Ranking Triple H's Biggest Hits and Misses as Head of WWE

With WWE at one of its lowest points ever creatively over the summer, Triple H taking over for Vince McMahon couldn't have come at a better time.

For years, fans longed for the day when The Game became the new head of WWE and ran Raw and SmackDown in his vision. That dream became a reality in late July, and the quality of both brands has improved drastically since then.

Perhaps Triple H's greatest strength in his role has been essentially starting fresh with everyone on the roster and giving many of the previously underutilized talent more opportunities to shine. That has included bringing back familiar faces who were wronged by the old regime.

That isn't to say the booking has been flawless, though. There have been a handful of experiments that haven't panned out for a variety of reasons, and several storylines, Superstars and acts still need tweaking.

As we approach the four-month mark of Paul "Triple H" Levesque taking charge of the company's creative direction, let's look back at his biggest hits and misses so far.

In the span of six months, Hit Row went from being an unknown act on NXT to one of the hottest commodities in the entire company in 2021.

Their rapid rise in popularity led to them being called up to SmackDown in the 2021 WWE draft, only to be broken up and released within weeks. Vince McMahon clearly never saw value in the group, but Triple H knew they were capable of so much more.

Top Dolla, Ashante "Thee" Adonis and B-Fab were given a second lease of life when they were brought back to WWE in early August. Unfortunately, they were without Isiah "Swerve" Scott, who was the crew's crown jewel and soon-to-be breakout singles star.

As a result, the remaining members of Hit Row simply haven't clicked with crowds as well as they should have. They've won a fair amount of matches as a team and have attempted to benefit from forging alliances with The Street Profits and Shinsuke Nakamura, but they still come off as an undercard act with little direction.

All hope isn't lost for Hit Row, though. Giving them a fourth member eventually may work; and if nothing else, they add depth to SmackDown's tag team division.

Toward the tail end of the Vince McMahon regime in WWE, the midcard championships had never meant less. Fans hoped the intercontinental and United States titles would become the focal points of Raw and SmackDown in the absence of Roman Reigns following WrestleMania 38, but they remained irrelevant props on both brands.

Triple H wasted no time in wanting to restore importance to the once-prestigious prizes. Within weeks of assuming creative control, brief video packages aired highlighting the history of the two titles, immediately making them feel more coveted than they had been for years.

Bobby Lashley went on a tear as U.S. champion and defended the title against all comers on a near-weekly basis. He had excellent outings with The Miz, AJ Styles and Tommaso Ciampa before losing the gold to Seth Rollins, who has managed to maintain its momentum.

Meanwhile, Gunther has done an exceptional job of making the Intercontinental Championship the top title on SmackDown whenever Reigns isn't present. He, too, has had gems with the likes of Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sheamus and Rey Mysterio, typically in the main event on Friday nights.

The elevation of the midcard championships under Triple H has been beyond refreshing and long overdue.

Triple H's desire to do more long-term storytelling is admirable and has paid off nicely in certain situations, but other angles have been dragged out much longer than they had any right to be.

The most egregious example of that has been The Miz vs. Dexter Lumis, a program that had little progression up until last month. Even with all the developments we've gotten on Raw recently, the reveals haven't been interesting enough for the story taking this long to culminate.

Dexter Lumis returning to WWE to randomly target Miz in August was exciting at first. It felt like a fitting feud for both individuals and the matches had potential, but week after week, it was the same stuff over and over again with no explanation for why any of it was happening.

Despite his ties to Lumis from NXT, Johnny Gargano's role in the rivalry has felt forced and is a waste of what he can truly do. The eventual one-on-one bout between Miz and Lumis likely won't have a ton of juice, so wrapping this up on the sooner side so both men can move on would be for the better.

The Judgment Day were well on their way to being a lost cause due to how poorly they were being booked after Finn Bálor replaced Edge as the leader of the faction.

Not only were they incapable of winning whenever it mattered most, but there was also nothing terribly thrilling about the trio of Bálor, Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest. The group's gimmick was ill-defined and their rivalries with Rey Mysterio and Edge felt like they'd never end.

Oddly enough, it was the addition of Dominik Mysterio to The Judgement Day that really turned things around for them. He proved to be much more natural as a heel while Bálor, Ripley and Priest became more comfortable in their respective roles as well.

Their booking also improved to where they now win a majority of their matches, including at Extreme Rules with Bálor besting Edge in an "I Quit" match and at Crown Jewel when they knocked off The O.C. in six-man tag team action.

The sky is the limit for the group if they can continue to climb the ranks on the red brand and rack up victories. Ripley, in particular, can go far as the centerpiece of the stable with another Raw Women's Championship run potentially in her future.

Aside from their initial introduction in February 2019, the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships have almost always been treated as an afterthought. Sadly, that hasn't changed much during the Triple H era.

The lack of care for the twin titles played a factor in Sasha Banks and Naomi walking out of the company earlier this year, so The Game reinstating them in August in an effort to convince the former champs to return was logical.

However, the tournament to crown new titleholders was plagued with injuries and forgettable matches. Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah winning the belts, only to lose them to Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky two weeks later, was also a questionable call.

Nothing we've seen in the last two months has made the titles feel any more important than they were a year ago. Asuka and Alexa Bliss beating Damage CTRL for the belts and losing them back to the devious duo five days later wasn't ideal, either.

Perhaps things will turn around for the women's tag titles in due time, but the division is obviously no more a priority to Triple H than it was to Vince McMahon.

In Solo Sikoa's two months as a SmackDown Superstar, his booking has been practically perfect.

The futures of NXT stars upon being called up to the main roster tend to be uncertain. Although they have a much higher chance of success in Triple H's WWE than they ever did with Vince McMahon, it's never a guarantee the Raw and SmackDown audiences will take to them in the same way the NXT audience did.

However, Sikoa has had zero issue adapting to the grand stage and getting over with the crowd.

Introducing him as a member of The Bloodline was a wise call, and right out of the gate, that put him in a prominent position on the card. His debut match came against Drew McIntyre in the main event of SmackDown, and he has yet to be pinned in one-on-one competition.

Sikoa has star written all over him and has been a bright spot on SmackDown and Raw these past two months. If his main roster run is off to this strong of a start, there's no telling how much bigger and better he'll be in the years to come.

The debut of Damage CTRL at the start of SummerSlam was the first booking decision that seemed to have Triple H's fingerprints all over it.

Bayley resurfaced following a year-long absence due to injury, and she brought the returning Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky along with her. WWE hasn't had many all-female factions on the main roster in the last decade aside from Absolution and The Riott Squad, so fans had every reason to be optimistic given the level of talent involved.

Their first month on Raw went relatively smoothly, including their decisive victory over Bianca Belair and her crew at Clash at the Castle, but virtually everything else with Damage CTRL has been a bit of a misfire.

As previously mentioned, having Kai and Sky fall short in the finals of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament was a mistake, and their eventual reign wasn't anything special, anyway.

Bayley's booking has also been quite questionable, losing to Belair both times she contended for the Raw Women's Championship on pay-per-view. It's nothing she can't bounce back from, but it does make the stable look much less of a threat to the rest of the roster.

For whatever reason, the three of them haven't jelled as well as originally expected, and a win at WarGames may not be enough to make up for that. A shakeup will soon be needed before it's too late.

Of the many names Triple H has brought back to WWE since the summer, Bray Wyatt is bound to make the biggest splash of them all...and arguably already has.

His July 2021 release came as a surprise to most members of the WWE Universe. Despite the countless occasions when Vince McMahon dropped the ball on him, The Eater of Worlds was still very much a moneymaker for the company, specifically in regard to his merchandise.

He left with unfinished business, and it was only appropriate Triple H rehired him to ensure he finish what he started. From the cryptic QR codes and vignettes, the way in which he was reintroduced was masterful, created positive buzz and made Raw appointment viewing every week.

The return itself at the end of Extreme Rules was also exceptionally executed. He left fans wanting more by barely speaking and blowing out one his patented lanterns.

His first storyline has gotten off to a rather slow start, but everything has evidently been done by design. It may be months before we discover the true identity of Uncle Howdy, but regardless of how long it takes, Wyatt is guaranteed to keep the audience captivated every step of the way.

He has merely scratched the surface of how much more he can accomplish in WWE. The moments he makes will be far more valuable than any championships he wins from this point forward.

Crowning Austin Theory as Mr. Money in the Bank was one of Vince McMahon's final major booking decisions before stepping down, and it was one that was met with much criticism from fans when it occurred.

Theory has long been primed to be a main event player in WWE, but that doesn't mean he was ready for such a spot at the time he captured the briefcase. Then again, he had a full year to cash in and he could spend that year honing his skills and developing as a performer.

Instead, he lost at almost every turn in televised matches. Kevin Owens, Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, Johnny Gargano and Seth Rollins all beat him, which brought the validity of the briefcase into question.

The bizarre handling of Theory's push would have made this list regardless, but him cashing in his guaranteed title shot on the United States Championship and losing was what cemented his place at the top.

While the 25-year-old wasn't ready to be world champion quite yet, he could have easily held onto the contract until next year and attempted to cash in when it made more sense to do so as opposed to using it on a midcard title in foolish fashion.

The brilliance of Sami Zayn as part of The Bloodline has been undeniably iconic.

What started as short-lived storyline has turned into a recurring highlight on both brands thanks to Triple H's awareness of the angle catching fire and deciding to drag it out longer.

Every week, a subtle story is being told between him and a member of The Bloodline, typically Jey Uso because of how often they butt heads. His efforts to get on their good side have resulted in some of the most entertaining television the company has produced in years.

The endgame will obviously involve The Honorary Uce being booted, but WWE taking its time with it is what has made this storyline such a blast. This is the most engaging The Bloodline have been to date, and Zayn consistently kills it with his mannerisms and facial expressions.

It is entirely possible The Bloodline would have betrayed him by now if McMahon were still calling the shots. Instead, all signs point to him turning babyface and reuniting with Kevin Owens to rival The Usos down the road.

The storytelling with The Bloodline on the whole in recent months has been top-notch and could have one of the best blow-offs in company history at the rate it's progressing.

If this is merely a taste of what the Triple H era of WWE will bring, then the product is in good hands going forward.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.