Who Will Benefit the Least with Triple H in Charge?

This article is an idea brought to me by a good friend who I talk wrestling about very frequently. Triple H is about a month into his new role as the head of creative for WWE and it has been a heck of a start for the Game. TV broadcasts have been entertaining and the stories are fresh and entertaining, championships have been made to feel more meaningful again. The increased opportunities for WWE superstars whom Vince McMahon was keen on burying, not pushing, or simply using in a disappointing/frustrating way have freshened up WWE’s product nicely. People like Ciampa, Shinsuke Nakamura, GUNTHER, Iyo Sky, and recently returned stars such as Dakota Kai, Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Dexter Lumis, and, most recently, Johnny Gargano have all seen main roster opportunities come their way from Hunter leading the ship. That all said, there’s always a cost to someone on the card if someone else is on there, and this article will discuss the main roster WWE superstars who might suffer the most from Triple H being in charge as more of Hunter’s handpicked stars get more of a chance to shine. Contrary to some of the likely candidates, I will be leaving Theory, Sheamus, and Dolph Ziggler off of this list because they are still getting prominent TV time and having more frequent opportunities to showcase their skills. Theory’s ceiling still remains high as well, so they will be held off. The others…not so much.

Ridge Holland

Sheamus is the new number one contender to GUNTHER’s Intercontinental Championship, and Butch may stand a chance at returning to his Pete Dunne name with Triple H in charge, but the odd man out from that group of superstars who have teamed these last few months is Ridge Holland. Ridge just is the blandest of them, has the most limited offense of the 3, and does not have the same high ceiling that Butch (Dunne) has if booked correctly. Plus, Sheamus’ veteran status also gives him a strong pass even if he fails to defeat GUNTHER at Clash. Holland would likely disappear into midcard obscurity very quickly if this team were ever to disband, and I cannot logically see him finding anything meaningful amidst the vast sea of up-and-coming stars who can soar past him.

Madcap Moss

Anyone who knows me knows how much disdain I have for this character. Yes, it is a step forward from the most generic of characters that were Riddick Moss, and yes he has shed the corny jokes gimmick that festered my dislike for him, but trying to remain as unbiased as possible, I truly don’t see much of a place for Madcap right now in WWE. His gear and theme are generic ones that are defaulted in 2K’s creation suite, and his abilities in the ring are mid at best. He is meant more for being an enhancement talent than for any sustained push that may have come from Vince McMahon, who likely found his brand of comedy so amusing that he looked past all the bland aspects of what Moss brings to the ring. This man won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal this year, and it’s likely to be his biggest career accomplishment.

Jinder Mahal

I truly can’t remember the last time Mahal did anything meaningful in WWE anyways, so to say his name isn’t much of a surprise. I could go with his partner Shanky here as well, but his comedy act can get him a minor moment here and there. Mahal on the other hand does not possess that same ability to interact with the fans in a compelling way. We all remember the disastrous run he had as WWE Champion he had in 2017, and he hasn’t even sniffed that level of success since, save for a brief United States Title reign and a match with Drew McIntyre at Summerslam 2021. Mahal will likely remain a WWE-lifer as a lower midcard jobber who puts over the higher level babyfaces when they need someone too, and occasionally gets broken out for a mini-feud of some kind for the sake of it. Triple H will likely not bring him anywhere near the ranks he held under Vince McMahon once upon a time.

R-Truth

This one saddens me as such a huge fan of Truth’s, but eventually, all good things do have to come to an end. His comedic stylings have been a featured recurring gag for nearly a decade now, and his last serious run of any kind came in the tail end of 2011, so he is well past the point of having anything huge coming his way again. Plus, the 24/7 Championship has put such a tarnish on the careers of those who have been so closely related to the title, especially in recent times, with Truth, Akira Tozawa, Tamina, and Dana Brooke all suffering that same fate. The early days of the title had some fun times, but that ship sailed many moons ago, and the title should be scrapped and those involved return to higher level things and made into credible threats again. Truth’s age prevents that, and he will likely return to a comedy act in other forms before hopefully remaining involved in WWE backstage. But, his in-ring days in WWE seem numbered to me.

Charlotte Flair

We saved the biggest for last with this one. Nothing against those 4 previously discussed (who all have several accomplishments amongst them in WWE), but very few hold a candle to Flair’s resume. She is a 6-time Raw Women’s Champion, 6-time Smackdown Tag Team Champion, 2-time NXT Women’s Champion, 1-time Women’s Tag Team Champion, the winner of the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble Match, and one of only 5 women to ever main event a Wrestlemania. So why would she be at risk of falling out of favor like those mentioned before her? Several key and important reasons to understand. Firstly, she has been a bit of a handful to work with in her recent run, as evidenced by numerous online reports (and some from her fellow co-workers as well). Also, her dad’s on-again/off-again relationship with WWE is never helpful to her. Biggest of all: her new husband works for AEW, and she could easily pencil in as the cornerstone of a division in desperate need of some star power in that company if she were to jump ship to join her husband in Tony Khan’s land. This one is the most unlikely to be severed, as WWE would be foolish to let a star like Charlotte walk right into the hands of their biggest adversaries, but it isn’t completely impossible as far as I’m concerned, and if I know anything, this is the one I am watching closest unfold as the future unveils itself to the world.

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