wrestling / Columns

The New Wrestling War is a Civil War: Triple H’s WWE vs. Vince McMahon’s WWE

September 29, 2014 | Posted by Len Archibald

Irony is a strange and fickle thing. A moment of absolute safety can evolve into unavoidable catastrophe. We may witness an event unfold in front of us where an individual dives into a situation he or she does not see coming but we do. A song can be written about it, and somehow completely miss the entire definition of the word (which makes the song brilliant in itself, since it is ironic that a song about irony does not understand the meaning of what irony is.) Isn’t it ironic…Dont’cha think – that we as fans have been begging for someone to shake up WWE in a positive, more wrestling-oriented direction for years – and perhaps the lone individual who can provide that shake up may be one of the most (perceived) derided individuals in professional wrestling history? The irony furthers, as the current owner of said company, who has spent his entire lifetime shying his family business away from the “sport” to emphasize the “entertainment” may find that the shift and mainstream acceptance he craves may be wrestled (HA) away from him by the man chosen to be his heir – an heir that has shown through his actions that his direction is more “sport” than “entertainment”.

Yes, there is a new wrestling war brewing; but it is not going to be played out on Monday nights by two separate entities. This war is a civil war, and the ultimate winner will write the ticket of WWE’s future for the next half century. On one side is the current owner and visionary of the largest professional wresting company on the planet, Vince McMahon – and with it, his views, prejudices, past experiences, business approaches, hierarchy of loyal assistants, yes-men and business partners who have shaped what he believes should constitute a professional wrestling event. On the other end is his own family, namely daughter Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley and more specifically, son-in-law, Triple H. Stories have emerged over the past few months that Vince McMahon and Triple H have been at odds about various creative decisions, including the booking of NXT call-ups, KENTA’s WWE name, and who should face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31. Once Vince McMahon made the choice to back away from the day-to-day operations of WWE, Triple H’s philosophies have slowly taken over the look and feel of the company from the bottom up. Some of these changes are in direct contradiction to McMahon’s, making for an interesting time of transition.

The latest conflict has pitted Triple H and Stephanie with other executives in the company. Chief Strategy & Financial Officer George Barrios and Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer Michelle Wilson, who headed the launch of the WWE Network and WWE’s new television contract, are now on the couple’s radar. Other executives in the company attached to Vince McMahon, such as John Laurinaitis and Kevin Dunn have either been more or less erased from the hierarchy by the future King and Queen of mainstream wrestling – or have been perceived to silently sabotage them. As time ticks away to the inevitable moment where Triple H and Stephanie take full control of the largest professional wrestling company on the planet, I believe fans of WWE, and professional wrestling in general need to prepare themselves for what could potentially explode into one of the more interesting times in wrestling history. To do so, we need to take a look at the philosophical differences between McMahon and Triple H, their track record and reasons for their philosophies and how they will inevitably clash – if they haven’t clashed already.

NORTH vs. SOUTH

If we want to examine the core differences between McMahon and Triple H, we must first explore the psychology that brought each to the philosophy they convey to showcase a professional wrestling event. Vince McMahon was born in North Carolina and lived in abject poverty, not meeting his biological father until he was 12. Going through a slew of stepfathers to fill an un-fillable void, and witnessing his mother combat against domestic violence, painted an ugly picture in McMahon’s mind of the “Southern” way of living. It is no secret that Vince McMahon holds a disdain for “Southerners”, and this mindset crept into how he controlled WWE. Once he graduated from university, McMahon did not hesitate to move to the Northeast while booking early shows in Maine and attending events at Madison Square Garden.

When he eventually took over WWE from his father, Vince made sure to break even farther away from the National Wrestling Alliance’s (who headquarters in Texas) view of what constitutes a professional wrestling event, escaping the realisms of the sport to focus on larger than life characters and spectacles. McMahon was the brain-trust behind Muhammad Ali meeting Antonio Inoki in 1976 that garnered mainstream media attention, but drew the ire of “traditionalists”. Perhaps viewing the rough, realistic and rugged style of the NWA, Mid-South and other southern territories through an already skewed lens, McMahon went even further upon the realization that fans may care more about the spectacle of an event than any one matchup itself. McMahon also did not care to adhere to the tropes of the “Southern Gentleman”, and did not hesitate to backstab, claw and betray other promoters on his way to the top by gobbling up talent from other territories and aggressively making strides into cable to dry out smaller territories.

This takes us to “Black Saturday”, where McMahon pushed his brand of “character over sport” unannounced on Ted Turner’s WTBS – home to Georgia Championship Wrestling’s World Championship Wrestling and underestimated how passionate the Southern audience was in regards to how their professional wrestling programming was presented. Vince McMahon and Ted Turner would never share a professional business relationship ever again, the seeds for a wrestling war would be planted and McMahon’s bias against southern-style “wrasslin’” and its core audience was crystallized. McMahon’s WWE became even more cartoony, spectacle and celebrity-driven. This led to the Rock n’ Wrestling connection, the WWE’s relationship with MTV, the inaugural WrestleMania and its unprecedented success – which probably wound up justifying McMahon to how his view of mainstream professional wrestling was the best way to present to the audience and make millions.

Triple H, on the other hand came from pretty much the complete opposite background. Born to a middle-class household in New Hampshire, the man originally known as Paul Michael Levesque grew up with a “normal” supportive family in the Northeast region of the U.S., trained as a bodybuilder and professional wrestler in the Northeast, and finished high school there. Triple H grew up with no immediate biases based on his upbringing (on the surface, anyway) and as a growing performer who tried to sponge as much knowledge of pro wrestling as he could possibly muster, found himself drawn to…the National Wrestling Alliance.

It is no secret at all to anyone who knows anything about Triple H that those whom he idolizes and pays homage to as a performer were all major players in the South. Ric Flair. Harley Race. Ricky Steamboat. The 4 Horsemen. Dusty Rhodes. The Fabulous Freebirds. These are names synonymous with how Triple H works in the ring, who he works with and how he views professional wrestling. Evolution was nothing more than a modern take on Ric Flair and The 4 Horsemen. In the same vein as Flair, Harley Race and Vader, Triple H understood that having a strong heel hold on to the main championship whipped fans into a frenzy and could be a catalyst to build new stars, as opposed to a Superman-like face destroying all monstrous heels. The generalization is that Southern wrestling fans tend to appreciate the chase for the championship and will follow their underdog hero to their destiny, while Northern wrestling fans like their heroes as an all-powerful, larger than life presence, willing to take on (and vanquish) all challengers. Triple H encouraged Jim Ross – good ol’ Oklahoman accent and all – to call the “End of an Era” match between him and The Undertaker at WrestleMania 28; a call that Vince McMahon probably would have never made on his own based on his personal dealings with Ross and his idea of having a more sanitized, less “Southern” style of wrestling commentary.

Triple H has also shown that he has a love for the underlying competitive nature of professional wrestling’s storytelling tropes. While Vince McMahon has been comfortable packing as much action as he can in a wrestling program since taking over WWE, resulting in short matches that don’t have enough of a crescendo, Triple H – through his appreciation of the styles he studied from WCCW, GCW, the NWA and the like, and his own experience as a performer, has shown a willingness for longer matches to tell a more over-arching storyline between the combatants in the ring. This is an athlete who chomps at the bit to create a 49-minute match with Shawn Michaels, or a 60-minute Iron Man match with The Rock. Do not be surprised in the near future that an NXT match goes Broadway just so Triple H can test his talent at Full Sail to see if they can do it.

RAW vs. NXT

Speaking of NXT, here is where the real meat of this potential confrontation lies. The only way we as fans are able to gauge a promoter’s vision is to see the product for ourselves. It is no secret at all that in the eyes of many fans who have paid attention to both mainstream WWE programming and NXT, NXT is by far the superior program. It is also no secret that NXT is perceived as Triple H’s baby and pet project, far away from the meddling of Vince McMahon – with the exception of a couple highly publicized disputes.

Upon the signing of Japanese sensation KENTA to WWE, many contemplated how he would be welcomed by the global company. As a performer who has created a solid following among fans internationally and has arguably achieved godlike status in his home country of Japan, the concern of how far WWE would allow KENTA to be himself, or be portrayed as a homogenous, generic characterization – or worse, a dated Asian stereotype – has been voiced. Upon his arrival, KENTA was treated as a significant future player in WWE. Hulk Hogan arrived in Japan to hammer an exclamation point as KENTA signed his contract in a public conference. WWE, who usually had shied away from pointing out a performer’s past accomplishments did anything but. KENTA was even advertised as KENTA. Then the name change happened, as he christened himself as Hideo Itami.

While the name change – honestly – is not a bad one, the notion of it with all the publicity was curious. Then the news came out that Triple H and Vince McMahon had conflicted over the name; Triple H felt that keeping KENTA’s name would aid WWE’s relationship with Japanese wrestling fans, while Vince McMahon felt that changing the name benefited WWE from a trademark standpoint. Both views are valid: Keeping the KENTA name would allow fans from Japan to easily access and follow their hero, while a new name allows WWE greater freedom for licensing. It is telling, though – Triple H is perfectly fine with talent 1) being themselves and 2) acknowledging their past while McMahon’s way of thinking is more in line with cultural assimilation. Everything about who you were before entering WWE no longer exists and everything about you now is the sole property of World Wrestling Entertainment.

The other glaring dissimilarity lies within the in-ring product of NXT and main WWE programming itself. While WWE Raw and SmackDown directs their focus on characterization, storylines and an emphasis of “entertainment first, athleticism second”, NXT has gone in the opposite direction. Watching the NXT weekly offerings, along with specials, Arrival, Takeover and Takeover: Fatal Four-Way, one thing is certainly clear: NXT is more concerned with the sport and art of a professional wrestling match – from the commentary to how the performers present themselves. The NXT upstarts intersect and evolve seemingly on a weekly basis not just through characterization, but through their match output – learning from past mistakes and developing strategies that vary from opponent to opponent. The production values are still slick like a WWE production, but the product and environment is more akin to something out of Georgia Championship Wrestling with its boisterous audience and intimate feel. Opposite of RAW and SmackDown, there are no bells and whistles with the NXT presentation – the spectacle is actually how little spectacle there is.

While the Divas on WWE’s flagship programming are thrown into seemingly interchangeable feuds and personas and usually given no more than an average of five minutes to hone their craft, NXT emphasizes a direct focus on their female competitors. Bayley is wildly different from Sasha Banks, who clearly differs from Charlotte, who brought a different approach to wrestling than Paige. Feuds and rivalries are clearly defined and have arcs to them in NXT, while seemingly no one remembers why (save for Paige vs. AJ and The Bellas) any Diva would have an issue with another. Emma on NXT is a totally different main course compared to the Emma that sporadically appears on WWE Main Event. It wasn’t until she made a turn to the darkside that Paige was able to show off bits and pieces of what made her so popular in NXT on RAW.

Would Vince McMahon ever dare to main event an episode of RAW with the match between Sami Zayn and Cesaro that took place at the beginning of the year? Or for that matter, allow those two athletes to tell the story they did? Triple H allowed them to, and in doing so practically outshone the rest of the main roster. It is certainly curious that Cesaro, who showed flashes of a great heelish persona along with his wrestling acumen in NXT was not able to translate that onto the WWE stage once he re-emerged on the main roster. Bray Wyatt and his family caused havoc and had a clear direction on NXT that engrossed fans of the product. While Wyatt showed promise upon his arrival to the bright lights of main WWE programming, his star has fallen as time passed, a victim of the lack of direction and vision he certainly had at Full Sail. The Shield – perhaps the most successful project from Triple H’s development – are the ones being groomed as the future of the company. Their success clearly lies though, not in their characterization (even though three badasses who can take it to anyone are personas fans can connect to), but the fact that for nearly two years, when push came to shove, they never lost. For Triple H, wins and losses matter in the NXT universe, as those who lose are angry that they have to fall to the back of the line, and wins help shape characters.

“THE LOOK” vs. “PASSION”

There is no denying, a tangible reason for Triple H’s success in the WWE is the fact that he “looked the part”. Chiseled like a Greek god, Triple H’s 270 pound frame was an imposing figure. The intangible factor that has brought him to the level of success that he enjoys though – is his passion for the business. Fans can decry his ego, his smarminess and even his own involvement in WWE-based scandals, but it cannot be denied that inside Triple H beats the heart of a man who lives, eats, sleeps, breathes and dreams wrestling. While Vince McMahon has seen his fair share of talent walk out on his company – and has held personal grudges because of it, the perceived notion is that Vince’s anger is more based out of feeling personally assaulted. For Triple H, though – quitting, walking out, taking your ball and going home – whatever one wants to call it, is an affront on the BUSINESS of professional wrestling itself.

Examine the talent that Triple H has personally invested his extremely busy schedule with: Hideo Itami, Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, Kevin Steen, Finn Balor (the former Prince Devitt), Paige, Kalisto, The Shield and Daniel Bryan. Yes, that is an amazing list of independent talent – and based on that alone, the future of WWE looks bright – but notice the other main similarity of these performers; each have plied their trade around the world (Roman Reigns being the anomaly) and have displayed there is nothing else they would like to do with their lives. This is talent who has grown a deeper appreciation for the art of professional WRESTLING through their exploits, time on the road, and desire to be the best. This is talent who could probably share days of stories with their mentor about what inspired them to take on certain personas, adopt certain moves and tell particular stories in the ring. These are the underlying effects that if one has any understanding of how his mind works, are what interests Triple H. Each of these men differ in size, build and style, but the similarity they have is proven drive and devotion to professional wrestling.

The talent that currently resides in, and have graduated from NXT, show no current desire to exit the wrestling world. These are not lumbering former bodybuilders who look great but can’t tell a wristlock from a wristwatch, or former football players who could not cut it on the grid-iron. The time of Vince McMahon’s idea of the imposing figure who only needs to perform the bare minimum in the ring because of “presence” is dying. Heel/Face dynamics are beginning to blur not because of “attitude” but because of performance. The reason Dolph Ziggler continues to retain a rabid fanbase while someone like Mason Ryan is nothing more than a footnote is because Ziggler performs at the highest level he can every time he is in the ring while Ryan looked great, but apart from that, could not engage the modern wrestling fan. Professional wrestlers are storytellers; sometimes the less is more approach works to tell a compelling in-ring story, but it is hard to tell a story when one competitor does not have the built-in acumen he or she needs to succeed. Having Vince McMahon’s “look” is no longer enough, and Triple H is beginning to recognize that.

Allegedly, John Cena impressed Vince McMahon enough when he stepped up to carry the burden of being “The Man” for WWE based on his desire, but it wasn’t until he impressed Triple H with his passion inside the ring that he really became that. Passion and talent, not “the look” will define a performer’s chance for success in the future WWE. While Vince McMahon has clearly fallen into the trap of relying on Cena any opportunity he gets, personally re-writing storylines to protect Cena’s “aura” and make him not look “weak”, he has stagnated his own roster. Triple H is embedding a mindset with his future projects that the time is coming and if they want to be the man, they need to translate their passion to a larger stage and not wait for Cena to step aside. They will have to take their spot. That is how Triple H did it. Ironically, that is how Vince McMahon did it as well – but now he is perceived as the old guard clinging onto their throne simply because it is theirs with no new worlds to conquer.

BUILDING BRIDGES

If you told me five years ago Bruno Sammartino would be in good standing (and a Hall of Famer) with WWE, I would have laughed in your face. If you told me two years ago that the Ultimate Warrior would have been accepted into the WWE Hall of Fame, I would have called psychiatric services on you immediately. It has been documented that Triple H was the one who reached out to those two particular talents and he, not Vince McMahon, was also the one to convince them to make amends with WWE.

Vince McMahon has a history of holding onto a grudge like a Rottweiler. Over the years, fans have scoffed the WWE Hall of Fame as either incomplete or not a true representation of the company’s history because of the various snubs and obvious omitted talents. Most of these were brought upon by personal differences between Vince McMahon and the talent themselves. From an outsiders perspective, Triple H has done his best to not focus on the petty quarrels between individuals and instead worked on securing the legacy of both WWE as an entity and the talent who helped build its empire.

In lieu of this, Triple H in a few years has made great strides to accomplish something McMahon has spent his whole career trying to achieve: the absolute consolidation of the history of North American professional wrestling. McMahon can own all the tape libraries he wants, but if the talent from those territories do not have some form of implicit involvement to create new content and pass their knowledge down to younger generations, it is all for naught. Triple H’s ability to smooth over old wounds is a testimony to his devotion to accumulate and appreciate the history of professional wrestling as a whole, regardless of personal feelings. The notion of Triple H being the catalyst seems like a calculated move, as perhaps Vince McMahon’s well-documented ego may not allow him to offer the olive branch. To Vince McMahon, HE is WWE and everything that reflects on WWE reflects on him personally, including how talent (past and present) feels about the product.

As an outsider, Triple H is not burdened with this. Yes, WWE may very well wind up to be his kingdom, but he has worked long enough in a public corporate environment to learn from his mentor’s personal shortcomings and gauge the difference between a personal issue and a professional one. The bottom line is that as a performer that started out as a fan first, and not as a promoter who has lived in a self-enclosed bubble with his talent, Triple H probably sees what we see: WWE’s history will always be considered incomplete if they continue to outright deny those who laid a foundation for the company’s success. The main battle of wits between Owner and his Son-in-Law heir may come to blows when it comes time to address perhaps the most controversial Hall of Fame omission: Randy “Macho Man” Savage.

Fans who know the underlying arc of the animosity between Savage and McMahon understand that acquiring Savage’s likeness into the WWE Hall of Fame may be the company’s Hope Diamond. Having Vince McMahon personally intervene in this business matter with the Poffo family as he clings to old wounds may not be the most tactful strategy. For all we know, McMahon may not even want to include Savage in the WWE Hall of Fame, despite agreeing to terms to have Savage’s likeness emerge in the form of retrospective DVD’s and WWE video game content. We may never know what bridges might have been mended (or burned even further) if Savage did not suddenly pass away. WWE must now go through Savage’s brother, Lanny Poffo and his wishes (or were they Randy Savage’s?) to include The Madness as a holistic part of WWE’s history. Vince McMahon may not be up for the task. He may not even want to try. Triple H has a track record of moving mountains to get those who would normally spit at anything involving McMahon engaged with WWE. A clash seems to be imminent on this issue.

THE INNER CIRCLE

Triple H has devoted his time to developing various talents on NXT to prepare them for life on the main WWE roster, only to see some of them squander in creative purgatory – or even worse, disappear altogether. While acts like The Shield, The Wyatts and Paige have found success ranging from nominal to great, others like Emma, Adam Rose and even Bo Dallas have been seen either spinning their wheels or basically ignored during their time on the main roster. This has sparked a debate over who is really in control of WWE’s main programming. Even though Vince McMahon has final say, it has been acknowledged that certain talents may not even make it to his radar if they do not meet the demands or perceptions of Kevin Dunn, RAW’s Executive Producer. In Vince McMahon’s world, you need certain tangible qualities to survive, and those who follow under him take those instructions very seriously – more or less to seemingly appease McMahon and not rock the boat.

Triple H, on the other hand has not publicly embraced a group of advisers, but has more or less devoted his time to create the best product he can based on the perceived advice of mentors and agents. Watch an episode of NXT and you can see the influence of talents like William Regal, “Road Dogg” Jesse James, Dusty Rhodes and Arn Anderson all over it. The people in Triple H’s ear are more engrossed by the in-ring product, since they are performers (or in Dusty’s case, a former booker himself.) Vince McMahon’s core appears to be more comprised of “personalities” and corporate-minded individuals who are more concerned with physical aesthetics, short-term financial gains and the bright lights of television. If NXT is any indication, Triple H has surrounded himself with a group of people who are of an old school mentality – longer matches, compelling feuds with well-defined characters and creating an environment that will generate a genuine reaction from its audience.

We have all read about the rumblings: Once Triple H publicly came into power as the Executive Vice President of Talent & Live Events, the notion of the figurehead General Manager died with John Laurinaitis, the former Executive Vice President of Talent Reations – who was also perceived as the ultimate lackey for Vince McMahon. Was his on-screen “firing” storyline driven, or was there an underlying message that Triple H was trying to convey? Even though we all joke about it, no man is immortal, and the day will come when Vince McMahon no longer walks among the living. What happens to McMahon mainstays like Kevin Dunn? It has been acknowledged that Dunn and Triple H has butted heads on more than one occasion when it comes to how RAW should be run. If the rumors are meant to be believed, Dunn has made it his business to sabotage certain acts from NXT to give the impression that perhaps, Triple H does not have the eye for talent that Vince McMahon would like him to have. If these rumors are to be believed, it is only a matter of time that once Vince hands over the reigns, Dunn may be the first one gone. If that is the case, expect a truly dramatic shift in how RAW is presented.

NOTHING CAN COME OF NOTHING (or THY KINGDOM COME)

King Lear, one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, tells the story of a king who slips into madness when the time came for him to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. He offers the largest part of his kingdom to the daughter who “claims” to love him the most and disinherits the share of that same kingdom away from the daughter who speaks openly to him, splitting it between the other two. When it comes to WWE, there are only three options in regards to its future: Triple H, Stephanie McMahon or Shane McMahon. Shane, bluntly has gone on record to say that his father was the most difficult person he has ever worked for – and instead of settling for the easy brass ring – has placed himself into self-imposed banishment in China, leaving sister Stephanie and brother-in-law Triple H with their equal share of a billion dollar empire. Do not think, though – that just because the only McMahon son is currently the chairman of a growing media company on the other side of the world, that the door is closed on the perceived “rightful” heir returning. It is only a matter of time, as Shane has gone on record to say “It’s in my blood…if I feel it’s the right time and I could make a significant difference, I would consider it.” His father has gone on record as well, even if it is in a more logical and subdued light: “It was Shane’s decision to go out on his own…and it will be Shane’s decision to come back, if he wished to.”

From a business perspective, it is no coincidence that the junior McMahon is making waves in streaming media in a country of 1 billion people as the WWE Network finds its footing as a media streaming channel and WWE itself making strides in courting the Chinese audience. Stephanie has been slyly selling stock overseas (some of it to Chinese investors). Is Shane accumulating not only a better understanding of running a media company, but his own wealth to eventually make a major play to the 60% majority ownership that belongs to his father, much in the same vein Vince acquired his own personal wealth to purchase the WWWF from his father? What changes (if any) can be expected of the foundations laid out by Triple H with talent, and Stephanie creatively if/when the prodigal son does return?

And where does the great King find himself at the end of a reign that has lasted since 1982? It has been reported that McMahon has been more erratic than normal with his creative decisions, re-writing more shows last minute at a more consistent clip than usual, showing frustration and changing his mind about how to involve those who star in Total Divas with the Divas Championship (rumors are abound that the new “rule” is that any Diva involved with the show cannot win the Divas Title because the show is taped three months in advance and there would be too much of a disconnect.) Vince has continued to bank on the old faithfuls like John Cena and even The Rock, while Triple H is gambling on the future like the NXT Five, The Shield (specifically Roman Reigns) and Bray Wyatt. The disconnect is obvious between the old philosophy and the new and that disconnect is only going to widen as Vince gets closer to stepping down and the power struggle becomes more precise. Will decisions need to be made because it is creatively needed or because it is financially viable? Will the next major star to rise be considered a risk, but made organically based on talent and a natural connection to the audience or will that star escalate through a calculated, sanitized and safe chain of events? The kingdom will soon have a king (or a queen.) At some point, one mind and one voice will need to emerge to make the decisions and dictate a clear future direction for WWE. A potential tug of war will only serve to alienate the fanbase as confusion sets in, thereby changing nothing for the WWE product.

And as a wise man once said, “Nothing can come of nothing.” What an ironic thing to say.

Len Archibald is the former Executive Director of the Northwest Ohio Independent Film Festival, and is a current movie reviewer for WLIO in Lima, Ohio.

Follow ADAMS & ARCHIBALD AT THE MOVIES ON FACEBOOK
ADAMS & ARCHIBALD REVIEW: THE DROP