Triple H: ‘Fans ruin their own stuff half the time’

With Aleister Black and Andrade both being released by WWE over the last few months, the glaring disconnect between wrestler pushes on NXT compared to main roster WWE is once again front of mind.

On a media call ahead of this weekend’s NXT TakeOver: In Your House event, Triple H was asked about his thoughts on top NXT wrestlers being misused on the main roster over the last couple years. While responding to the question, Triple H decided to blame the fans for thinking too much:

“It’s a funny thing to me sometimes that in our business, everybody is so worried about where people are going to go or land or how is this going to play out long-term in the future.

How about watch it? Do you like it, or do you not like it? Do you have to say, ‘Oh I like it, but I like this other thing more.’ Or, ‘I like it, but I don’t like it as much as I like that one.’ Like, just watch it or don’t. You know?

And stop trying to figure out where everything goes. Fans ruin their own stuff half the time trying to figure out where everything goes and why it’s going there and how, and then trying to pick up their phone and go search for the thing to find out what it is that can ruin it for them so they’re not surprised when it happens. I don’t understand that.”

See that, it’s really easy to not be disappointed or frustrated in how a wrestler is booked on the main roster compared to NXT. Just turn your brain off. Stop asking questions or being curious about what you are seeing. Real wrestling fans would never try to compare things on one wrestling show to another. That’s just silly.

Keep Triple H’s words in mind the next time you are greatly disappointed when you watch Shayna Baszler being terrified by a stupid doll in the closing segment of Raw. Just remember, it’s not WWE’s fault for airing one of the worst endings in the history of the show. No, it’s your fault for remembering that Shayna Baszler is a legit shoot fighting badass who dominated NXT as its champion during a very lengthy reign on top. It’s your fault for wondering why WWE would decide to book Shayna Baszler to lose by simple roll ups so often on television after she was nearly invincible in NXT. It’s your fault for comparing main roster Baszler to NXT Baszler. It’s your fault for expecting logic and consistency from pro wrestling.

To be fair, Triple H says that fans ruin their own stuff half the time, so I guess that leaves the door open for WWE to ruin it the other half of the time.

The truth of the matter is that there is no single correct way to be a fan. For some fans, that curiosity about where things are going, or why things are where they are now, is a driving force that amplifies their interest in pro wrestling. For other fans, they enjoy pro wrestling more by just looking at what’s presented on television and not scrutinizing many details beyond that. And there are other ways to be a fan in addition to those two options.

The bottom line is that no matter how you consume your pro wrestling, it’s bizarre for Triple H to blame you for being frustrated when an NXT star struggles on the main roster compared to NXT. The whole point of pro wrestling is to get you invested in characters and stories. So it’s completely rational to be disappointed by how things often turn out poorly for your favorite NXT stars once they reach the main roster.

What do you make of Triple H’s comments, Cagesiders?