5 Big Mistakes during the Triple H Era of WWE

WWE's business has been booming under Triple H's creative direction, but that doesn't mean the new era hasn't had its missteps. RAW's ratings on Netflix have declined since its heavily viewed and much-hyped debut. Numerous fans and wrestling commentators have taken shots at The Game's booking, especially regarding the main event of WrestleMania 41, Night Two.

WWE's Chief Content Officer, Triple H, has adopted the term "The Renaissance Era" to name the current period of World Wrestling Entertainment. A renaissance represents a cultural, intellectual, and artistic rebirth or revival, much like the period in Europe from the 14th to the 17th centuries, which advanced the continent in art and science. But while the new era was initially named such by fans, not everyone agrees that WWE is experiencing a renaissance of wrestling excellence.

During his reign as head of creative development, some moments and decisions could be considered The Game's mistakes. Other missteps, like the ones involving The Rock in 2025, could represent missed opportunities that were out of The King of Kings' control. Nonetheless, let's examine a handful of big mistakes under the direction of The Cerebral Assassin.

#5. Instead of The Rock, WWE fans got Travis Scott at WrestleMania 41

Perhaps the most glaring creative misstep involved The Rock's notable absence from WrestleMania 41. Weeks earlier, The Final Boss played a major role in the Elimination Chamber PLE and John Cena's heel turn. The Great One wanted Cody Rhodes' soul, and when The American Nightmare refused, Rock made a throat-slitting hand gesture that triggered Cena's turn to the dark side.

The Rock seemingly had a prominent role in the biggest storyline of the year on the Road to WrestleMania, but he was nowhere to be seen at 2025's Show of Shows. He stopped making onscreen appearances in WWE following March's PLE in Toronto. This left Cena alone to direct his anger at the fans as he pursued his 17th world title reign.

Rather than The Rock playing a pivotal role in the main event match between Cena and Cody, wrestling fans were treated to the in-ring presence of award-winning rapper Travis Scott. The Final Boss' appearance schedule was out of Triple H's control when it came to WrestleMania, so it isn't completely the fault of The King of Kings for not meeting fans' expectations at The Show of Shows this year. Regardless, Triple H is still responsible for the televised content churned out to the masses.

Travis Scott appeared alongside The Rock during Cena's heel turn at Elimination Chamber. But when it came time for WrestleMania, Scott's appearance and interference in the main event didn't make up for the absence of The Great One.

#4. R-Truth's storyline with The Judgment Day never resulted in a World Heavyweight Championship match with Damian Priest

One of the biggest tag team storylines of 2024 involved the conflict between Judgment Day and R-Truth, which led to the reunion of Awesome Truth, who'd win the RAW Tag Team Titles from Damian Priest and Finn Balor at WrestleMania XL. However, when Priest moved on to the World Heavyweight Title division, R-Truth didn't move up from the World Tag Team Titles. Truth's tag title reign peaked at 'Mania, and WWE didn't see dollar signs when it came to Priest vs. Truth for singles gold.

R-Truth's antics with The Judgment Day were well-received by wrestling fans, but WWE's creative direction seemingly didn't see it as a storyline worthy of the World Heavyweight Championship. In retrospect, considering the groundswell of fan support in 2025, along with his singles push against John Cena, the company arguably didn't capitalize on Truth's popularity and talents enough the year prior.

Rather than featuring an angle involving the heroic and beloved R-Truth overcoming Judgment Day and becoming World Heavyweight Champion, WWE booked Priest against major names (like Seth Rollins and Jey Uso) without any compelling story attached before ultimately deciding to have him drop the title to Gunther and turn babyface.

#3. WWE cooled down LA Knight, going from a red-hot rival for Roman Reigns to a mid-carder who lost to multiple Bloodline 2.0 newcomers

Every time LA Knight's music hits, and whenever he works the microphone, The Megastar garners a vocal response from the audience that's greater than some former WWE Champions. However, rather than being booked in a consistent main event position, Knight was tasked with putting over The Bloodline, losing in title matches to Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu at PLEs, and putting over main-roster newcomers JC Mateo and Tama Tonga in singles competition on random episodes of SmackDown.

Knight's most prominent victory in the company was against Logan Paul, winning the United States Championship at 2024's SummerSlam. That win and his match against Reigns at 2023's Crown Jewel represent Knight's most notable moments as a singles wrestler in WWE. Rather than looking at his merchandise sales and consistent crowd reactions and rewarding him with a main event run, Knight received mid-card rewards and watched wrestlers with a lesser connection to the live audience, like Gunther and Damian Priest, become World Champions.

#2. Gunther's first reign as World Heavyweight Champion only started to get heat during his WrestleMania feud with Jey Uso

The former NXT UK Champion is a dominant in-ring competitor who defeated top talent during his first reign with the RAW brand's top male singles title, scoring victories over the likes of Randy Orton, Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Sami Zayn, and Jey Uso. However, when looking back at The Ring General's initial run as World Heavyweight Champion, what moments stand out as truly representing the villain in Gunther?

Forgettable trash-talking and competitive matches aren't enough to build heel heat for the Austrian bruiser. What builds heel heat is moments like when Gunther left Jimmy Uso beaten and bloodied in front of his twin brother, Jey. Brutally targeting a close family member of a beloved superstar is an excellent way to tug at the crowd's emotions, demonstrating a story where the hero is personally motivated to vanquish the villain, going far beyond the desire for championship glory.

Before his WrestleMania feud with Jey Uso, the biggest storyline involving Gunther was the conflict between Priest and Balor. Finn cost Damian the World Title to The Ring General at 2024's SummerSlam. Gunther's role in the angle was secondary to the main beef involving The Prince and The Archer of Infamy. However, had Gunther won the title by spoiling the main event run of a beloved legend like R-Truth, it would have arguably given The Ring General major heat to start his initial reign as World Heavyweight Champion.

#1. WWE failed to follow up with any compelling storylines for The Wyatt Sicks after their captivating RAW debut

The Wyatt Sicks were the talk of the wrestling world when they arrived on the scene in June 2024. Yet, instead of capitalizing on the momentum of their much-talked-about debut, The Wyatt Sicks were placed in a forgettable lower-card storyline with American Made, a stable led by Chad Gable. The 2012 Olympian was one of the people who were attacked during the spooky group's RAW debut.

Gable and his stable are talented, but their momentum had cooled before they were booked against The Wyatt Sicks. Uncle Howdy's group was hot during the beginning of their angle, and rather than putting them against another hot act, they were booked against a stable that was lukewarm and couldn't win titles in 2024.

Following their feud with American Made, The Wyatt Sicks' next most notable rivalry involved The Miz and the now-disbanded stable led by Karrion Kross, The Final Testament. Kross' faction and Miz would win their feud in the win/loss record, handing Howdy's faction their first defeat in a four-on-four tag team bout. They got revenge a couple of weeks later by laying out Miz, Kross, AOP, and Scarlett on the December 23 episode of RAW. However, after that, they disappeared from WWE programming for several months.

The Wyatt Sicks would switch brands, moving to SmackDown and reappearing in May 2025, targeting the blue brand's tag team division. The Wyatt Sicks may be able to carve out a niche for themselves as future champions on Friday nights. However, tag team championships are far from WWE's creative focus at recent PLEs. So far, Uncle Howdy's group appears to have peaked with their introduction last year, as WWE has failed to maintain the level of intrigue that made their debut feel special.

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