WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque appeared on UnSportsmanLike to discuss various topics, including how he believes WWE: Unreal enhances fan interest in the company and its products.
Triple H said, “I think that for years we as the WWE, our performers, our most hardcore fans have always been as fascinated with the behind the scenes of what goes into making WWE as they are the product itself. And we’ve just given them more access. I find that the more you give people the insight into what WWE actually is, how it comes about being made, it’s fascinating. It’s no different than any other sport, and it just increases people’s interest in it. The going on behind the scenes, what it takes to do this, the physical toll that it takes, the emotional toll that it takes, the heart and soul that people put into this to entertain people around the globe. It makes the product even more fascinating than just the storylines that you see week to week.”
On the pressure to deliver big surprise moments:
“There’s always pressure to do the thing that you don’t see coming. You know, there’s something wonderful about predictability, right? It’s the end of the movie that you see coming and you think, ‘Wow, I can’t wait till that moment happens.’ So there’s something wonderful about that. But then there’s also the amazing place that you get to, where there’s just that left turn that you didn’t expect. And it shocks you into another level of excitement. Just a few weeks ago, Cody Rhodes — who everybody saw as sort of the long-term champion headed into WrestleMania — loses to Drew McIntyre in a match where he loses the WWE Championship. I don’t think many people saw that coming. John Cena’s heel turn, Seth Rollins having an injury. You take these things and the wonderful nature of our business is that we have the ability to take anything that could be tragic or that could be terrible, and turn it into something incredible. You can take an injury and turn it into something fantastic, and that’s what we try to do. We try to not only deliver on these events, but also surprise and delight fans whenever we can.”
You can check out the complete podcast below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)
