WWE Likely To Bring Triple H And Stephanie McMahon Back Early To Boost Low Ratings
Over the last couple of weeks, the ratings for WWE’s flagship show, RAW, have fallen to the lowest of the year, and in a panic to boost the ratings, WWE could be looking to bring Triple H and Stephanie McMahon back as weekly characters on the show.
When the RAW ratings slipped in the past, WWE always put Vince McMahon back on television in an effort to boost ratings, and almost every time, it worked. Two years ago, when the RAW ratings were slipping, WWE put Vince McMahon back on TV, and then-67-year-old McMahon had a match with CM Punk. This was the same show where CM Punk famously struck a fan while he was standing in the crowd.
Bringing McMahon back as a regular character isn’t really an option at this point, as McMahon doesn’t want to be a regular character. He reportedly hates the idea of having old guys appear on his television shows, and doesn’t want them involved in the main storylines. Because Vince isn’t an option, WWE could very well bring “The Authority” back to RAW, and according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, that is the plan WWE is leaning towards.
It’s been about a month since Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were “removed from power,” after their team lost to John Cena’s team at Survivor Series, so bringing both of them back this early could annoy fans. If Triple H and Stephanie McMahon return as weekly characters on RAW, they may not be reinstated as “The Authority,” which begs the question: What exactly would they be doing on the show? Only WWE knows, but the storyline could be Triple H and Stephanie begging John Cena to reinstate them every single week, which will likely lead to Triple H wrestling Sting at WrestleMania 31, with the stipulation being if Triple H wins, “The Authority” will be put back into power.
If Triple H and Stephanie McMahon return to RAW, it won’t be until after the new year, and it could be held off until after the Royal Rumble, as WWE is hoping their ratings will quickly go up since it’s WrestleMania season.
WWE’s ratings have always seemed to skyrocket in mid-January during the Royal Rumble build up. However, F4WOnline’s Bryan Alvarez predicts that this will finally be the year that the ratings do not go up. Alvarez’s says that WWE’s television shows have been so atrocious over the past several months that WWE will have an extremely difficult time getting fans interested in watching the show again.
With it being WrestleMania season, expect WWE to start bringing back big names who are interested in doing a match at WrestleMania 31 very soon. Those big names could be “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, Hulk Hogan, and The Undertaker. The big names that are guaranteed to be around are Triple H, Brock Lesnar, and Sting, and due to RAW’s low ratings, WWE could be planning to shoot the Sting vs. Triple H angle a lot sooner than originally planned.
[Image via WWE]
