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Paul “Triple H” Levesque Offers Inside Look At WWE Storytelling

“Book what people want to feel and see”

Justin Barrasso

Paul “Triple H” Levesque Offers Inside Look At WWE Storytelling
Paul “Triple H” Levesque Offers Inside Look At WWE Storytelling /

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“Book what people want to feel and see”

Paul “Triple H” Levesque embeds a human element in his storytelling.

As WWE’s Head of Creative, Levesque is in the midst of an especially strong stretch of booking Raw and SmackDown. He has integrated multiple storylines into this Saturday’s WarGames matches at Survivor Series, but also has stories for talent outside off the card and away from the title picture.

Contents

  1. The (Online) Week in Wrestling
  2. Injury angles are complicated
  3. IG Post of the Week

The product of a long, storied career, Levesque had a 25-year run in WWE where he was often at the very top of the company. Yet there were also stretches where he operated far away from the main event, back when he was hungry just to consistently appear on the card.

“I started at zero and saw all the various stages of it,” said Levesque. “I’ve worked in front of basically no people, and I’ve worked the biggest shows in the world. I understand the process–the successes and the failures. Even when you get an opportunity to move up the card, then you’re moved back down and you’re not sure if you’re going to get that opportunity again–I’ve been there.”

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Surrounded by a legion of writers and thinkers, Levesque is now in a position where he has been emboldened by parent company Endeavor to lead WWE creative. This means there is less interference from Vince McMahon, which is not to imply McMahon is entirely removed from the process. After parts of five decades spent as the company’s be-all, end-all, McMahon’s fingerprints remain all across the company.

“Vince taught me years ago, you put yourself in the seats and you’ll never go wrong,” said Levesque. “You’ve always got to maintain that perspective. I started out as a fan. Book what people want to feel and see.”

Courtesy WWE
Courtesy WWE

Levesque revealed his creative philosophy, sharing that his goal is to make people think and feel in every story.

“Writing this stuff is a feel,” said Levesque. “You can analyze stories and how they come together, but how does it make you feel? If you can make people feel those stories, they’re going to be invested in the product. That’s how we try to approach, find that ultimate emotional place for the talent and the characters and the stories they’re in.”

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Respect for the fan base is also visible in Levesque’s creative approach. As someone who grew up relishing the chance to watch pro wrestling, he has a deep understanding of the importance of giving back to the fan base.

“We don’t take our fan base for granted,” said Levesque. “And the way our talent operates is different from other generations. They want to go out there and put on the best possible show they can.

“A lot of these kids are already invested–they grew up wanting to do this. And if they didn’t, they fell in love with it by learning from people who grew up wanting to be in this business, and that’s how they learned the respect for it. To me, that’s what makes you successful. That connection with our fan base, that’s a big part of our core.”

The (Online) Week in Wrestling

  • After wrestling his last match in May of 2022, Randy Orton will make his return to WWE this Saturday at Survivor Series, joining Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Jey Uso, and Sami Zayn in their WarGames match against Judgment Day.
  • The Continental Classic begins tonight on Dynamite, a 12-man round-robin tournament that will feature Bryan Danielson.
  • Ronda Rousey made her Ring of Honor debut this past Friday night. One night prior, at Wrestling Revolver’s Unreal show, Rousey teamed with Marina Shafir to wrestle Athena and Billie Starkz–all of whom are under AEW contract. She came to an agreement with Tony Khan to work the ROH taping and continue the feud, but would she have been better off saving her wrestling return for a far bigger moment?
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MJF on Will Ospreay: ‘He’s not the complete package’

  • Santos Escobar, who wrestles Carlito on Saturday at Survivor Series, took another step in his heel turn this past week on SmackDown.

Injury angles are complicated

This past Saturday at AEW’s Full Gear pay-per-view, the main event was built around a storyline injury.

MJF was attacked at the end of the pre-show, which led to a temporary removal from the main event, where he was replaced by Adam Cole. Beyond the fact it made no sense that for Cole to defend the title in place of an injured MJF, that turned out to be a moot point. Just as the world title match was set to begin, MJF arrived back at the arena. Driving a stolen ambulance, he ensured that the match would take place. He then wrestled a superb match against “Switchblade” Jay White, overcoming the knee/quad injury and winning just before the 30-minute mark.

MJF was “injured” by The Gunns on the pre-show / Courtesy AEW
... then wrestled an outstanding 29-minute match in the main event
... then wrestled an outstanding 29-minute match in the main event / Courtesy AEW

Injury angles are complex. If someone is actually hurt and continues to wrestle, it can lead to exceptionally compelling moments. The image of a bloodied, injured Becky Lynch in 2018 elevated “The Man” to entirely new heights. But it is very hard to manufacture such an organic moment.

The push to make MJF a beloved babyface is in full gear, but that will ultimately be the result of patience and time. The best babyfaces make their connection organically, and no injury storyline can advance that timeline.

IG Post of the Week

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Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Published
Justin Barrasso
JUSTIN BARRASSO

Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.

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