Triple H continues to wear many hats in WWE. If you read his bio, the man who married the boss’s daughter is the Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative of WWE, as well as being the founder and senior producer of NXT. And when he isn’t doing that, he gets in the ring and shocks the world by turning on Seth Rollins, handing the Universal Heavyweight Title to Kevin Owens in the process.
To say the move to make the man who is a total of 25 titles, including the WWF World Championship on nine occasions and five World Heavyweight Championships wasn’t one of the best decisions in company history would be a crime.
As the head of talent acquisition and the driving force behind the growth of NXT, he has had a hand in bringing in some of the best talents in the business. Often he has been outspoken about not needing help from other promotions, yet the best of the best still find their way to Stamford, CT or to Orlando, plying their craft in a squared-circle owned and operated by the patriarch of professional wrestling.
He was instrumental in helping to re-sign CM Punk following the infamous pipe bomb which led to him leaving the company for the first time with the company’s title in hand and has also be instrumental in developing the Cruiserweight Championship, which has been a major boon for WWE and the business.
Along the way, he has also signed some major talents to work under the NXT and WWE brand. These are his five best signings since he became a power player behind the scenes of wrestling’s most successful promotion.
1: AJ Styles
The new face that runs the place. Can you imagine what would have happened had WWE signed The Phenomenal One when they brought John Cena to the main roster? How would that have worked out? The former TNA World Champion and the international star has been nothing but aces since his debut at the Royal Rumble and that should continue with the new era of this company.
Styles remains the best signing to date, and his appearance in WWE will continue to bring masses of fans from other promotions to WWE Network just to watch him in premiere pay-per-views on the blue brand.
2: Shinsuke Nakamura
I love the fact Triple H isn’t afraid to go out into the Japanese market to sign foreign talent. Getting Nakamura to ink a deal with WWE is nothing short of brilliant. I liken the move to the Seattle Mariners signing Ichiro Suzuki. In addition to the incredible talent Nakamura brings to the ring, his popularity overseas means there is more interest from the Japanese markets.
If the slogan “What’s Best for Business” still applies, this is one example of things getting brighter for WWE in the world market. I wonder how long it will be before the NXT Champion will be signed to the main roster.
3: Bayley and Sasha Banks
We all know how Charlotte’s presence in WWE continues the Flair legacy, but the signing of both Bayley and Sasha Banks has helped the Women’s Division of the company grow exponentially. Bayley is the closest thing WWE has to a John Cena-like character outside the wrestling ring in terms of marketability.
Banks is the badass women’s wrestler who everyone loves because of her attitude and her ability in the ring. The key to both of their success is their ability to wrestle. There are no more pillow fights or bra and panties matches. These two are a new breed of wrestlers much like Lita and Trish Stratus were in the Attitude Era.
4: Bobby Roode
I have always thought Roode was one of the 10 best talents of this generation and now, he can finally showcase his talents in NXT with an eye for moving on to WWE in the future. Often compared to Arn Anderson, there is a pop in his work and a solid voice in promos. Roode is a throwback to wrestlers of the past. He gets it.
His battles with Austin Aries in TNA are the stuff of legends. Roode should become an NXT Champion before he makes the leap to WWE. Even at 39 years old, there is still a lot left in the tank for this world-class star. Finally, he is in the right place at the right time. Roode was a TNA original and a multi-time world tag team champion with James Storm.
5: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
The guys who are bringing attitude back to the tag team division. There is so much to like in this tag team combination. Size and skills, arrogance and dominance. It is only a matter of time before they win the WWE World Tag Team titles, more than likely accomplishing this at Clash of Champions.
They have a look of a newer version of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash and a snap to their work much like Ole and Arn Anderson. When Triple H signed them out of NJPW, he brought toughness back to the business in a big way. Their appearance in WWE is just too sweet.
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