WWE fans have been debating the quality of the company’s programming for a long time, especially after the return of Vince McMahon as the head of creative in April 2023. Many fans and wrestlers preferred the style and direction of Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who was in charge of WWE’s content from July 2022 to March 2023. But did Triple H’s era actually coincide with better business results for WWE? A recent analysis by Wrestlenomics suggests that it did.

Wrestlenomics compared the television ratings and live attendance for WWE’s shows under Triple H and Vince McMahon for the same eight-month period a year apart. The results showed that WWE’s fan-driven metrics improved under Triple H’s regime in both categories.

According to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, RAW averaged 1.80 million viewers each week under Triple H, up 4% from McMahon a year prior. SmackDown, on the other hand, averaged 2.28 million viewers under Triple H, up 6% from McMahon, who had 2.14 million viewers on average.

Live ticket sales were even more impressive for Triple H’s era. RAW averaged 8,463 tickets under Triple H, a 25% increase from Vince’s 6,787 tickets. SmackDown averaged 8,555 tickets under Triple H, a 14% increase from Vince’s 7,532 tickets.

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These numbers suggest that WWE’s fan interest was higher and more consistent under Triple’s creative direction when compared to Vince McMahon’s. Triple H brought back various wrestlers who had been cut by the previous regime, such as Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman, and reduced the last-minute changes that were common under McMahon.

However, Vince McMahon returned to his role as the leader of WWE’s creative team after WrestleMania 39 in April 2023. Many fans and wrestlers fear that Vince’s return will reverse the positive changes that Triple H made and bring back the frustration and stagnation that plagued WWE before. Stay tuned to Ringside News as we bring you similar stories.

What are your thoughts on the difference between Triple H’s and Vince McMahon’s creative direction for WWE? Do you think Triple H’s era was better for the company and the fans? Sound off in the comments!

Sunil Joseph

Passionate pro wrestling fan. Sunil has been writing WWE content writing for over the last five years. Sunil still gets excited when he gets to tell people that he gets paid to watch pro wrestling.

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