Under the leadership of Triple H, WWE is finally correcting a complaint that Stone Cold Steve Austin has shared with the wrestling community for years. Triple H, real name Paul Levesque, was appointed WWE Head of Creative in late July after Vince McMahon unexpectedly retired. While McMahon was still acting as the governing force of WWE's storytelling, the product was subject to many legitimate and long-term criticisms. Over the last few weeks, Triple H has been confronting these criticisms head-on.
Out of all of WWE's historical detractors, the company's Legends often spoke with the loudest voices. Mick Foley recently criticized Vince McMahon's frequent decision to have superstars lose in their hometowns, Edge famously hated WWE's 24/7 Championship, and Steve Austin has been vocal about a multitude of WWE issues over the years. In 2013, he challenged WWE by accusing the company of bringing up their young stars too early. Ironically, this was during the great run The SHIELD was on after debuting in November 2012.
Steve Austin would also accuse several WWE superstars of lacking "edge" or intensity, a problem Triple H has been fixing over recent weeks. Austin called out all three members of The SHIELD at different times for similar issues. Roman Reigns needed "a little bit more fire," Seth Rollins needed to define his identity, and Dean Ambrose was challenged to "find the edge again." Even Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt caught flak from Stone Cold after their underwhelming feud in 2017. Whether Austin knew it or not, his old adversary Triple H would become WWE's perfect Vince McMahon replacement and would bring the "edge" back to sports entertainment.
Rollins & Riddle's Rivalry Has The Intensity WWE Has Been Missing
Seth Rollins and Riddle have recaptured a palpable excitement similar to Triple H's most memorable feuds. On the August 22nd edition of Raw, Rollins and Riddle opened the show by brawling through the WWE crowd. Triple H participated in similar white hot confrontations throughout his career, facing the likes of Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, and even Stone Cold Steve Austin himself. The duo is demonstrating a consistent degree of seething intensity that has been absent from WWE's products for a long time.
The inability of Seth Rollins and Riddle to co-exist on the same brand, let alone in the same ring, has been one of Triple H's best WWE additions. Their relentless fighting has elevated the product as a whole. Raw can kick off with genuinely exciting action that keeps their boiling feud warm, all without taking much TV time away from other performers. After weeks of fighting, Rollins and Riddle are scheduled to meet face to face in a WWE ring on an upcoming episode of Raw. Their intensity has made that encounter so engaging that the generic WWE segment feels like must-see TV for the first time in years.
While Austin has been busy praising the likes of Sheamus and Drew McIntyre, it's very likely that he's been pleased by the majority of WWE programming since Triple H took control. Although the glory days of WWE's Attitude Era might be firmly in the past, there's no reason that the aggression made popular by superstars like Stone Cold needs to be left behind as well. With athletes like Seth Rollins and Riddle leading the charge and recapturing that flame, WWE may be headed toward its most exciting era yet.