“His Dwayne the Rock Johnson Moment”: Triple H’s Name Change on Smackdown 2/9 Draws Viral Reactions

Tonight’s edition of Friday Night SmackDown from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, saw the appearance of Triple H. General managers Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce joined the COO of the company inside the ring. The king of kings assured the fans about his decision for WrestleMania XL after what happened yesterday.

And while his segment caught the audience’s attention, there was another thing that piqued their interest. What was it? Well, Triple H wasn’t addressed as Triple H, but by his real name instead. Didn’t it break the rules of gimmicks? Let’s dig in deeper, shall we?

Triple H is all corporate now

In tonight’s edition of SmackDown, the king of kings mentioned how he believes a lot of people in WWE don’t know their role, and they try to use an authority that doesn’t belong to them. However, he firmly stated that he was the one making the decisions. This was a subtle dig at the Rock. And this corporate style of dominance was set in motion as he made his entrance with the name card reading “Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque.”

And this now makes sense since Triple H is no longer a wrestler but has fully incorporated himself into the position of COO. Ever since the resignation of Vince McMahon, he seems to be only focused on running the company rather than being a part of it as an active superstar. And this seemed to be the general consensus about the decision as fans chimed in with their thoughts.

The change surely didn’t go unnoticed

As soon as the segment ran, fans were quick to point out the change and share their thoughts on it. With many fans understanding that this isn’t about kayfabe anymore, but a necessity of time since running the company has become the first priority now in the Game’s life. Here are some of the reactions:

A fan believed that it was because Triple H is more than just a wrestler, but an icon instead.

His “Dwayne ‘the Rock’s Johnson” moment, tho “the game” would fit best

However, many believed that it wasn’t about being an icon but more in line with his corporate role.

Because he’s the head of a company.

Hes no longer a wrestler, so fitting.

He’s corporate, so it makes sense.

This has been a thing for a while….. You can’t be high up in a company as big as WWE and refer to yourself as HHH. It is just a professional standpoint…

Triple H reconfirmed that Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns will happen at WrestleMania XL despite “some backstage” disagreeing. Levesque took part in the most tense moment of the WrestleMania XL Kickoff. The Rock made an appearance to officially challenge Roman Reigns, but both were interrupted by Cody Rhodes. The scene ended with The Rock slapping Cody Rhodes for messing with his family and with both being separated by WWE authorities, including Triple H.

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The COO himself was in charge of confirming the match between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns for the Undisputed Universal Championship at WrestleMania. So it is likely that he will be the one in charge of giving continuity to that story.

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