Is Kayfabe Dead?
Austin: “It’s almost like kayfabe has died. Back in the day you would watch the product in the ring, and whatever happened in the ring that’s where you got your heat or your satisfaction from. Now if the story doesn’t go the way people want, they’re mad behind the scenes at the writers.”
Triple H: “Times changed. Just telling a story and people accepting that storyline for what it is, as a storyline, is gone. A large portion of your audience just buys into that. Another large portion of your audience – they know everything that goes on every five minutes of every day. They know more about what’s happening sometimes than we do. And I think you get to a point where they just want to go the opposite direction. They want to see a certain thing, or they think a certain type of thing is what works.”
Roman Reigns:
Austin: “When Vince came to me and said, ‘Hey man in two weeks you’re going to go over in the King of the Ring’ and I said ‘OK cool’. I didn’t say, ‘hey man there’s been guys that have been here longer than me, and maybe they should do that.’ So when Roman Reigns gets the word that he’s going over in the Rumble, what’s he supposed to say?”
Triple H: “Thank you very much!”
Austin: “Exactly. This is a business where sometimes you got to put your big-boy britches on and go to work. A portion of the crowd felt like he hadn’t earned that yet. So when the finish went down the way it did … he ended up getting the heat out of that, and the resentment from the fans because they were mad at the writing staff.”
Triple H: “There’s one guy calling the shots, and that’s Vince. That Royal Rumble was debated, and poured over, and gone through and there were a lot of suggestions. You’ve got one guy that takes all the suggestions, boils it up and that’s the direction you go in. That’s Vince. Is he perfect? No. Am I? No. Is the writing team? No. There’s a lot of ideas. We choose what we think will be best at the time, but he’d be the first guy to say he doesn’t always make the right call. But he’s got a pretty damn good track record.”
Austin: “It’s supply and demand. It seemed like for a time, people really wanted Roman Reigns, and they were giving Roman Reigns. Daniel Bryan comes back and they want Daniel Bryan. You’ve got a supply of each. They start demanding Bryan, and they kept giving Roman, and the people got a little hot.”
The Reality Era:
Triple H: “People will say all the time that we don’t listen. There was such a large period of time where half the people were booing John Cena, and half the people were cheering him, but he was packing arenas. He was selling more merchandise, he was more popular than ever; everything that we did, John was so far ahead of everyone else it doesn’t matter that half the people hate him. It’s difficult now to find the one that every single person likes.”
-Hunter talks about the Attitude Era and how it was geared towards one demographic. But now, they try to appeal to the 8-year-old in the audience, the teenager with all his friends, the parents, the grandparents and all races and religions.
Triple H: “When we don’t tell the story well – whether that’s bad writing, bad execution, whatever – people don’t buy it. Especially when they know the reality of it. When you look at what we did from a storyline aspect: Daniel Bryan’s eliminated early, Roman Reigns goes to the end of the Rumble and he ends up winning. Years ago you just follow that storyline – he must be good, he won at the end. The ‘Reality Era’ says ‘no, they’re pushing Roman Reigns. I don’t want them to push him.’ We were holding back Daniel Bryan, because whatever reason we’re holding back Daniel Bryan.”
-Austin notes that Roman had a good night at RAW, and thought the spear on Big Show helped him. Triple H talks about how fans say Roman Reigns isn’t ready to be “the guy”, but says that nobody is ever ready to be in that spot for the first time, because you don’t know how things change, and what kind of pressure gets put on you. He claims he would have failed if WWE put the title on him in 1996 and that Austin was ready when they went with him instead.
HHH Himself:
-Austin addressed those who say Triple H became a top star because he married Stephanie McMahon. Hunter says that Undertaker was one of the guys that encouraged him to ignore the criticism, and believes that if he never married Steph he would still be backstage working with WWE, still doing some of the same behind-the-scenes things he’s doing today.
triple h-Triple H talks about how he fell in love with the backstage process of pro wrestling, and Vince McMahon giving him an opportunity to sit in on production meetings and develop a passion for different aspects of the business. He says his career has been all about trying to prove to himself that he can do different things, and he never really had an “exit plan” to totally leave the industry after his in-ring career.
Brock/Taker:
-Austin asks about Brock Lesnar’s contract expiring, and Triple H says they’re talking, but it comes down to what Brock wants to do. He says they love having him in WWE and would like him to stick around, but he doesn’t know if Brock feels like there’s unfinished business in UFC.
-Triple H calls the Undertaker’s streak the “home run record that should never be broken”. He also praises the Undertaker for being a guy who can give that back to the business, and to give it to somebody else to help their career.
CM Punk:
Austin: “What is it with you guys?”
Triple H: “I remember hearing things about him when he was first coming in. I remember people saying, ‘oh you hate this CM Punk kid, and you’re burying him.’ Honest to god, and this isn’t a knock to him, I didn’t know who he was. We didn’t have time to watch other components of the business. When he came here, maybe some of that got carried over. I don’t know. I’ve never had a beef with him.”
Triple H: “When he first dropped the pipebomb, we did this storyline and [Kevin] Nash was brought in. It was done for the right reasons; I think it was done to get him more over. The decisions that were made were Vince’s, and they didn’t work out. Nash couldn’t hang. But [Punk] held a grudge on that. He’s a weird cat. He doesn’t talk. He doesn’t communicate well.”
Austin: “Could he ever come back here?”
Triple H: “If the fans want it, if that’s what best for business – it’s my regret that we couldn’t get past all this stuff with him. But if he didn’t want to be here anymore – if this wasn’t his passion anymore – you can’t be here if you don’t love it.”
Fan Questions:
Q: Is it better for somebody to go through wrestling school and the WWE Performance Center, than to work on the indies before coming to WWE?
A: Everyone is different, but sometimes it’s easier when talents come to NXT and don’t have “bad habits” picked up from the indie scene. Triple H compares it to football, and WWE having a playbook they need their wrestlers to use that might be different than other promotions and wrestling styles around the world.
Q: What is the process of putting together NXT?
A: Triple H books what he wants to see. He says the WWE Network is watched by the hardcore fans, so they let it be a little more organic. It’s less scripted for some talents, because there’s more room to make mistakes. He says the main WWE shows have no forgiveness in front of millions of fans every night. Austin asks if there’s a creative process, and Hunter says they’re teaching every part of the process, and they are always open to suggestions and feedback from the talents.
Q: Is there anyone who can be the next John Cena or Hulk Hogan?
A: You can’t just be a promo guy, a high-flyer, a giant or a technical wrestler anymore, and they’re looking for the total package of all the different skills. Hunter says it’s about the wrestler taking a concept and become the gimmick, and talks about Mark taking the Undertaker gimmick and making it “the most awesome character there has ever been”.
Q: Will Chyna be in the Hall of Fame?
A: Triple H praises Chyna as one of the best ever, but says she is a difficult case because the Hall of Fame is for the fans. He asks what happens when an 8-year-old hears the name Chyna and wants to look her up; what do they find on the internet, aside from her wrestling career? Hunter says she made choices (talking about her porn roles), and there’s no judgement, but it makes things difficult for the WWE.
HHH On RAW Returning To 2 Hours Etc...
Austin: “Back in the day we’d go out there, and somebody would say ‘you got a promo today.’ You’d listen to the guy cutting a promo against you, and respond accordingly. They’re so scripted now. I don’t feel like people have the flexibility to get into a groove and really find who they are, because they’re regurgitating rather than saying something they believe in. Do ya’ll not trust the talent?”
Triple H: “It’s a trust level. It’s live TV. It’s a different era and we have to be careful of what’s said for sponsors, and everybody else. Down in NXT I have tried to go the other route. They’re not always winners, but I try to let the guys come up with their own stuff, help them make it better, then guide them on what worked and what didn’t work.”
Austin: “If you could change anything you wanted about Monday Night Raw what would it be?”
Triple H: “I’d love it to be two hours. The third hour of television is so exponentially harder to write I can’t even describe it to you.”
Austin: “Could it ever go back to three hours?”
Triple H: “That’s a Vince call. I try to avoid those meetings. I wish we could take more time for stories. I’m a slow burn guy. When you get the payoff it’s massive, and I like having that time to do it. It’s a bit of a short-attention span theater. I would like to see the women get more time and dedication. They have a lot to offer, and we have a large fanbase of women who watch and they’re inspirational. But again, it’s so difficult.”
Austin: “When will we see you back in the ring?”
Triple H: “I don’t want to give anything away, but it’s coming. Otherwise I’m training twice a day for nothing.”
