5 WWE Stars Who Have Lost the Most from Triple H’s Reign as Head of Creative
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Bobby Lashley and Austin Theory have both fallen far from where they were just two years ago. Credit: WWE.com
A vast majority of WWE talent have benefited from Triple H taking control of the company’s creative direction two years ago and the wealth of opportunities that have come with the regime change.
Call-ups from NXT have had more of a seamless transition to the main roster, and active members of the Raw and SmackDown rosters who were once floundering are now being given a chance to show what they can do and live up to their full potential.
LA Knight, The Judgment Day and Gunther have all seen their stock skyrocket with The Game at the helm. Others, though, have experienced a reversal of fortune compared to where they once were on the card.
Although not everyone can be pushed simultaneously and WWE’s roster is more stacked than ever before, the de-emphasizing of certain stars has been painfully apparent.
Vince McMahon’s former pet projects have specifically suffered from his departure, with many of them (Maximum Male Models, Lacey Evans, Veer Mahaan, Riddick Moss) since being released.
The following five Superstars have lost the most from Triple H’s reign as WWE head of creative.
Omos
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Despite never wrestling a single televised match prior to joining WWE’s main roster in late 2020, Omos was featured fairly prominently on Raw, first as a bodyguard for AJ Styles and then as an in-ring competitor.
MVP being paired with Omos as his mouthpiece following WrestleMania 38 seemed to indicate that the powers-that-be at the time were hopeful he’d pan out as a top heel. However, his television time quickly dwindled once Triple H took over.
He had solid showings at Crown Jewel 2022 against Braun Strowman and at WrestleMania 39 against Brock Lesnar, but his on-screen appearances were few and far between otherwise. His last three televised matches were unsuccessful efforts in the 2023 SummerSlam Battle Royal, the 2024 men’s Royal Rumble match and the 2024 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
The former tag team champion going undrafted both in 2023 and 2024 weren’t exactly encouraging signs for his future.
Omos comes across as an incredibly likeable personality on social media, but WWE has yet to tap into that in any way on television. MVP’s recent exit means he’s again on his own.
So, if there was ever an opportunity to experiment with him as a babyface, it would be now.
Baron Corbin
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Baron Corbin’s complete character overhaul in the last year deserves serious praise.
The former United States champion took his talents back to NXT after going undrafted in the spring of 2023 and did some of the strongest work of his entire career.
His popular tandem with Bron Breakker was abruptly broken up in April so he could return to SmackDown via the 2024 draft, only to spin his wheels in an alliance with Apollo Crews.
Prior to his return run in NXT, Corbin had reached an all-time low on the main roster. His pairing with JBL amounted to nothing, his booking was abysmal and his crowd reactions were nearly nonexistent.
Revitalizing his career with the gold brand was the smartest thing he could have done, but WWE hasn’t capitalized on his newfound popularity whatsoever.
Corbin was a constant on WWE TV from 2016 through early 2022, and while a lot of what he was involved in wasn’t great, it was through no fault of his own. His current character can be a valuable asset, but Triple H has to find the right role for him on SmackDown.
Bobby Lashley
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With Bobby Lashley reportedly on his way out of WWE, it’s clear Triple H didn’t utilize him as well as he should have.
That isn’t to say The All Mighty was always booked as a top star under Vince McMahon. He was criminally wasted during his first few years back in WWE, and it wasn’t until The Hurt Business formed that he finally hit his stride and enjoyed a dominant six-month run as United States champion.
That led to his first-ever reign as WWE champion soon after, a spot he excelled in.
Lashley had a solid first half of 2022 by beating Brock Lesnar to reclaim the WWE Championship for a brief period and winning his rivalry with Omos, but he was much less of a focal point once Triple H took over as head of creative.
His hot feud with Lesnar never had a proper payoff and he was left off WrestleMania 39 despite just winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. His heel stable with The Street Profits had promise, but WWE had to pivot once the audience treated them as babyfaces.
Lashley has belonged back at the main event level the last two years but has instead been relegated to midcard mediocrity. Thus, his decision to depart WWE once his contract expires shouldn’t be surprising.
Shinsuke Nakamura
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Triple H was responsible for signing Shinsuke Nakamura to an NXT contract in 2016 and booking him as a top star from the get-go. His popularity translated to the main roster once he was called up in 2017, and he captured several titles in the years that followed.
Oddly enough, though, Nakamura was a bigger priority in the McMahon-run WWE than he has been in the Triple H era so far.
His 2022 was largely lackluster, and following a five-month hiatus from television, he resurfaced in the spring of 2023 for feuds with Karrion Kross and Bronson Reed. Neither program was overly interesting, though.
Turning heel and challenging Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship that fall gave him a new lease of life, but his back-to-back losses to The Visionary at Payback and Fastlane cemented his spot as a stepping stone on the Raw roster.
His subsequent rivalry with Cody Rhodes had a similar outcome. He was drafted to SmackDown in April but has yet to make a single appearance on the blue brand.
Unless The King of Strong Style is injured, there’s no excuse not to use him in some capacity.
Austin Theory
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Austin Theory winning the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match in July 2022 was perhaps the final major booking decision made by McMahon before he was ousted from power in WWE shortly thereafter.
Unfortunately for Theory, he has not reached those same heights since then.
Triple H sent the message that he didn’t see A-Town in the same light McMahon did at that point. His run as Mr. Money in the Bank was filled with losses and culminated in him cashing in unsuccessfully that November.
Granted, he went on to hold the U.S. title for nine months, but little about his reign was actually memorable. He managed to defeat John Cena to retain the belt at WrestleMania 39, but WWE failed to elevate him in the immediate aftermath.
He subsequently settled into a tag team with Grayson Waller, and at WrestleMania 40, they clinched the WWE Tag Team Championship. It’s possible Theory eventually rebounds as a singles star, but it’s difficult to envision him getting beyond a certain level with all the damage that’s been done.
As such, he may never amount to world title glory the way he would he have if McMahon was still calling the shots creatively.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham “GSM” Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
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