Triple H is back atop the mountain of WWE for the first time in 6 1/2 years after winning the Royal Rumble on January 24. However, the news the next night that the Fastlane main event is a triple threat #1 contender's match amongst Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns (the last two men eliminated in the Rumble), & Brock Lesnar tells a completely different story.
During his first 13 title reigns (1999-2009), Triple H was, in fact, a fighting champion. This would also include a couple of IC title runs and a pair of tag team title runs (1 each with Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels). He was doing what a champion of a promotion was supposed to do. Lead by example, and defend his title every night.
Now, in a dual role as wrestler and executive, and having to be a ventriloquist dummy for his nutcase of a father-in-law in the latter role on television, and being a parent on top of that, Triple H is being asked to be the standard bearer for WWE in the short term because 1) Vince McMahon is a deranged lunatic and can't drop the heel administrator gimmick, no matter how stale, and 2) he's actually now considered a part-time wrestler, a la Lesnar and The Rock. We all know he'll drop the title at Wrestlemania, but common sense says that he should do so at Fastlane. Period.
Look, I get that he's older now (he'll be 47 in July), and is more focused on his pet project, NXT, plus his family and office responsibilities, but at the same time, this is no time to be shirking the responsibilities of being the champion. It's one thing to let Lesnar get away with it because of the nature of his contract, but when you're a full-time company employee being asked to carry the ball for 2-2 1/2 months, it's different. You're being asked to further betray the NXT fans who've grown to love and respect you for what you've accomplished up to this point. Not only that, but you're also betraying the NXT talent (i.e. Kevin Owens, Charlotte, Paige, et al) who've been called up the last couple of years after they'd seen you as a good shepherd, only to share a locker room and find you have to be something you hoped you wouldn't have to be ever again. The sly prankster of the 2006-9 DX era is the one we want to see, not the 40-something puppet put before us now.
Hopefully, when reality sets in after dropping the title back to Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania, Hunter should find it within himself to tell Vince to just stop the nonsense, and close the books on the Attitude Era once and for all. Hunter & Stephanie should be running the show now, not a 70 year old who puts on the act of being prematurely senile in front of the cameras. The worst case scenario that Vince won't enact should be done anyway, and that includes the endgame of Vincent Kennedy McMahon being sent out of an arena in a straitjacket and packed off to a mental hospital. That's the only way to end "Mr. McMahon", and it's up to the "Cerebral Assassin" to make it happen. Before he loses his own mind.
