Triple H laid out the creative process behind moments like John Cena‘s heel turn.
At Elimination Chamber, John Cena sold his soul to The Rock, kicking Cody Rhodes in the balls and beating him down, turning heel for the first time in two decades.
Speaking at the Elimination Chamber post-show press conference, Triple H explained how hard it is to come up with ideas that have never been done before. However, working with minds like The Rock makes this easier and helps to create stories like the ones shown at Elimination Chamber to entertain and shock the fans.
“Like everything we do, I’m a big proponent of collaboration. I want all the ideas on the table, to throw them out there, look at all of them, and start having conversations around—what is the best thing? Then, we start thinking: Out of those ideas, how can we tear them up and go in a completely different direction that nobody will see coming?“
“It’s hard to think of something nobody sees—because nobody sees it. That includes you when you’re doing it. But at some point, the germs of an idea come in, and you start asking, What if? It begins to percolate.”
“I’m fortunate in this timeframe to have some of the greatest minds to work with. Dwayne and I have been working together for almost 30 years in some capacity. Here, anyway. He has always been an epic storyteller, an epic guy to step outside the box and say, Let’s do something different. How can we blow this up and change expectations? How can we make this something no one has ever seen before?“
“It’s easy to say, I saw this once, let’s do that. But going into uncharted waters—trying something never done before, or done in a completely different way—things people won’t see coming… that’s the challenge. That’s what makes it different. You need everybody’s ideas and thought processes. It starts with a bunch of people coming up with great ideas to entertain our fans, lead them in one direction, and then trick them by going in another.”
Triple H: Nobody Saw John Cena’s Heel Turn Coming
Continuing, Triple H explained how he loved John Cena’s heel turn because it wasn’t leaked anywhere and absolutely nobody saw it coming.
“People are pretty savvy. They tune into a lot of what we do and can sense things coming. That’s why we get upset when we see spoilers and leaks. Half the things that get leaked are wrong, but when the right ones get out, it drives you nuts,” Triple H said.
“The one thing I loved about tonight? It was nowhere. Nowhere. Because nobody knew. And when I say nobody knew, I mean nobody. Before the Elimination Chamber, I had to tell the truck, I have all the traffic, because nobody knew what was coming. It was a very tight circle of people.”
“We’re just trying to entertain people in a way that’s amazing, next-level, and completely unexpected. I hate when people go see a movie and tell everyone the ending. Don’t tell me. Please.“
Where does it start? Oh, I love this. He manufactures goosebumps when he comes out. And I think there’s a group internally at WWE—talent and everyone—that thinks the same way. They want this to be epic. We start there, and it escalates. It’s a team effort. And I’m proud of that,” Triple H added.
