Triple H's WWE Royal Rumble Win Is a Good Setup for WrestleMania 32 Main Event

Triple H won the 2016 Royal Rumble to the surprise of few.

Sure, on paper it sounds suspect. A high-ranking executive notorious for his backstage influence becomes a world champion just two months ahead of a potentially record-breaking WrestleMania. It all sounds very suspect.

But this is what had to happen.

Triple H had the opportunity to step aside, and in a dramatic turn of events, allow a heel Dean Ambrose to win the Royal Rumble. This, in effect, would have started a new "face of the WWE" angle with yet another former Shield member.

But with Reigns now entrenched as WWE's top star, he needs a program with a man of Triple H's stature to truly establish that the next generation has arrived.

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.@TripleH congratulating @tripleh on his 14th World Championship. #RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/NqELtU8Ghj

— Lee Morgan (@TheQueenHEEL) January 25, 2016"

Reigns came up short last year in a world championship opportunity against Brock Lesnar. After winning the Royal Rumble last year and already having multiple world-title reigns, the final obstacle he needs to conquer is to win in the main event of WrestleMania.

Should the projected Triple H vs. Reigns WrestleMania main event happen, it will be old hat for Triple H to put over an up-and-comer.

In four consecutive WrestleMania appearances—WrestleManias XX, XXI, XXII and XXIV—Triple H lost in a world championship match to a rising star. After a loss to veteran Chris Benoit at WrestleMania XX, Triple H went on to lose matches to Batista, John Cena and Randy Orton. All three went on to become the nucleus for WWE's previous generation.

The same task awaits Triple H come April. Reigns is by far the leader of the new school. WWE has contributed endless resources to not only making him a star, but keeping him a star once fans inevitably turned on him. There are no other options but Triple H. He has perfected the nuanced art of elevating a star in the ring, which is something he will never get enough credit for.

For Reigns, beating Brock Lesnar in a WrestleMania 31 rematch sounds like a major win for a young star. But there is a large portion of WWE's fanbase who simply refuse to boo Lesnar. In a match against Lesnar in front of a WrestleMania crowd, Reigns would come off as the heel. Again.

Reigns vs. Triple H is a storyline that has been brewing for years, dating back to 2014 per F4WOnline (h/t WrestlingInc.com). Triple H plays his role as a draconian authority figure—to some, both on and off camera—well enough to be a heel to more than just the casual viewing audience.

Sure, a raucous Amway Arena in Orlando cheered him upon his return at the Royal Rumble. But after spending months as a power-hungry world champion, Triple H will know all the right buttons to push to ensure he is reviled by most at WrestleMania.

During his WrestleMania XXII match against Cena, per the WWE Network, as Cena was making his comeback, WWE Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross screamed "it's not pretty, but by god it's effective!"

The same can be said about the strange, injury-riddled road that is now leading to an intriguing Reigns-Triple H showdown.

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and an on-air host for Bleacher Report. Like him on Facebook and listen to his pro wrestling podcast, PodNasty.