Grading Each WWE Division In the Triple H Era

It has been six months since Vince McMahon announced his retirement and Triple H replaced him as WWE head of creative.

The new chief content officer had some big shoes to fill, as McMahon had been at the helm since buying the company from his father in 1982. To put that in perspective, most modern fans who started watching during its boom period only know of the executive chairman's vision of pro wrestling.

Taking over the creative direction of the biggest wrestling company in the world would be a tall task. Nevertheless, Triple H's time with NXT made many fans optimistic about his approach to in-ring action and detailed storytelling.

Over the past few months, The Game has raised morale in the locker room and undeniably improved the product. Although McMahon rejoined the board of directors in January, his predecessor will retain creative control.

WWE seems to be in good hands heading into WrestleMania 39 season.

Let's analyze the first six months of the Triple H era with a quick progress report.

Men's Tag Team Division

WWE's approach to tag team wrestling can be hit or miss. Regardless, The Usos have been consummate flagbearers for the division as the undisputed tag team champions.

Critics of the brand split have long argued WWE should unify its tag titles. To that end, Jimmy and Jey Uso have made a great case that there should be only one set of belts as active titleholders.

The twin brothers have delivered great matches on both Raw and SmackDown. Even more, they're a part of the hottest storyline in the industry as members of The Bloodline, and the tag titles are more visible.

The only real issue is that WWE hasn't taken enough time to build competition for them. However, that has changed lately with new additions to the division such as Sheamus and Drew McIntyre, and the advent of the SmackDown Tag Team Title Tournament.

Still, it would be nice to see more non-title feuds to spark interest in the other tag teams that aren't on television so much.

Grade: B

Women's Tag Team Division

The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship was a welcome addition to company programming that seemed overdue.

However, WWE never truly did the work to develop an active and sustainable women's tag team division. There have been entertaining champions, but we don't see any compelling rivalries.

Even worse, the company rarely presents pairings focused on changing the perception of women's tag team wrestling or elevating the division. Instead, it routinely puts two women together when they don't have anything else to do and expects the audience to invest in them in the long term.

Triple H inherited even more of a mess because Naomi and Sasha Banks controversially exited the company and vacated the titles last May, but he at least had the chance to start fresh and do something interesting with the belts.

His answer was the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament, which was kind of a missed opportunity. Damage CTRL had the potential to be a duo worth building around, but the company delayed their win and crowned Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah instead.

Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky eventually defeated them on the Sept. 12, 2022 episode of Raw. They dropped the titles to Asuka and Alexa Bliss after 49 days only to win them back five days later at Crown Jewel.

Over two reigns, Damage CTRL have only successfully defended their mantle twice and WWE hasn't used them in a major pay-per-view feud yet. They're a talented team, but the titles feel like an afterthought and there are no interesting contenders on the board.

Grade: D

Intercontinental Championship

One of Triple H's greatest accomplishments as head of creative is his renewed investment in the midcard titles. The Intercontinental Championship feels more important than it has in a long time.

The company's workhorse belt is a staple on SmackDown. Gunther has been the best champion since Seth Rollins' white-hot run in 2018. Similarly, The Ring General delivered some of the top television matches of 2022 as the most visible flagbearer for the brand when Roman Reigns isn't available.

His feuds with Shinsuke Nakamura, Ricochet and Sheamus were excellent, and he and The Celtic Warrior produced a match-of-the-year candidate at Clash at the Castle. His dominant run paved the way for a tremendous performance as the runner-up in the men's Royal Rumble match on Saturday.

Whoever topples Gunther will look like a big deal, but we're along for the ride no matter how much longer he holds the intercontinental title.

Grade: A

United States Championship

WWE's use of the United States Championship has also seen a major upgrade during the Triple H era.

Raw suffered the most after Roman Reigns became the undisputed universal champion at WrestleMania 38. Adding the WWE title to his feud with Brock Lesnar left main eventers on the flagship brand without a tangible goal to pursue.

Triple H filled that void with the U.S. title, giving Superstars such as Bobby Lashley and Seth Rollins something else to compete for. As a result, the midcard belt has been a fixture in the main event on Monday nights.

Lashley was an exceptional fighting champion, and Rollins momentarily added star power to the role. Lately, WWE has effectively used the U.S. belt to reestablish Austin Theory as a competent up-and-comer following his failed Money in the Bank cash-in.

The 25-year-old will defend the title in this year's men's Elimination Chamber match, making it the top prize on Raw right now.

Grade: B+

Women's Division

The WWE women's division exceeded expectations when given the opportunity, but it has also had its fair share of setbacks.

Triple H started out hot at SummerSlam with Bayley's return from injury and the introduction of Damage CTRL. Their subsequent feud with Bianca Belair leading to Survivor Series WarGames has been Triple H's biggest success with the division.

However, Belair's next title program with Alexa Bliss never quite lived up to its potential. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch sounds like a gratifying rivalry on paper, but cutting their cage match from the Raw XXX special was a huge disappointment.

Nevertheless, the women's division on the flagship show has been adequate, but SmackDown has been underwhelming. Ronda Rousey's sophomore year has been a disaster, and the blue brand lacked star power and a credible contender until Charlotte Flair returned. Even worse, women have gotten less screen time on Friday nights recently.

Still, there are reasons to be optimistic following the women's Rumble match. Rhea Ripley was an ideal winner, and WWE has handled her heel turn well. We're also excited to see what Asuka does next after a much-needed change of direction.

Grade: C+

Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

The world title scene in the Triple H era is kind of difficult to grade. The new WWE head of creative couldn't ask for a better top star than Roman Reigns.

However, his current schedule and the weight of holding both the WWE and universal titles have been stifling for creative. The Head of the Table has only defended his title four times since The Game took over.

More to the point, WWE hasn't done a great job building up legitimate contenders or creating plausible threats to The Bloodline. It's hard to imagine where the company would be if Cody Rhodes hadn't left All Elite Wrestling and become the men's Royal Rumble winner.

Yes, they could have gone with Sami Zayn or Seth Rollins instead, but The American Nightmare gave them a perfect option with a built-in storyline. Rhodes has a clear goal, but even he didn't mention Reigns by name until the latest episode of Raw.

The Tribal Chief has been incredible, but the company has undeniably done a disservice to the rest of its potential main eventers. After all, its use of the midcard titles worked so well because the world title scene is non-existent.

Making Reigns the undisputed WWE universal champion created a ceiling for everyone below him on the totem pole. That wasn't Triple H's decision. So, he isn't to blame for that, but it has hindered his time as head of creative.

The outcome of Rhodes vs. Reigns and what he does with the next champion will be the real test. It will be a true indication of how he can book a world title picture on the main roster.

Grade: C