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Big news broke yesterday regarding the future of WWE's creative direction. Reports indicated that Endeavor has backed Triple H to lead the creative direction of World Wrestling Entertainment moving forward.
More specifically, the rumors state that the belief The Game will have control of "99.9%" of what goes down, although Vince McMahon could still give his input. Regardless, this news is huge, if accurate. It has also seemingly boosted morale behind the scenes.
While the bombshell report shocked many fans, with the benefit of hindsight, there were several signs pointing to the change of leadership in recent weeks. Several major elements that are common in Triple H-led programming returned, while some Vince McMahon tropes have been absent.
This article will look at a handful of signs that indicate the reports are accurate and The Game is almost solely back in charge of the company's creative. This includes specific talent being used, major plans for the company's future, and more.
Below are four signs Triple H is in control of WWE's creative direction.
#4. Easter eggs have been brought back to WWE programming
One major trope of the Triple H-booked show is the use of Easter eggs. This can be done in various forms, but RAW and SmackDown mastered the concept late last year when The Game first took over the creative direction of WWE.
A wrestler may be cutting a promo backstage, but if eagle-eyed WWE fans looked closely enough in the background, they may see two wrestlers have a heated discussion or bonding. Alternatively, there may be clues, such as QR Codes. This helped build a lot of anticipation ahead of the late-great Bray Wyatt's return last year.
This Easter egg strategy returned on Monday Night RAW this week. While Ricochet and Adam Pearce were discussing a match scheduled for next week, Rhea Ripley could be seen talking to Drew McIntyre in the background. This plants seeds for whatever step comes next in their story. Vince McMahon seemingly never utilized this quite like Triple H does.
#3. DIY finally reunited
Like with any wrestling promoter, there are wrestlers who the bookie "gets," and some simply do not understand the appeal. While Triple H and Vince McMahon were both extremely successful, there was a clear difference of opinion on certain talents.
One of the most obvious examples seems to be the duo of DIY. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa rose through the ranks of WWE NXT to eventually become top stars of the brand under Triple H's leadership. Their time on the main roster, however, was less impactful. In fact, Gargano was barely utilized this year.
however, things seemed to change last week. Tommaso Ciampa was built up to be a potential threat and took Gunther to the limit in the main event for the Intercontinental Championship. After getting jumped by Imperium, Johnny Gargano returned, and DIY re-formed to close the show. Triple H's favorites reuniting in the main event of RAW was a major indication that Vince was out of the picture.
#2. Global Localization is seemingly being re-introduced
Global Localization could be the future of WWE. The concept comes from Triple H and what he hopes will set wrestling up to succeed for decades to come. The idea is simple: he wants to replicate the territory model to a degree by having NXT brands all over.
Instead of the various NXT brands being in different states, however, he wants to go bigger. The Game wants to have an NXT show and even a WWE Performance Center on various continents and in different countries. They will all make a footprint in the region while also building up stars for NXT in the U.S., RAW, and SmackDown.
Between the pandemic, Triple H's health issues were a concern, and Vince McMahon's restructuring developmental plans were seemingly finished. Thankfully, Triple H mentioned in the Fastlane 2023 Press Conference that the intent remained, and Endeavor will be helping to put them in motion.
Given that McMahon stopped it before, this was a major sign that Endeavor was behind Triple H and his vision, at least compared to that of the older McMahon.
#1. The Women's division is getting far more attention
While narratives will often pop up that Triple H does not care about WWE's Women's division, history has proven that to be false. It was under his watch in NXT that the Diva's Revolution, later the Women's Evolution, took off. He was the first to position women to main event a big Premium Live Event, too.
Still, throughout much of 2023, women have taken a bit of a backseat on RAW and SmackDown in terms of presentation. Numerous female stars had gone missing, and the company went back to relying on a handful of top stars. This excludes NXT, where women are handled extremely well.
However, things seem to be changing on WWE's main roster. The top stars of the Women's division have been receiving more match time and promo time. On top of that, a wider variety of female athletes are being showcased as well.
For example, 17 women were highlighted on RAW this week. This includes Natalya, Tegan Nox, Becky Lynch, Xia Li, Piper Niven, Chelsea Green, Kayden Carter, Katana Chance, Jade Cargill, Raquel Rodriguez, Nia Jax, Rhea Ripley, Shayna Baszler, Maxxine Dupri, Valhalla, Candice LeRae, and Indi Hartwell. This would be almost unheard of in Vince McMahon-led creative direction.
Do you think WWE would benefit more under the leadership of a Triple H-led creative team? Sound off in the comments section below!
