Triple H interview with Grantland

[Kayfabe FAN don't want none]

Aug 24, 2013 15:47:02 GMT -5 Brother Nero....Wolfe said:

Aug 24, 2013 4:09:02 GMT -5 Lardlad said:

@davemeltzerwon
HHH sits there stewing for 18 years on a story, and then gets every single detail wrong in trying to make a point where none was to be made

@davemeltzerwon
Thank God he doesn't write one of those dirt sheets he cried about.

I would pay a serious amount of money for a Triple H run dirt sheet. "Thank God this match was Buried Alive rules because it saved me the trouble of having to BURY THEM. Not enough pedigrees. 0/10. Punk cut a great promo on the all time legends, but he neglected to mention how I'm better than everyone. 0/10."

"This match was an absolute classic, but I've had better matches. 0/10."

"Bret Hart's sunglasses? -4/10"

[southsider]

Meltzer's ego is out of control

[Yami Daimao]

Aug 24, 2013 11:57:41 GMT -5 @mdoggdx316 said:

The butthurt is real.

I don't know who would try to claim their hurting butt as fake.

[Crimson]

Aug 22, 2013 13:30:55 GMT -5 Toxik916 said:

Great interview. It's really cool to see HHH go into detail on what really happens in WWE. Hopefully this will help silence the HHHaters.

Just as soon as people stop sing "hhhate" every time he gets criticized.

[Deleted]

Aug 24, 2013 11:57:41 GMT -5 @mdoggdx316 said:

The butthurt is real.

On both sides. It's like the end of Requiem for a Dream.

[arrx]

WWE executive/wrestler Paul Levesque (better known as Triple H) told ESPN website Grantland.com that his goal is to have 100 percent roster recruitment only going through WWE Developmental. Although not stated in the interview, Hunter's goal points to a lack of interest in established wrestlers who currently work for TNA.

"Right now, probably 85 to 90 percent of our roster came through our system in some way," Hunter said. "Five years from now, 100 percent of our roster will have come through there."

This comment from The Game is consistent with reports earlier this month that Triple H believes TNA does not have anyone currently on their roster who he wants to add to WWE.

Hunter, who is pretty much runs all talent recruitment and development, views the new Performance Center as a way to cultivate WWE's own brand of wrestlers without having to look to potential free agents in other national TV companies, or focus as much energy on wrestlers from the independent scene.

"First of all you have to find the right people, the right athletes. Sometimes for guys who have been in the indies for five or six years, it's harder to break them of bad habits than it is to start them fresh," Hunter said.

"We've shut down all the other territories. There's almost no place for guys to go learn, and when they do, they're learning how to work in a junior high in front of 50 people. It's a completely different thing than working in front of 10,000 or a million on TV with a camera in your face."

"So I started this little division called talent development. It was basically to build a bridge between Creative and the developmental wrestlers. Now, other than Vince (McMahon) saying, 'Okay, you can have that amount of money,' he doesn't have anything to do with it. Honest to God, he hasn't even seen the Performance Center yet."

- Source: PWTorch.com

[jimmyjames]

Aug 25, 2013 0:38:14 GMT -5 arrx said:

WWE executive/wrestler Paul Levesque (better known as Triple H) told ESPN website Grantland.com that his goal is to have 100 percent roster recruitment only going through WWE Developmental. Although not stated in the interview, Hunter's goal points to a lack of interest in established wrestlers who currently work for TNA.

"Right now, probably 85 to 90 percent of our roster came through our system in some way," Hunter said. "Five years from now, 100 percent of our roster will have come through there."

This comment from The Game is consistent with reports earlier this month that Triple H believes TNA does not have anyone currently on their roster who he wants to add to WWE.

Hunter, who is pretty much runs all talent recruitment and development, views the new Performance Center as a way to cultivate WWE's own brand of wrestlers without having to look to potential free agents in other national TV companies, or focus as much energy on wrestlers from the independent scene.

"First of all you have to find the right people, the right athletes. Sometimes for guys who have been in the indies for five or six years, it's harder to break them of bad habits than it is to start them fresh," Hunter said.

"We've shut down all the other territories. There's almost no place for guys to go learn, and when they do, they're learning how to work in a junior high in front of 50 people. It's a completely different thing than working in front of 10,000 or a million on TV with a camera in your face."

"So I started this little division called talent development. It was basically to build a bridge between Creative and the developmental wrestlers. Now, other than Vince (McMahon) saying, 'Okay, you can have that amount of money,' he doesn't have anything to do with it. Honest to God, he hasn't even seen the Performance Center yet."

- Source: PWTorch.com

I understand what HHH is talking about and doing, but why would this by strictly about TNA, because I think they have a coup;le of wrestlers on their roster who came from other places and seem to have done pretty well. They go by the name CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. I won't even mention the recent RVD push.

[Steveweiser]

I didn't see that quote as "we're not going to sign anyone from the indies", it's more like "everyone will report to the Performance Center". Likewise, I also don't see it as "we're not signing anyone from TNA", again, it's more like "if we sign someone from TNA, they're going to the Performance Center".

[Deleted]

It should be case by case with every wrestler. Daniel Bryan was barely in developmental, I think he had one match. Turned out amazing. Sin Cara skipped deveopmental. It's been a disaster.

[Red Impact]

Aug 25, 2013 7:05:21 GMT -5 @lovehater said:

It should be case by case with every wrestler. Daniel Bryan was barely in developmental, I think he had one match. Turned out amazing. Sin Cara skipped deveopmental. It's been a disaster.

Daniel Bryan had NXT though, which was sort of developmental+. He did't just jump to wrestling on the main roster, they had quite a while to figure out what to do with him.

[Deleted]

Aug 25, 2013 7:09:16 GMT -5 Red Impact said:

Aug 25, 2013 7:05:21 GMT -5 @lovehater said:

It should be case by case with every wrestler. Daniel Bryan was barely in developmental, I think he had one match. Turned out amazing. Sin Cara skipped deveopmental. It's been a disaster.

Daniel Bryan had NXT though, which was sort of developmental+. He did't just jump to wrestling on the main roster, they had quite a while to figure out what to do with him.

At that point it was replacing ECW, so it's still a nationally televised primetime show. He was wrestling on Raw within weeks anyway, having a great little match with Batista, and was seemingly already penciled into main event Summerslam later in the year. He didn't need developmental at all, from a learning standpoint. Sin Cara's problem wasn't that they didn't know what to do with him, it's that everything they tried he messed up and/or got hurt.

[Apricots And A Pear Tree]

Aug 25, 2013 5:14:17 GMT -5 Steveweiser said:

I didn't see that quote as "we're not going to sign anyone from the indies", it's more like "everyone will report to the Performance Center". Likewise, I also don't see it as "we're not signing anyone from TNA", again, it's more like "if we sign someone from TNA, they're going to the Performance Center".

"Welcome back Kurt,get your ass to developmental."

[Ben Wyatt]

Aug 24, 2013 4:09:02 GMT -5 Lardlad said:

@davemeltzerwon
Waaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!

[Red Impact]

Aug 25, 2013 8:13:27 GMT -5 @lovehater said:

At that point it was replacing ECW, so it's still a nationally televised primetime show. He was wrestling on Raw within weeks anyway, having a great little match with Batista, and was seemingly already penciled into main event Summerslam later in the year. He didn't need developmental at all, from a learning standpoint. Sin Cara's problem wasn't that they didn't know what to do with him, it's that everything they tried he messed up and/or got hurt.

It was a nationally televised D-show with very limited main roster interaction, so it was still a stepping up process, unlike ECW where they pretty much wrestled wherever by the end of it and relied mostly on main-roster guys. The first season took months, and the only real idea that they had plans was when Nexus was formed, so they had months to evaluate and refine those guys' characters before then. That's what developmental is for for guys who don't need training. And since NXT in that form is gone, there's no longer a national show to do that.

I just don't think it's accurate to act like that he was immediately on the main roster, because NXT clearly was meant to be a pseudo-developmental for guys they felt were ready, but needed that that last shine to their characters. It wasn't FCW, but it was a developmental nonetheless.

[Deleted]

I get you, it's kind of semantics at this point. I think of developmental as FCW, which is where Bryan went for one match and where all the other NXT rookies were from. NXT came off to me more as a vehicle to try a reality show concept than a place to cement your skills and persona. They were undermined and interrupted by commentators and Matt Striker, did silly physical challenges, wrestled short matches. NXT Redemption was more like the developmental+ you speak of.

The point I was making is that some guys really need the polish, and some guys don't. Everyone shouldn't be mandated to spend a certain amount of time in developmental, or pay their dues or anything like that. If you're ready, you're ready.

[Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!!]

Aug 25, 2013 5:14:17 GMT -5 Steveweiser said:

I didn't see that quote as "we're not going to sign anyone from the indies", it's more like "everyone will report to the Performance Center". Likewise, I also don't see it as "we're not signing anyone from TNA", again, it's more like "if we sign someone from TNA, they're going to the Performance Center".

that's what I thought too. just PWTorch trying to pretend there's a anti-indy bias where there is none. considering what a flop the last guy to skip developmental has been, I can't blame WWE for wanting everyone to be acclimated to working in their environment before calling them up. they still have to get everyone they hire from somewhere, it's not like they're going to be pulling random people off the street.

["Magic" Mark Hurr]

Personally i'd like to thank HHH for this interview and his current "character" on tv. He has just insured me and all of us that we will have endless amounts of topics and conversations for years to come. We haven't even made it to the Rumble. And the HHH burying time gif will be dicovered in 50 years and some old man will emerge to tale the tale about a forgotten time. That man will be wearing a tattered Daniel Bryan shirt that will have his last catchphrase "Whatever".

[Red Impact]

Aug 25, 2013 9:04:11 GMT -5 @lovehater said:

I get you, it's kind of semantics at this point. I think of developmental as FCW, which is where Bryan went for one match and where all the other NXT rookies were from. NXT came off to me more as a vehicle to try a reality show concept than a place to cement your skills and persona. They were undermined and interrupted by commentators and Matt Striker, did silly physical challenges, wrestled short matches. NXT Redemption was more like the developmental+ you speak of.

The point I was making is that some guys really need the polish, and some guys don't. Everyone shouldn't be mandated to spend a certain amount of time in developmental, or pay their dues or anything like that. If you're ready, you're ready.

I think the fact that NXT was so self-contained where ECW was not makes me think of it as Developmental+ that they tried out because they recognized that developmental in it's current format wasn't cutting it. I think if Bryan came in now he, like CM Punk before him, would have gone to developmental. NXT gave him a chance to get what he would have gotten out of it (namely, give them time to come up with something to do and give him a chance to work with WWE trained guys so he knows what they know how to do) without actually having to spend time in FCW.

I do agree that there shouldn't be a set time and it's up to the wrestler, but I think the era of throwing a guy on TV without plans or giving them a chance to get acclimated are rightfully over, and that that's not a bad thing. We saw a lot of people thrown on TV without a plan or build up, and I'm pretty sure every single one of them flopped because of it.

[Deleted]

Aug 25, 2013 10:40:51 GMT -5 Red Impact said:

Aug 25, 2013 9:04:11 GMT -5 @lovehater said:

I get you, it's kind of semantics at this point. I think of developmental as FCW, which is where Bryan went for one match and where all the other NXT rookies were from. NXT came off to me more as a vehicle to try a reality show concept than a place to cement your skills and persona. They were undermined and interrupted by commentators and Matt Striker, did silly physical challenges, wrestled short matches. NXT Redemption was more like the developmental+ you speak of.

The point I was making is that some guys really need the polish, and some guys don't. Everyone shouldn't be mandated to spend a certain amount of time in developmental, or pay their dues or anything like that. If you're ready, you're ready.

I think the fact that NXT was so self-contained where ECW was not makes me think of it as Developmental+ that they tried out because they recognized that developmental in it's current format wasn't cutting it. I think if Bryan came in now he, like CM Punk before him, would have gone to developmental. NXT gave him a chance to get what he would have gotten out of it (namely, give them time to come up with something to do and give him a chance to work with WWE trained guys so he knows what they know how to do) without actually having to spend time in FCW.

I do agree that there shouldn't be a set time and it's up to the wrestler, but I think the era of throwing a guy on TV without plans or giving them a chance to get acclimated are rightfully over, and that that's not a bad thing. We saw a lot of people thrown on TV without a plan or build up, and I'm pretty sure every single one of them flopped because of it.

I'm all for having a plan in place for them when they debut, that part I have no problem with. I just don't think they need to excessively re-train everyone. A lot of guys are good enough to come in and wrestle on TV right away, even if they're not perfect. Bryan was a little awkward for a while, but the maturation process is part of what endeared him to the fans.

[Red Impact]

Aug 25, 2013 10:54:26 GMT -5 @lovehater said:

Aug 25, 2013 10:40:51 GMT -5 Red Impact said:

I think the fact that NXT was so self-contained where ECW was not makes me think of it as Developmental+ that they tried out because they recognized that developmental in it's current format wasn't cutting it. I think if Bryan came in now he, like CM Punk before him, would have gone to developmental. NXT gave him a chance to get what he would have gotten out of it (namely, give them time to come up with something to do and give him a chance to work with WWE trained guys so he knows what they know how to do) without actually having to spend time in FCW.

I do agree that there shouldn't be a set time and it's up to the wrestler, but I think the era of throwing a guy on TV without plans or giving them a chance to get acclimated are rightfully over, and that that's not a bad thing. We saw a lot of people thrown on TV without a plan or build up, and I'm pretty sure every single one of them flopped because of it.

I'm all for having a plan in place for them when they debut, that part I have no problem with. I just don't think they need to excessively re-train everyone. A lot of guys are good enough to come in and wrestle on TV right away, even if they're not perfect. Bryan was a little awkward for a while, but the maturation process is part of what endeared him to the fans.

I don't think it's as much retraining for guys like KO, Zane, or Punk. I think it's a different type of thing they need to learn.

If you'll humor me, think of it like a veteran QB in football. He knows how to throw, he knows how he plays, he may be a fantastic QB. But if he goes to a new team with a new coordinator, he may be stepping into a completely different offense than what he is used to with completely new receivers and lineman. There's a learning curve, that's why he has practice and training camp and preseason, he has to learn how to gel with them so that when he does perform, they're on the same page.

For experienced indy guys like Bryan and Punk and Cesaro and Sami Zane and Kassius Ohno, that's how I see it. If you're a veteran on the indies, you've been everywhere and wrestled against people with hundreds of styles and skill levels and you probably have some expectations of what will happen if you call a certain spot or how they'll react if you do a certain move just based on experience. All WWE guys learn from the same people though, they may learn a certain specific way to do it. For safety's sake, at least, you need to learn how they do it and how to wrestle against guys brought up in that school. I don't think they need to learn to do WWE style, I think they need to learn how to work with people who wrestle only WWE style though.

In the mean time, that developmental stint gives them a chance to develop a plan for these wrestlers so they know what they want to do with them, which is an added bonus.