Triple H Has Rediscovered Something WWE Had Lost in 2025

For a little while there, WWE forgot how to make its top title scenes entertaining in a way that kept fans coming back for more each week. 

It feels like 2026 is starting to change that. 

Triple H and WWE creative seemed to remember this little unpredictability factor with Drew McIntyre's shocking win over Cody Rhodes to steal the Undisputed WWE title. 

If WWE fans are lucky, this was a sign of things to come, if not a new era. 

Feel free to call that an overexaggeration, but think back to the prominent title runs of the last few years. Roman Reigns felt like a part-time champion destined to hold the belt until 'Mania. 

Rhodes wasn't much better once his chase mode ended. He became a cookie-cutter champion, saying and doing the right things in media interviews to represent the brand. He had the expected cycle of challengers, some odd things like tag team wins and never really felt like a threat to get character development that pushed him closer to heel. 

And it felt like Rhodes was just in a holding pattern until WrestleMania, too. Fans could look away from his same old matches and feuds until they actually started to matter, for at least one night, anyway. 

But that changed in Berlin on an episode of SmackDown. Now, Rhodes is back in chase mode and interesting. McIntyre, the guy who carried the promotion on his back through the audience-less pandemic era, is a compelling champion who, among other things, feels like he could lose the belt at any second, to anyone. 

Make no mistake, there was a compelling reason for Triple H to lean heavily into long-form champions and storytelling. The Bloodline saga was the pinnacle of storytelling in the medium. 

But the overreliance on long title reigns across all divisions, and even NXT became a crutch. When fans can safely check out of an already oversaturated product, the indifference creates major problems. 

One could apply this to CM Punk with the other top title right now, too. Punk has the strap with Seth Rollins out injured and feels destined to hold it until 'Mania, too. The guys who might actually beat him are either out injured, or in the case of Bron Breakker, too green for the belt right now and needing a much bigger stage for the crowning moment. 

That doesn't mean Punk won't lose the title before 'Mania. But the vibes feel the same. Tradition in modern times feels like a headline, undisputed top guy takes the belt into 'Mania. It would be fun to see LA Knight in that spot instead, but it feels unlikely. 

Point is, predictably crushed the title scenes for more than a year. And WWE flopped hard when it tried to surprise fans in other areas. The John Cena heel turn was a mess. Rollins' fakeout injury thing stumbled. 

Actually pulling off shocking title changes? That's a winner. Nobody seems to be complaining that Rhodes lost. An all-time fan favorite like Punk losing even tomorrow wouldn't get many complaints, especially if it's a way to get a LA Knight or somebody else a run at the top. 

It's very painfully clear that WWE needs to take more big swings with its top titles. Not enough hot-potatoing of the thing to diminish the status of the belt, no need to make it 24/7 titleish. But enough to let things feel fresh and each defense actually feel meaningful. 

All the false-three counts in the world didn't make a majority of 2025's title matches feel significant. That McIntyre upset of Rhodes? That's one way to start making everything feel important again, not just a few dates on the calendar fans can circle in red. 

There's a balance WWE needs to find, no doubt. But there's also no excuse to not make better use of what one could argue is the most talented roster in the sport's history. 

Actual stakes to title matches and an almost UFC-like vibe that anything can happen is important in WWE. Who knew? As long as WWE sees it now, 2026 could be one of the best years for the product and fans in a long, long time.