wrestling / Columns

Triple H Remains The Lone Star In The Universe

August 30, 2016 | Posted by Jeremy Lambert
Triple H

Triple H is the new WWE Universal Champion. Sorry, Kevin Owens is the new WWE Universal Champion.

You just wouldn’t know it by watching Raw. After the brand split and promises of a New Era, Raw is back to being the Triple H show.

In a Fatal Four Way Elimination that was going perfectly fine, Triple H involved himself by first hitting the pedigree on Roman Reigns on the outside, which immediately led to Seth Rollins eliminating him, and then by hitting the pedigree on Rollins, which immediately led to Owens pinning him and winning the title. The show closed with Triple H raising the arm of Owens and then exiting through the crowd like some loose cannon in a suit.

It’s the same tired angle we’ve seen since SummerSlam 2013 when Triple H handed Randy Orton the title with a pedigree on Daniel Bryan. It doesn’t matter who the champion is, we all know who the most important and powerful figure in the company is. It’s the same guy it’s been since Wrestlemania 2000.

I’m genuinely happy that they put the title on Kevin Owens as he’s consistently been the best performer since his debut last year. I’m just dreading the next few months of 20-minute Triple H promos, Rollins and Reigns complaining that they got screwed, and Owens being a background player in the whole thing.

It’s possible that Owens, one of the best on the mic and king of one liners, shines despite not having the spotlight on him. He might be able to overcome the Triple H show with his witty remarks and top-notch facial expressions. It’s also possible that he, much like Rollins did in 2015, flounders due to poor booking and the constant assistance of the King of Kings.

I’m willing to ignore the fact that Owens has been toiling in the midcard all year and lost both major one-on-one feuds he was involved in during the year. WWE was put in a bad position with the Finn Balor injury and have pretty thrown long term booking out the window anyway. Owens winning the belt was a great moment and the culmination of years of hard work and being told that he didn’t have the right look, even if they didn’t exactly build him up as a credible champion or challenger. Owens has been so good since moving to the main roster that he’s remained popular despite his losses and lack of direction.

Owens needing Triple H’s help to win the title was just the beginning of the same thing we’ve grown to hate over the past three plus years.

Maybe next week, Triple H comes out and says, “This is a New Era. I’m sick of guys like Seth Rollins, who needs to use my move to win matches, and Roman Reigns, who is an unacceptable failure, dominating the title scene. I took them out to ensure that a guy like Kevin Owens, who busted his ass for years and was always told that ‘he couldn’t make it in WWE because he needed to wrestle in a shirt,’ came out on top. I wanted to ensure that Kevin Owens, a man who helped put NXT on the map, walked out of Houston with the Universal Title. That’s why I did what I did.” It would all make sense, but if it all leads to Triple H bickering with Stephanie and Mick Foley and Reigns and Rollins, then what exactly is different?

I hope that Raw truly becomes The KO Show. That the company is 100% behind Owens the way they seemed 100% behind Balor. That they take advantage of his charisma and personality and turn him into one of the greatest heel champions of all-time. A prize fighter who now holds the top prize on the brand. All the tools are there; it’s up to WWE to utilize them.

I’d like to have faith in the company. I’d like to believe that this whole angle wasn’t a ploy to make Triple H the center of attention, but what have they done over the past few years to earn that faith? If Triple H is involved, then Triple H is the star, and there’s only room for one star in the universe.

article topics :

Kevin Owens, Triple H, WWE, Jeremy Lambert