Rock v Triple H is a battle the WWE needs

Standing as one of the biggest stars to emerge from the famous ‘attitude era’ in the WWE, Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, has forged a successful career in Hollywood and has set the path to stardom for many other WWE athletes.

Starring in the Fast & Furious franchise, Disney’s Moana and Baywatch, alongside many others, The Rock is the flag bearer in Hollywood for the WWE- but he still has close ties to his wrestling roots.

In recent months, The Rock has been heavily linked with another dramatic return to the ring and he’s spoken recently about his desire to wrestle Triple H- another one of the most successful wrestlers from the recent WWE era.

Triple H himself has also spoken about the possibility of returning to the ring to tackle Johnson, which would likely be his last fight in the WWE, and it’s now down to the governing body to make it happen- as it would be the showcase event of the year.

The history

Triple H and The Rock go way back, all the way to their days with The Nation of Domination and D-Generation X, with both then establishing themselves amongst the greatest wrestlers of their era.

Between them, The Rock and Triple H have an incredible 41 WWE belts to their name, with Johnson having 17 and Triple H having 24, so they stand as two of the most successful people in the sport’s history.

Getting these two together in the ring again would certainly raise plenty of talk and it would crucially bring the sport back to one of it’s greatest ever eras, helping for the WWE to build a new period of dominance and to establish itself back near the top of sports entertainment.

It’s no secret that the viewership of the WWE, and Raw in particular, has regularly dropped to record-low levels. Economically, hosting Wrestlemania provides a major boost to the host city but the viewership is significantly lower when compared to the likes of the Super Bowl.

Headline performances

The WWE, as a weekly event throughout the calendar year, also has to battle to keep people interested in a sport that commands such heavy attention. Unlike other sports like the NFL and soccer, highlights packages aren’t as easy to make and the editing doesn’t flow together as efficiently.

The showcase events held throughout the year, which include the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania, continue to attract a host of attention but many will argue that there is too many of these events held on an annual basis.

This year, 21 pay-per-view events are on the WWE calendar and that’s staggering considering there is 52 weeks in a year. That means that every few weeks there is a pay-per-view event and, as the name suggests, viewers have to pay to tune in.

Viewers have to consider whether it’s worth tuning in and, on a lot of occasions, the answer may well be no. Wrestlemania, Summerslam and the Royal Rumble will always attract high viewing figures but the other minor events will attract less, as will the weekly shows.

The Rock v Triple H lure

With a match like The Rock v Triple H, viewers will flock to tune in regardless of where the match is scheduled. In all likelihood, a clash would take place at one of the major pay-per-view events but that can also provide a lure to the sport in general. Online bookmakers are also watching with interest, especially with the recent popularity of the Mayweather vs McGregor.

Former viewers who lost interest in the WWE may return, and see their love for the sport reignited, which will provide the WWE with a crucial boost. As well as attracting new viewers, the WWE faces a challenge to retain them- especially as following the sport commands so much free time.

Of course, just tuning in for the pay-per-view events is an option and so is just following the weekly shows. It will always be the pay-per-view events that keep the WWE flowing but a boost in finances is always welcome, particularly in an age where the demand for space on our screens is more ferocious than ever.

Whether the WWE likes it or not, they will always be compared to the NFL, NHL and other adored American sports and it will take a showcase event like The Rock v Triple H to help keep the sport in the equation.