Sure, he’s been at the helm of the company for some time, but 2025 feels like the start of Triple H’s tenure. The new year adjustments are bound to be larger than usual this time around. The last year was but a prelude to the creation he wants to unleash onto the professional wrestling industry. Alongside him, his friend and collaborator Shawn Michaels runs the NXT developmental brand.
Their new era can and should be better than the last and even this year-long preface. There are four major New Year Changes for WWE that Triple H and Shawn Michaels should strongly consider implementing.
New Year Changes for WWE to Incorporate WWE ID Prospects
The WWE ID program is one of the most interesting developments of 2024. Commenters online universally panned it, while wrestlers praised it. Neither side felt silly for the massive gulf in opinion because the details are pretty scarce. The facts that are known are that several wrestling schools are now WWE-affiliated, and wrestlers are considered “prospects.”
Nothing else has been made clear as of yet. The lack of clarity to this point doesn’t need to be a problem but rather an opportunity. The character development vignettes have been great, but in 2025, the WWE creative team can really lean in.
. @JacksonDrake03 takes the road less traveled#WWEID #ChallengeID pic.twitter.com/kenLO33643
— WWE ID (@WWEID) December 30, 2024
As the schools continue to train prospects, WWE should start filming matches and pre or post-match interviews with the ID participants. The prospects are being sold on the idea of more exposure and support, similar to the NIL program for college athletes.
The gimmick videos are fine, but if these guys are the future of the company, then I would like to see them talk about that opportunity authentically.
Triple H and Shawn Michaels should also meet with some of these top prospects or send Superstars on their behalf. Those promo opportunities will help fans find people they enjoy and see them interact with established stars even as they develop.
Take Bigger Risks when Booking NXT Shows
NXT has been a lot of fun to watch recently, and Shawn Michaels has managed to make the show feel uniquely his own. Not everyone loves the new direction, but it has yielded positive ratings results.
One of the major issues cited by his detractors is that most of the stories are rudimentary re-runs of well-known stories, especially his own.
The adage is that you shouldn’t fix something that isn’t broken. To kick it to the next gear in the new year, Shawn needs to look at his talented roster and start to make some decisions that diverge from the standard formula he used to perform under.
Trick Williams and Roxanne Perez have been stellar tentpoles for NXT. Bron Breakker, before Trick, was also asked to do the same thing. That model, though, is prone to issues.
NXT picks a champion and runs through challengers until their next final boss like Carmelo Hayes was. NXT hasn’t had a crowded main event scene in some time. Stars like Lexis King, Je’Veon Evans, Sol Ruca, and Lola Vice should be catapulted to the top of their divisions, along with others. That is how you improve a product with solid fundamentals.
Set the Scene for Smackdown Post-Bloodline
Unlike HBK, Triple H is very loose about who can or can’t join the top of the card. Plenty of feuds without the title still feel like big fights for the WWE Universe to consume. The biggest, though, is The Bloodline Saga.
That journey will almost certainly come to an end, at least with how we know it. Looking at Smackdown outside of that story, though, the show has been lacking. Even their top champion can’t maintain the show’s interest levels.
Life after The Bloodline seems like a foreign concept mostly. Nobody really knows what the individual players will do that eventually happens.
Most of the roster has worked with The Bloodline at some point, but Triple H needs to assume that all of his Samoan superstars will be away at some point. Now is the time to try the new stars and dust off the veterans sitting backstage without a clear purpose.
Sheamus can have another run at the top, and LA Knight can win his first WWE World title. Bloodline antics are the majority of Smackdown’s product and it is working wonderfully for everyone involved.
In 2025, it is time to create and set up the primary stories for at least the next few years.
Make Use of Brands, Drafts, and the Transfer Portal.
The introduction of a Transfer Portal hasn’t made a massive change to the shows yet; they won’t really happen until January 6th on Netflix, a major one of the new year changes for WWE. To date, only one start has declared a move. Others are likely moving soon. When that day comes, the portal should be a pointed part of the presentation.
Frankly, Triple H and HBK need to explain this deal to everyone at home. The brand split should matter, and each show should feel different in some ways. Likewise, somebody moving from one to the other or to NXT needs to be shared as an anomaly. The rarer they use it, the better the impact will be.
The draft should also be changed so that talent can transfer at specific points. Raw and Smackdown should exclusively be drafted from among free agents and NXT. NXT can take signed WWE ID stars who are not yet on TV and bring them into the creative plans.
The portal is one of the more unique storyline pieces at WWE’s disposal. Getting guys like CM Punk to work for more Hollywood executives is a bad use of the gimmick. A return to brand loyalty could be good for WWE. ID prospects are all fighting for TV time on NXT.
Veteran stars can make a point about wanting to be drafted to a specific place. Going undrafted leads to a possible fresh start on NXT. Shawn and Triple H can create a process and lore that exists between brands, making the people mean more to fans.
Any Chance of New Year Changes for WWE programming?
Most people would admit that an awful lot of new year ideas don’t make it past January 5th or so. It can be hard to make a change, even harder if the thing you’re doing is working to some extent.
The current state of WWE is strong, yet it still feels unstable. Some of that was the chaos of the previous administration, but some stems from the fluidity of Triple H and Shawn Michael’s creative decisions. Both men have extraordinary minds that can change the landscape of wrestling.
That is why we should be hopeful as fans that they will make changes and avoid complacency. WWE needs to use these talented minds to keep up with the “ESPN” modern athletics space with targeted changes to the content presentation.
The shows themselves are quite popular; Triple H and Michaels have mastered that. If they focus hard on realism in between the shows, it will be a significant change. It will also mean more crowds, more collaborations, and more currency in every country around the world.
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