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The year 2022 was very newsworthy for WWE in both good and bad ways. Arguably the biggest news story of the year was Vince McMahon's retirement after more than 40 years in charge of the company. The change in regime opened the door for Triple H to take over creative duties and impose his will on the product.
The Game's regime has been largely well-received, getting a lot of fans excited for his vision of the future. This has been due to renewed energy from the talent who are excited to perform under new leadership and good booking decisions on his part.
Let's take a look at the five best creative decisions made by Triple H at the helm of WWE in 2022.
#5: Turning Becky Lynch face was one of Triple H's first great decisions in WWE
Becky Lynch spent most of 2022 as a heel, having returned from maternal leave as a villain at WWE SummerSlam 2021. Her Big Time Becks persona was very entertaining but always felt unnatural since she was still very popular with fans.
Fans called for Becky to turn face for months, and it seemed to be in the works even in the previous regime's final days.
The six-time Women's Champion finally reverted to her heroic "The Man" character after losing her RAW Women's Championship rematch to Bianca Belair at SummerSlam. Unfortunately, she suffered an injury in that match, ruling her out of action for more than three months.
The huge ovation she received when she returned from injury showed how inspiring it was to revert her back to "The Man".
#4: Repackaging Max Dupri as LA Knight was the right move by Triple H
LA Knight was one of the standouts in the last days of NXT's black and gold era. Upon promotion to the main roster, he was repackaged as Max Dupri, manager of the Maximum Male Models.
The move did not go down well with fans who had followed him from the developmental brand, since it seemed to handicap him on the mic and in the ring.
When Triple H took control of WWE creative, he engineered a gradual transition for the character back to LA Knight. Both The Megastar and WWE SmackDown have benefitted immensely from the change, and his feud with Bray Wyatt is one of the best things in the entire company. Just months in, repackaging him seems like a stroke of genius.
#3: Introducing NXT match concepts to the main roster breathed new life into two premium live events
Of the five WWE premium live events Triple H has overseen in 2022, the two that most needed rehabilitation in fan perception were Extreme Rules and Survivor Series. The former suffered from a shortage of stipulation matches while the latter suffered from an over-reliance on brand warfare.
The Cerebral Assassin changed all that by introducing The Fight Pit (among others) to Extreme Rules and WarGames to Survivor Series. As a result, both events were the most-watched in their respective histories, vindicating HHH's decision to bring them to the main roster.
#2: The White Rabbit saga was a home run for The Game
The White Rabbit saga was an extensive series of teases and clues leading up to Bray Wyatt's WWE return. The three-time world champion's reintroduction to the company was an elaborate one, using QR codes and cryptic videos to raise anticipation for his eventual appearance.
It was so intricate, sophisticated and different from anything the company had done in years that it received heaps of praise from the internet wrestling community.
The decision to reintroduce Wyatt in this unique manner not only piqued the interest of incumbent fans but also got lapsed ones talking. It was one of the most intellectually executed angles in recent WWE history.
#1: The returns of released superstars have deepened the WWE roster
Arguably the biggest change introduced to WWE by the Triple H regime has been rehiring multiple stars that were released by Vince McMahon. This decision has divided the company's fanbase and incited debate over which returns were worth it and which ones weren't.
What can't be denied is that they have deepened the roster and opened up dozens more potential dream matches for everyone. As a result, the reintroduction of released stars has simultaneously become one of the most praised and criticized decisions of the Triple H era in 2022.
