YAWN IN A CELL
When Triple H was revealed to be a member of the McMahon family, it was a gamble. I’m not sure how you’re part of the rebel faction (D-Generation X) and the ruling class at the same time.
My concern turned out to be valid.
Sure, Triple H still gets big pops when the music plays and the fireworks explode. But when a spot dictates a pop, it doesn’t happen as loud, or with as much passion.
Example: At the Hell in a Cell PPV, Triple H teased abandoning Shawn Michaels after being injured, then locked out of the cage. Triple H returned with bolt cutters to let himself back in. That is classic Dusty Rhodes-style booking. That spot, or variations thereof, has earned major pops for far lesser talents.
At Hell in a Cell, the pop was minimal. Not non-existent, but certainly minimal. It should have blown the roof off.
It’s tough to say for sure what happened. Maybe the marks have finally tired of middle-aged rebels with fat bank accounts. Maybe anything involving the baby-oil brigade puts them to sleep. Maybe they got burned out by WWE’s big blow-off cage match being made regretfully repetitive.
Or maybe revealing Triple H to be a McMahon was a mistake. At any rate, something is clearly missing.
Mark Madden can be reached at [email protected].
