Paul “Triple H” Levesque does not have a settled answer on how many house shows WWE should be running, and he said so plainly.
WWE brought domestic house shows back this summer after largely doing away with them, with the aim of getting the roster more in-ring repetitions, particularly the younger talent called up over the past year. Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Levesque laid out the tension the company is working through.
“It’s a tough mix of… the live events are so important for getting the reps and moving things forward. It’s why we’re making a concerted effort to, especially in NXT even, just to get them more reps.”
The counterweight is what the schedule costs physically.
“There comes a time when the physicality has increased so much in our business that you’re trying to draw this line between, ‘Well, are guys being on the road all the time, is that beneficial to their development or is that just putting mileage on them?’ I think it’s the argument in football, right? Like, ‘Do we practice full contact? Do we put pads on in practice and play the game or do we walk through it and do the movements and is that really teaching them football?'”
He did not land on a conclusion.
“Man, this is a dilemma and I don’t know the answer. I think they shouldn’t go away totally. I’m old-school.”
Levesque reflected on how much of his own education came from the road, driving between towns with the other members of The Kliq, a group he described as obsessed with wrestling and permanently talking about it.
On the people behind the scenes
Levesque also spoke about the producers and coaches WWE has working with talent now, and said he hopes some of the current roster ends up doing the same job.
“One of the things that I think is cool, you have a generation behind the scenes that wants to give back. Me, Taker, Shawn. You have guys like Bobby Roode, Michael Hayes that are looking to pass on that knowledge to others. And I think that’s amazing.”
He named himself, The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels among that group, and said his current role is no less fulfilling than his in-ring career was.
WWE’s next house show is in Springfield, Illinois on Thursday, ahead of SummerSlam. CM Punk and Cody Rhodes against Gunther and Sami Zayn is the advertised main event.
