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DeMarco: How Freakin’ Smart Is Triple H?

Greg DeMarco takes a look at the man who just might be the smartest mind in all of pro wrestling: Triple H.

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Greg DeMarco takes a look at the man who just might be the smartest mind in all of pro wrestling: Triple H.

Triple H is the man largely credited with the creation and advancement of the “third brand” in WWE, NXT. The Black and Gold Standard is often a topic for me, because (in the effort of full transparency) it’s my favorite wrestling product out there. Triple H deserves every bit of that credit, but I don’t think he gets credit on the larger scale, because Vince McMahon is still around, and many wrestling fans would rather complain. I try to flip to the fun and positive side as much as possible, but I will complain from time to time.

The Obediah Stane look-a-like has risen to the top of the WWE food-chain thanks to a storied in-ring career, an unprecedented work ethic, a marriage that probably didn’t change his trajectory, and one of the best promos in wrestling history. He’s done so much to prepare for the company’s future, and that’s where this topic comes from.

Former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa is one of the brand’s most beloved stars, becoming that after a heel turn that was so expertly done and following it up with so much attention to detail (like refusing to have a t-shirt released, not using theme music for his return, etc). He was one of those heels that was SO GOOD at being a heel that people had no choice but to love him.

But thanks to multiple injuries, Ciampa himself knows his days in the ring are numbered, and has said as much:

“I get that my window is smaller than it was and my bump card is ticking. I just look at like, if I’m doing 200 plus dates a year on the road with Raw or SmackDown OR I’m doing a manageable load of 30 to 50 matches with NXT – I can do 4 years of that in the time that I do 1 year on Raw or SmackDown. So how long can my career and portfolio grow HERE as opposed to going there.”

“I legitimately vocalized to them, if I have to go to Raw or SmackDown then I’m gonna retire. I would love to produce or coach or be apart of it, but there’s no way I’m taking on that load and going, ‘yeah, I’ll just have a 6-month run and then call it quits.’ I just won’t do that. It’s not worth it to me.”

That interview comes courtesy of Ryan Satin and his great Pro Wrestling Sheet site.

Now WWE is a highly controlled environment, although talent has been able to exercise more influence in 2019 thanks to the positioning of Paul Heyman backstage on Raw, and the brand split taking into account WWE Superstar relationships and how they effect life on the road. It’s still surprising to hear someone basically threaten retirement if a certain decision is made, and years past that would almost certainly cause a decision like that to be made.

But not now. Appearing on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast, Triple H had a brilliant response to Ciampa’s comments:

“It’s a different, that’s a different beast. And even though that schedule has now dropped and has become much more manageable, especially if you have a family and everything else…he probably looks at it and says, ‘Look, if I was on the main roster, I have a run that’s this long. If I was on NXT with a lessened schedule and much more manageable, I have a run that’s this long.’ He’d rather do this for a long period of time and then transition into doing all the other stuff that he loves…I’ll tell you, when the time is right, he’ll be a phenomenal coach. He’ll be a phenomenal backstage producer. We’re letting him get experienced in that now. He goes to EVOLVE right now, and he’ll go there and he’ll sign autographs or whatever. But then during the day, he’s a producer. And he helps with their shows and does everything else. And then when they’re producing the television event or the digital whatever it is that night, he’s helping with that. He’s picking up the things that we’re teaching him, and he’s putting it someplace else. And that’s gonna translate long-term in his career too.

Man, there is so much to unpack there! And it’s almost all Triple H stuff. Let’s take a look…

He has Tommaso Ciampa’s back: He didn’t give a response in the vain of “you have to be ready for anything we throw at you, opportunity opportunity blah blah blah.”

He’s looking at Ciampa’s future, and WWE’s as well: He’s turning a perceived negative (Ciampa not going to Raw or Smackdown), and turning it into a positive (developing him as a coach so he can contribute to the business for many years to come, while still contributing to WWE NXT today).

He’s perfectly leveraging EVOLVE: He’s taking advantage of the relationship with EVOLVE (WWE is keeping that alive) to further train Ciampa and let him get the practice he needs, almost in an internship capacity.

He’s teaching the future Hall Of Famers and boardroom executives now, and has made move after move after move that will impact the WWE long term. You often hear rumblings of a “succession plan,” and while it’s a largely hidden secret (if it exists at all), Triple H is the one to lead the charge. One person can’t replace what Vince McMahon does, but Triple H can coordinate the efforts, be the mouthpiece for the company, and keep the machine chugging for many years to come.

Because damn, he’s freakin’ smart.


Pro wrestling, along with sports entertainment, is a fun ride. Enjoy it! Follow me on social media @ChairshotGreg and drop me a line at gregdemarco@thechairshot.com


 

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Opinion

Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

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Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions, 

The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight. 

This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail. 

The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions. 

After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama

gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania. 

It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company. 

We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!

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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


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Opinion

Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns 

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Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call. 

Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story. 

The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line. 

 In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years? 

Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus. 

I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?

Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!

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WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


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