WWE]
