Triple H

Acid_Drop

I don't mean to be picky but by reading this it sounds like HHH does have more of an influence over other Wrestlers and where they are in the WWE (regarding some being held down)

or am I reading too much into it?

on writer Chris Bell:-

[i:post_uid0]Interestingly enough, while some wrestlers liked him, others were not too fond of Bell. He also reportedly told other wrestlers what Triple H would have to say about them in private production meetings.[/i:post_uid0]

Drunksader

I'm going to throw out a theory on HHH's involvement in the creative process - it's milder than my original indictment of him but it still raises specific questions about the suitability of his presence in such meetings. This is pretty much speculation - I'm going out on a limb here.

For better or worse, HHH is considered a leader in the lockerroom. Whether it's due to his tenure in WWE, his impact on ratings, his relationship with Stephanie, or from constantly threatening the creative team with a machete, he has some say about the overall product. As a review of my classic debate with ECS will show, it is incredibly difficult to accuse HHH of holding others back or using his position to keep his belt - little to no "hard" evidence exists.

There is evidence in the form of news wires that has claimed that the older echelon of superstars sits in on meetings from time to time - Undertaker, Austin, HHH, etc. There's also evidence that wrestlers are encouraged to provide creative input about their characters, and in some cases their booking in general (i.e., HBK's "I won't lay down for anyone" bit or the whole Screwjob in general.)

The belief that a lot of people, including myself to a degree, hold regarding HHH is that he has a tendancy to make suggestions about RAW (and perhaps the overall product in general) regarding how other wrestlers should be booked. I think that while this is debatable at best, one could claim that HHH provides feedback in the meetings (and maybe even face to face w/the other superstars) about certain individuals' work ethics and whatnot. It's widely known that HHH is big on giving "live and die for the business" peptalks (he pulled a whole bunch of people out to the ring before a show to talk about "earning your spot," for instance.)

I'm pretty sure even ECS can agree on HHH's backstage presence up to that point. The conclusion that I've reached, then, is that you could argue that HHH has taken on the role of lockerroom leader and overall "coach" if you will, of other wrestlers. You could argue that he made a bid for Orton and Batista, two guys he saw as having similar drive and potential, to be allied with him and get a rub. In this line of thought, it's very easy to see where he could piss people off -what about the guys that feel (and probably rightly so) that they should get such a boost? They're going to be bitter, and rumors are going to fly. Because at the end of the day that's all we "really" know about this HHH stroke conspiracy - what the rumors are.

Perhaps HHH is just a tragically misunderstood "big brother" type of guy who makes suggestions for what he feels is best for the business - supporting guys who have the same passion for the biz (at least in his eyes) and either talking down to or trying to motivate in various ways the other wrestlers. Perhaps it is this role (one that we have to admit he wasn't really assigned, but more or less claimed) that gets him so much backstage heat?

Again, this is more conjecture than anything. We bash HHH constantly in these threads and it gets redundant. In the interest of an informed debate, what do you guys think?