MR. TITO: After Sami Zayn Won the WWE Title From CM Punk on Smackdown Last Night, I’m Done Defending WWE or Triple H

I’ve said for a while now that WWE may have peaked during 2023 and maybe through Wrestlemania 39, but the product stayed hot and ran on fumes through Wrestlemania 40 the next year. It’s not been the same WWE since Wrestlemania 40, especially, because Cody’s chase is over, Roman Reigns does NOT work as a babyface character, CM Punk becomes more corporate, and the next generation of wrestlers (Solo, Jacob, Bron, and maybe even Oba) just lack the impact or superstar power of the group they hope to replace.

BUT – I’ve attempted to defend the WWE that has existed since 2024… I’d rather watch 2024-2025 WWE than to watch almost any year since 2013 during the 2010s. I liked the John Cena 2025 Retirement tour, flaws and all. I think the match quality is higher with Triple H in charge, as Punk vs. Roman is my favorite match of the year as an example. Often, I’m calling out corporate meddling from TKO, who seem to be micro-managing the WWE exactly as Vince McMahon did during the mid to late 2010s (almost as if he’s calling shots through them).

However, I think that it’s officially time to stop defending this WWE machine, whether it’s TKO’s corporate meddling or Triple H lacking balls to take control of the company.

Last night, Sami Zayn won the WWE Title from CM Punk on a random episode of free WWE television known as Smackdown with the help of Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae distracting and then Kevin Owens delivering an accidental blow to Punk with the title belt.

Now, I 100% get why Kevin Owens would be there and causing chaos, as he’s been feuding with CM Punk. Totally understandable.

But since when are we accustomed to FOREVER LOWER MIDCARDERS like Gargano and LeRae being inserted into the main event just looked cheap. I’m personally glad that both are receiving an opportunity to shine and wish them well, but them interfering looked cheap. This is different from members of the NWO or Bloodline interfering because they were established as members of a group and there to protect who actually had the world title. Gargano and LeRae haven’t been used or featured well in the WWE since they were called up from NXT and now, they are determining the outcome of a WWE Title match.

You know, the REAL World Championship, the one that has the original WWE lineage, the WCW lineage, and 2 separate brand splits.

And I’m even more sorry to say this, as I overall like this wrestler… But Sami Zayn as a two-time WWE Champion? Really?

I was happy for him winning it initially at the Saudi Arabia PLE, as it was a nice “lifetime achievement” award for his past contributions to the WWE. In my opinion, he made the Bloodline storyline better during 2022 and the drama surrounding his role fueled what I think is one of the best Wrestlemanias ever with #39 during 2023. Just watch that ending to Royal Rumble 2023 and attempt to admit that you didn’t feel something. We all did and it made us more addicted to the WWE that year.

Now, however, hotshotting the WWE Title to him during a random episode of Smackdown feels very “WCW during 2000”-ish to me. You know, when we had like 20 different title changes during that year. What, is Vince Russo now booking the Smackdown brand for the WWE?

It’s very likely that TKO, with maybe some nudging from NBC/Universal, is encouraging BIG THINGS to happen on WWE Smackdown because after all, viewership is BARELY hanging on to 1 million viewers hovering around 1.2 million lately. Folks, we’re in ECW on TNN and TNA Impact on Spike TV formerly TNN) viewership territory and they were 2nd or 3rd bananas in the competitive wrestling arms race.

BUT, we’re also in the territory of Triple H favoring his ex-NXT students… HHH was the one who inserted Sami Zayn into the Bloodline and that choice is significant because Sami was coming off his major loss to the Jackass crew at Wrestlemania 38. Remember him losing to that big mouse trap? Though Sami actually match an entertaining match out of that, he still lost yet HHH had his back and put him with the Bloodline to eventually go from losing to Johnny Knoxville at Wrestlemania 38 to headlining Night #1 of Wrestlemania 39 and winning the tag titles with Kevin Owens over the Usos in a major match of consequence.

HHH and HBK have ALWAYS had Johnny Gargano’s back and have pushed him to the moon when they could. They let go of his tag partner Tommaso Ciampa, which I’d argue had more marketability with the WWE, but opted to retain Gargano. Candice has a losing record in the WWE and is one who puts everybody over. While that role is relevant, as someone has to lose, but we’ve seen others released by the WWE who also put over other wrestlers non-stop. I’m NOT calling for either to be released, but my point is there exists some bias and love for Johnny Gargano by Triple H and it’s placing him in big spots like this.

HHH does show bias to any NXT call-up that he personally groomed or ones, especially, who listen to his advice. Bronson Reed is a perfect example of that, and gee, look who just attacked Oba Femi. What a coincidence? He also joined the newer Bloodline group and later joined the Vision.

So with that, I’m no longer going to defend this WWE regime, as everybody is impaired now. TKO is micro-managing everything and with that, Triple H is there to only “die on a hill” to defend and push the folks he personally likes. That ending to Smackdown was an abomination and CM Punk deserved better as a World Champion.

I’m also here to declare that 2023 was the official peak of the WWE, maybe even Wrestlemania 39 being the tip because post Wrestlemania 39 had its issues, too. Things magically came together for Wrestlemania 40, but that was honestly a sh*tshow on how that happened and everyone’s expectations have been forever high because of that event.

For me, TKO has fully taken over and the leader that was Triple H from 2022-2023, who literally saved the WWE from the Vince McMahon scandals and MADE IT BETTER, is now a former shell of himself.

This sucks because now it feels like the WWE has returned to “late 2010s” mode and the alternatives to watch are overrated.

We are in a declining period of wrestling, something that I wrote about and predicted during 2015 when WWE began dismantling John Cena as its top guy and bulldozing everybody with a dominant Brock Lesnar and an inexperienced babyface attempt called Roman Reigns. Funny, if we’re in “late 2010s” mode, then a babyface Roman Reigns fits right in.

The ONLY way we’ll see a boomtown in pro wrestling again is if any wrestling promotion creates a valid developmental system that adequately prepares younger wrestlers to step up. AEW doesn’t have a good system, as they are free agent dependent, and WWE is still dependent on wrestlers from prior developmental systems such as OVW and FCW, as the NXT developmental system stocked and supervised by Triple H has not restocked the WWE roster like the other systems have.

When Matt Bloom is your Performance Center trainer, and when you have open casting calls for anybody off the street to come to you versus actually scouting athletes to join (as Ross, Brisco, and even Mark Henry did), things will fall apart. Matt Bloom training is hilarious, as if he demonstrated the skillset as Prince Albert, A-Train, or Lord Tensai to teach to younger wrestlers. Go watch “Lord Tensai” completely sandbag Ryback’s finishing move and then realize THAT is who is training wrestlers for WWE. In comparison, the women have a GREAT trainer with Sarah Del Rey and gee, all of them are performing well and WWE has an entirely new division to market and sell along with superstars to send all over the country.

So yeah, WWE is in decline, TKO is micro-managing, and Triple H is in “f*ck it” mode where he’ll only care pushing his friends or favorite students. Sami, Johnny, and Candice need to THANK Triple H for always having there back.

Hey, at least Triple H is consistent… He’ll ride or die with the folks who personally showed him appreciation, like the Clique during the 1990s, anybody who worked out with him in the gym (Batista, Sheamus), and now his NXT students and signings. I’ll give him that.

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