wrestling / News

Triple H Hypes The Return of WarGames, Is Happy Kurt Angle is Back Wrestling, Says Building The UK Brand Will Take Time

November 16, 2017 | Posted by Larry Csonka
Triple H WWE Triple H’s NXT, President Trump

– Triple H took part in a conference call today, discussing NXT, WarGames, Kurt Angle’s in ring return and more. here are the highlights, courtesy of Pwinsider.com

Triple H opened the call by thanking us for being a part of the call. He said that he was really excited about this weekend’s show. He thanked the Houston area, who are coming off the hurricane, for their great hospitality despite the disaster that they went through. He said that it was great to see the amount of people coming the shows over the four days (Takeover, Survivor Series, Raw and Smackdown). He hoped that the area is on the uptick and they can put smile on people’s faces.

He talked about how the War Games match is a chance to turn a whole new generation on to what War Games is. He is excited to see The Undisputed Era vs. Sanity vs. AOP/Roderick Strong. He previewed the rest of the card and is excited for it as well. It was interesting to hear him talk about Lars Sullivan’s unique look.

He opened it up to calls. The first came from Jim Varsallone. Triple H was asked about starting The Era as a faction. Not sure what the question was and Triple H didn’t know either. He basically asked why they were started as a faction. Triple H said to get them rolling as they had a buzz as a group coming in. It seemed like the right thing to do and they were excited to do it. Will they stay together as a group? Who knows. We will see.

The next question came from Vincente Diaz. He asked about the changes in rules to the original War Games match. He said that when 20 years go by, it gives you the option to update it and tweak it. It works for NXT in the three team scenario due to the groups involved. In some ways it changes the concept a bit but in the end it’s about groups going to war, and that is what this all about. There will be no roof on the cage because he thinks it’s limiting (as I said on No Name yesterday I expect spots from the top and that is what Triple H said it allows the opportunity for). He said that they have not changed the concept of what War Games is. It doesn’t really start until everyone is in the ring so the concept is the same.

Triple H was asked about whether this will be the best Survivor Series in a while and if his presence is still needed in WWE for WWE to grow? Triple H said yes it’s a very impactful Survivor Series. He said that AJ vs. Brock will be very cool. He said that there are a lot of things on the card that he is looking forward to. He thinks the Raw vs. Smackdown elimination match is phenomenal and has a lot of star power. He said he doesn’t think his presence is necessary and it was creative’s decision not his. No one is 100 percent necessary but from a storyline perspective it makes sense and he said that it’s also about what comes out of this match. It’s a step in the storytelling. Sounds like Angle vs. HHH at Mania to me. He thinks the card on Saturday will make people again on Sunday say they have to up their game. He said one of the best things about NXT is that it pushes the main roster.

Mike Johnson asked about the origin of bringing back War Games, at a time when they are also bringing back Starrcade. Were they independent of each other? Give some insight into how this came to be. Will more Crockett gimmicks be coming?

He said that the connection between Starrcade and War Games is coincidental. H said he has always had a keen interest in doing War Games. As NXT ramped up he was looking for the right time to pitch it internally and get it approved. He said that it works well in conjunction with Survivor Series weekend. He said that NXT has matured to the point where they have their own franchise events and the timing worked out great. He said that making it a must see event fit in well for Houston. As for Starrcade it basically came down to being in Greensboro around the time that Starrcade would run for Crockett Promotions. He said that they are meaningful assets to have and it’s great to use them again. He thinks that time needed to pass before they could use them but the time is right now to do so. Again, he put over War Games since he is so involved with it. He said that they could take something from the past and make it the future, all while staying with Dusty Rhodes’ vision. He said that he and Dusty had talked about it.

He was asked if it was a hard pitch to get the company on board. Triple H said that there was some resistance to it but solving some of the creative issues and the timing being right in NXT made it easier to get it approved. The timing is right for NXT to do it and it will be meaningful.

Dave Meltzer asked Triple H about doing the NXT tapings at Center Stage. Triple H said that it was due to conflicts at Full Sail. He said that time of year is always tough to record at Full Sail. He said that this year they had more events there due to them growing but Full Sail is still their home. They love Full Sail. But at the same time Triple H said that it’s cool to go to Center Stage, and he did TV there for WCW. They looked at other options but this worked out the best.

Meltzer asked a follow up, as to why the Center Stage dates happened. It’s how things worked out. Given some of the talent also works with WWE to do TV they sometimes have to juggle things.

Jason Powell asked about Triple H giving Reid Flair a second drug test after he failed the first. He got a second chance. Is that standard? Triple H said he gave him one entry test and time went by before he was given a second chance. It wasn’t immediate. It was done to let the talent know it was coming and prepare. It was taken out of context in the piece.

Triple H was asked about Pete Dunne and the status of the UK show. Triple H said that all of the UK crew are very talented. Triple H said putting together the TV and touring in the UK takes some time. He said that he would have loved for it to happen quicker but this is just the reality. They are still on the WWE crew and they are working while they wait. He hopes that they have a territory for them soon and many of them are at the Performance Center right now. He said that Pete vs. Johnny Gargano for the UK Title will happen Saturday and air on NXT TV next week.

Triple H talked about how things change at times that make you adapt, such as injuries. When one thing changes you have to change others and that leads to a domino effect. He could have cited the Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt’s illnesses. He said sometimes you book something and it doesn’t work, so you make changes and that affects other things. You do things with the best intentions and then see where it goes. He talked about Dusty’s influence.

Raj Giri asked about Kurt Angle returning to the ring and whether he would like to reignite the rivalry down the road. Triple H said it’s great that Kurt is back. He said when Angle came back they said let’s take it one step at a time. They put him through the medical process to see where he was and coincidentally he was cleared when they needed him to replace Reigns. He is happy for Kurt and the success he is having now. Would Triple H love to get in the ring and work with Kurt? Absolutely. If it’s right for everybody and they want to do it, absolutely. Kurt is an all time great and no one picked it up faster than Kurt.

Scott Fishman asked about the women’s match and how none of them has been champion before. Triple H said that the Mae Young Classic will have a huge impact since it made them aware of the amount of talented women out there. He said that they are in a start over phase but he wouldn’t call it rebuilding. He mentioned all of the great women that they have on the roster, and he’s right. He said that they are pretty loaded with talented women so it’s on them to tell the stories they need to tell. It’s up to creative to tell the right stories and hopefully that is what they are doing. He said it’s cool for him because the NXT fans are so invested in the brand. He said it’s cool to see that level of investment. It’s meaningful to the future of the business.

Triple H thanked us for coming. He said that this weekend for him is a cool and exciting one. He put over the vision of Dusty Rhodes and the impact on NXT so it’s meaningful to him. He wants to do Dusty justice and also take it to another place where it will be meaningful to the NXT fan base.