Triple H addresses WWE house show ‘dilemma’
WWE is still figuring out what its ideal house show schedule looks like.
After domestic house shows had largely gone away, WWE brought them back this summer with the goal of getting the roster more in-ring reps, especially with a lot of young talent having been recently called up. Paul “Triple H” Levesque addressed the situation on Busted Open Radio today and said WWE is trying to find the right balance between getting talent more reps and putting too much mileage on their bodies. He doesn’t know what the correct answer is but personally feels that house shows should not totally go away.
“It’s a tough mix of — the live events are so important for getting the reps and moving things forward. It’s why we’re making a concerted effort to, especially in NXT even, just to get them more reps,” Levesque said. “There comes a time when the physicality has increased so much in our business that you’re trying to draw this line between, ‘Well, are guys being on the road all the time, is that beneficial to their development or is that just putting mileage on them?’ I think it’s the argument in football, right? Like, ‘Do we practice full contact? Do we put pads on in practice and play the game or do we walk through it and do the movements and is that really teaching them football?’
“Man, this is a dilemma and I don’t know the answer. I think they shouldn’t go away totally. I’m old-school.”
Levesque reflected on his own experience as a wrestler and how much he learned just being on the road driving from town to town with the other members of the Kliq. They were obsessed with wrestling and always wanted to talk about it.
A generation that “wants to give back” —
Levesque believes WWE has a good group of people working behind the scenes who want to give back to today’s talent. For him, his current role is no less fulfilling than his career in the ring. Levesque hopes some of today’s top stars eventually transfer over to that side of the business once they’re done with the physical side of wrestling.
“One of the things that I think is cool, you have a generation behind the scenes that wants to give back,” Levesque said. “Me, Taker, Shawn [Michaels] . You have guys like Bobby Roode, Michael Hayes that are looking to pass on that knowledge to others. And I think that’s amazing.”
WWE’s next house show is an event in Springfield, Illinois this Thursday night that’s taking place in advance of SummerSlam. CM Punk & Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther & Sami Zayn is the advertised main event.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.