Do You Think Triple H Would Be Open To Working With Other Promotions?

[Jack-Hammer]

Looking at the Cruiserweight Classic over the summer and the fact that WWE worked with the talent of a number of top indie companies like Evolve, Full Impact Pro, Progress & Revolution Pro Wrestling, do you think he'd be open to having working relationships with larger companies if he ran things?

At various times, a lot of us talk about or imagine WWE working with companies like ROH or New Japan in joint cards and it sounds like a lot of fun. However, the principle argument against it seems to be that WWE doesn't need to work with anyone else and that these other companies would be the ones to primarily benefit rather than WWE. It's a strong point and one that does have a lot of weight behind it. Another argument is that there'd be too many big egos involved who'd be too focused on making sure their company comes out looking a bit better than the others.

Based on what we've seen over the past several years with Triple H revamping WWE's developmental system into the highly acclaimed brand that's become NXT, it's easier for me to picture him being open to the possibility of a working relationship with companies like New Japan and Ring of Honor. I get the sense that he has a much broader view of wrestling than Vince has, that Trips is a guy who doesn't see "wrestling" as some sort of dirty word. When you look at the talent that's been signed to NXT with Triple H ultimately running it, and with guys like Gerald Brisco & William Regal as his right & left hand when it comes to scouting talent, Trips doesn't seem as WWE centric as Vince is. While he'd obviously put WWE first and foremost, I again get the sense that he doesn't consider WWE to be the absolute center of all things wrestling, that other companies do exist and put out quality products.

So, do you suppose it could happen and is it something that you'd could see yourself interested in?

 

[@smarkmouth]

I think it could, and must be a long term vision for Triple H. Beyond examples mentioned in the OP, I think allowing indie wrestlers like Gargano and Ciampa keep their names is a pretty good indicator as well. I understand that their contracts are on some sort of different tier as other NXT stars (if reports are really to be believed, that is), but these are prevalent names on NXT lately. It's amazing how much TV time is invested invested them lately.

Another great example would be Jushin Liger's match with Tyler Breeze, last year.

I would love to see an end game to all this turn Night of Champions into a multi company spectacle, allowing a handful of matches allocated to showcasing other promotions. Perhaps a pipe dream, but I think that if anyone in the WWE corporate hierarchy would consider anything akin to it, it would be H.

 

[johnbragg]

Speculating pretty wildly here.

I think there's a separation between the very smarky developmental brand NXT and the prestige sports-entertainment brands Raw and Smackdown. I could pretty easily imagine a WWE Network special supercard with defenses of the NXT, IWGP, ROH and AAA world titles back-to-back.

I don't see that happening with the main shows. The WWE will protect the Raw and SD world championships (world, WWE, universal, etc) and spotlighting the New Japan world title undermines that.

Consider that the only "TNA guy" to make an impact on the main roster has been AJ Styles--7 time "world" champion between New Japan (2), NWA-TNA (3) and TNA (2) and "Mr TNA" for over a decade.

Does HHH respect ROH or New Japan or AAA more than TNA? Probably. How much more? Not enough to make them remotely comparable to Smackdown or Raw.

 

[MoRtAnDaD]

He totally is, the whole CWC is a prove to that. We can call him whatever we want, but the guy made nxt the best pro wrestling show in WWE.

I can see him opening the doors for some crossovers, specially with companies that are not direct competition like """"""tna"""""". NJPW is probably the best bet, ROH a second close as they are in no way in each other paths.

 

[FromGlasgow]

If your talking about jointly promoted wrestling cards, No other wrestling companies are even close to the WWE's level, So the little local companies will have a lot to gain but WWE as far as I can see will gain nothing from this and only make them look week as WWE is viewed as the biggest wrestling company in the world it would just look horrible to have some local indie no name guys beating them, It would of been cool before like a WWE vs WCW or ECW card but no one else is on that level now.

 

[Papa Pillman]

Really the only company in the world large enough to warrant any type of event that would be quasi co-promoted by WWE and a rival promotion would be New Japan.

Sadly both companies have always shown a reluctance to enter into a partnership with any other promotion in which they weren't clearly positioned as the "bigger dog".

Working with the likes of ROH, CMLL, NOAH, and RevPro pays dividends for NJPW because it allows them access to a multitude of the world's best talents; but it also poses no threat to them as they are clearly a much bigger and better brand of wrestling than any of those partner promotions who appear as minor leagues when stacked up against the New Japan juggernaut.

This also holds true for WWE when participartating in loose partnerships with the likes of EVOLVE today or ECW in the past. WWE will never allow another promotion to be viewed as operating in its league, and they're probably right to take that approach. The problem here being that NJPW feels and acts on a similarly justifiable pedestal of superiority when working with any company in the world which is not WWE.

 

[ShinChan]

I think that Triple H could be more open to work with small companies.

With TNA, NJPW or ROH, it's a pretty big no. Why? WWE doesn't even want to mention TNA. I don't think that NJPW and WWE will ever co-exist at any event. Same with RoH.

NJPW and RoH showcase pretty different styles as compared to that of WWE. Triple H would rather get big names off them as proved by the emergence of Nakamura & AJ Styles.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I hope Triple H has learned / is learning a lot from his time in his current position to really expand the WWE Universe. If I were him, I would reach out to every single promotion on Earth, and come up with a working agreement for a talent exchange of sorts. It’ll give the WWE fresh talent to work with, and give all of the independent companies great exposure. At the rate they are going, I believe it’s already headed in that direction. I really like how NXT is being used as a buffer between being outside of the Universe to being on Raw / Smackdown. HHH is doing a great job, and what is really best for business.

 

[sMark]

Everyone here think in a wrong way. WWE have NXT, and NXT vs Evolve or ROH or NJPW or Lucha Underground will create a good buzz and can be usefull for establishing NXT talents as internatinal superstars. Sure many of them already worked all around the world, but who really saw these matches? Under WWE umbrella this can be a whole other story.

Remember Jushin Liger? This one felt really special.
NXT Takeover in Japan can be the best one for a long time.
Just imagine Nakamura vs Omega vs Okada as the main event today - will sell tickets and buys as hotcakes.

 

[johnbragg]

Everyone here think in a wrong way. WWE have NXT, and NXT vs Evolve or ROH or NJPW or Lucha Underground will create a good buzz and can be usefull for establishing NXT talents as internatinal superstars. Sure many of them already worked all around the world, but who really saw these matches? Under WWE umbrella this can be a whole other story.

Remember Jushin Liger? This one felt really special.
NXT Takeover in Japan can be the best one for a long time.
Just imagine Nakamura vs Omega vs Okada as the main event today - will sell tickets and buys as hotcakes.

Yes. NXT allows WWE to work with other companies on a somewhat-equal basis, because NXT is positioned below RAW and SD. So if ROH or New Japan shows up NXT on a supercard, it's not damaging "real" WWE.

 

[stingray11214]

VKM and Trips comes from two very different backgrounds. VKM came from the background that "Pro Wrestling" was a carny show, and had no basis in legitimacy. You also need to remember that his father ran the most important area in the Territorial era. VKM became Hollywood, something Vince Sr. despised. Trips came from the background as a fan of the Old Order. Trips remembers the days of the AWA, NWA, Mid-Atlantic, Florida and World Class with affection. Though he grew up in New England, he still got to see the NWA shows, and read about them as a boy.

Do I believe we will have working arrangements? Once VKM gives up control, it is virtually guaranteed. Only WWE will be in the same role the NWA was: and umbrella group with different promotions under it. Only this time, I can see Trips, Shane and Steph run WWE via the MLS "single-entity" model. I can see a rebirth of World Class in Texas, the AWA in Minneapolis/Chicago and Mid-Atlantic in the Carolinas. This way, you can sign a truckload of people, get them on TV via the Network, and continue the pipeline. What is wrong with Kalisto holding the WWE World Class strap in Texas? Heath Slater winning the WWE Southern strap in the WWE Mid-South promotion? What is wrong with bringing back CM Punk, uniting him with Randy Orton, re-sign Mr. Anderson and the Daivari brothers, and have them run around WWE-AWA? You have the seeds for it now with the brand split and NXT.

Now, about working with others: Again, you have the seeds for it. You will need the Indies for a System like what I just described. However, you can also work with companies like All Japan, Wrestle-1 and Zero-1. There is nothing wrong for someone like John Cena dropping the WWE strap to Jun Fukiyama in Osaka on Smackdown, and then winning it back a few days later on a WWE Network special from Korakuen Hall. If you say there is something wrong, then you basically spat in the face of greats like Sammartino, Thesz and Backlund who did EXACTLY as I described. So many possibilities.

So, I very much believe that Trips will go the NWA route when, and if, he takes over. He will see that it will be good for business. Not only for WWE, but for everyone else as well.