Imagining a WWE Product with Triple H as the Lead Creative Voice

NXT is the crystal ball allowing fans a peak at a future incarnation of WWE, one where Triple H is the captain of the ship.

NXT is Triple H's vision of what a pro wrestling show should look like. He crafted a tremendous product down at WWE Developmental, one that often outshines what happens on the main roster. It's compelling, centered on competition and features stellar athletes telling stellar stories.

Eventually, he will get to do his crafting with WWE proper.

Who knows when that might happen, though. After all, Vince McMahon once told ESPN (h/t Pro Wrestling Torch) that he didn't believe he would ever die.

Whenever The Game does take the reins as the lead creative voice, WWE will undergo a transformation. It will simultaneously hearken back to wrestling's past as it moves toward the industry's future. 

Fans got an even better idea of what direction Triple H would take WWE when he spoke with Steve Austin in a live podcast interview in early February. Austin asked what changes he would make to Raw, and Triple H gave him more than one answer.

He said he would:

• Make Raw two hours again.
• Give the Divas more time in the ring.
• Develop stories more slowly and over a longer period of time.
• Allow promos to be less scripted.

That last point implies that a Triple H-run WWE would have a freer environment, one more conducive to creativity. Wrestlers will have a better chance to find their voices. That means less Ringmasters and more "Stone Cold" Steve Austins.

And that change is sure to give the product a more exciting, unpredictable feel. 

Combining those comments and what Triple H has done with NXT provides a glimpse of what to expect in the years to come. A new, hungry leader will carve out a new path for the company, one that circles back to its roots.

A Shift Toward Wrestling

NXT has its share of over-the-top gimmicks. Tyler Breeze's male-model routine certainly fits in that category. The Vaudevillains belong there too, as did Marcus Louis when his baldness drove him insane.

Still, the ratio of comedy relief to more serious fare is far greater on the main roster. 

Expect that to lessen when Triple H takes over. Fans will see less silly stuff like Fandango, Los Matadores and The Bunny. Look for more realistic gimmicks to be the norm.

McMahon has so often found a way to turn a wrestler's persona into something goofy. Russian martial artist Vladimir Kozlov was dancing and having tea parties not long after he debuted. The giant, monstrous Great Khali was gyrating in the ring and kissing ladies after a while. Cesaro was yodeling for a stretch.

Triple H's WWE will certainly have its kid-pleasing elements, but his record at NXT shows that he prefers to keep a wrestler's persona intact.

Kevin Owens, Hideo Itami, Finn Balor and Adrian Neville are all playing characters much like the ones they did pre-WWE. Triple H didn't give any of them a dance-based gimmick. None of them were asked to be bullfighters, bunnies or buffoons.

That suggests that WWE in Triple H's hands will feature less comedy gimmicks and more personae that would have fit better in the Ruthless Aggression Era rather than the cartoon-like period of Hulkamania's peak.

The stories that unfold on screen will be grittier as well, moving closer to the sports side of the sports-entertainment formula.

McMahon has long been famous for his love of scatological humor, with wrestlers dropping feces on their foes as a way to advance a feud. Fans haven't seen that at NXT.

Instead, so many of the stories have been about two wrestlers looking to outdo each other, as we saw with Bull Dempsey vs. Baron Corbin. Angles center on competitors in search of championships, victims in pursuit of revenge.

A Triple H-led WWE will tell narratives more like the ones bookers constructed in the past, when The Four Horsemen broke Dusty Rhodes' bones or when Ted DiBiase turned his back on The Junkyard Dog.

The Game has always said that he is a wrestling history buff, which shows in how much NXT feels like a nod to the days of the NWA. Expect that feel to transfer to the main roster once he's in charge.

Equality in the Ring

There is no more obvious difference between NXT and WWE than how each entity treats its women's division. At NXT, Sasha Banks and Company are given proper time to produce quality work in the ring. They are treated like valuable assets, key elements of the product.

Once they reach the main roster, things change. Ring time shrivels. Stories and spotlights are hard to come by.

The WWE Divas division acts as eye candy and filler. When Triple H has final say, that will change.

His answer to Austin about Raw is an indication of his desire to make that change. 

With Triple H in control, count on more than one Divas storyline happening at once. Bet on their matches going longer, as well.

The Game has been committed to creating female stars at the Divas division beginning with Paige and Emma and now with Bayley, Charlotte and others. As of now, those women are unlikely to gain traction post-promotion.

Emma is the poster child for that fact.

Triple H's WWE will feature women's matches as captivating as we have seen from NXT in the past year-plus. The division will undergo a renaissance, redefining the Divas' roles with the company.

A New Breed of Superstar

Triple H has made it clear that if you are talented, you will get a chance to succeed. McMahon, meanwhile, has pushed back against potential stars who aren't prototypical WWE guys.

Daniel Bryan's up-and-down journey is evidence of that, as is Dolph Ziggler's stagnation despite his skills and popularity.

McMahon prefers bigger, bulkier men. That's partly why Roman Reigns is higher up the ladder than Dean Ambrose, why Big Show hovers around the main event picture and Tyson Kidd is lucky to be on any given pay-per-view.

Credit: WWE.com

In the future, Triple H will redefine what a Superstar looks like.

Size won't be as much of an issue. Looking like an action figure won't be as vital to success.

NXT's top stars are an indication of what Triple H values. Balor, Owens, Neville and Sami Zayn are all far from the mold that made guys like Reigns. Still, they all have prominent positions at NXT. Balor is the No. 1 contender to the NXT title; the other three have already won the belt.

These are the type of men fans can expect to rise to the top of WWE when Triple H decides who goes where. 

All those wrestlers can deliver in the ring and connect with the crowd, which is what matters. Triple H doesn't seem to care if you came to wrestling after the NFL a la Corbin or if you mastered your craft on the independent circuit like Neville. 

He has given equal opportunities to men large and small, veterans and students of the game. 

Taking that philosophy with him when he's in charge of WWE will lead to a bigger variety of wrestlers at center stage. Grabbing the proverbial brass ring is something smaller, sleeker athletes will be able to do.

Triple H seems to recognize that the future of wrestling is not goliaths and powerhouses. Much of the world's best wrestlers, like Zayn, Ricochet and Kota Ibushi, represent the industry's evolution. 

The Game is clearly comfortable with that change and will embrace it as he steers WWE into a new era.