Triple H May Be Lying To Himself About Internet Wrestling Fans

The internet can be a wild place for every fanbase, whether that be TV, music, or, in this case, professional wrestling. Tribalism, toxicity, and abuse are rife, but so is constructive feedback, passionate fans, and praise. The Chief Content Officer of WWE, Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, has come under some fire in recent months due to the underwhelming build to WrestleMania 41, so he has decided to take aim at those offering feedback and negative reviews. However, Triple H could very well be lying to himself when it comes to this topic, and he may be in denial about the quality of the current state of WWE programming. We will take a look at Triple H’s comments and why they may be misplaced.

Triple H Has Told Fans To Stop Being Critics

Triple H Used Some Colorful Language When Slamming Wrestling Fans

• WWE’s Chief Content Officer cursed fans who criticize WWE.
• Triple H made a ridiculous analogy about watching movies.
• He wasn’t happy about fans offering up criticisms of WWE.

WWE would like to tell you that the audience is the most important aspect of the company, with Triple H himself often touting the reactions to wrestlers, merchandise sales, and more as a big part of how he knows if something is working or not working. However, he doesn’t have this same energy for “online fans”, and those who don’t attend weekly shows (which is becoming harder to do with WWE’s steep increase in pricing). In fact, Triple H has developed somewhat of a vitriol towards pretty much anyone who takes any time out of their day to even lightly criticize the current WWE product. Speaking with Peter Rosenberg, Triple H used expletives when discussing what he’d say to the fans who give their opinion online.

“This will sound offensive to every critic out there. I wish I could tell people f*** off for being a critic. Be a fan. Go watch this and be a fan.” (h/t WrestlingNews.co)

He went on to explain that if you went to watch a movie, you go as a fan and you have one opinion. However, if you’re asked to provide a one-page review, he says you’d watch it differently, and it ruins it for people. There are a good chunk of people who watch TV shows and movies, and enjoy reviewing and giving their opinion, offering constructive feedback. Sometimes, they don’t enjoy something, but that doesn’t mean they should just up and “be a fan”. Triple H seems to think that the consumption of WWE programming and opinions on it are a black and white topic, but that is very much not the case.

WWE Fans Should Be Allowed To Share Their Opinions

As Long As It Isn’t Abusive, WWE Fans Sharing Their Thoughts Should Be Encouraged

• WWE should welcome online criticism.
• Alienating parts of the fanbase should not be WWE’s go-to angle.
• Ignoring fans is part of why many needed an alternative with AEW.

Triple H is the central face of upper WWE management right now, along with Nick Khan, and for him to make the statement that fans shouldn’t be critics and shouldn’t be sharing their reviews on shows and opinions is simply ridiculous. The WWE audience, like the audience and fanbase of any media, should be allowed and able to say what they want about the product, whether they like it or not. Many professional wrestling fans have seen the heights of the Attitude Era and Monday Night Wars, the first few years of AEW, and even WWE between 2022 and 2024, and have appreciated just how good pro wrestling can be when there is care and consideration taken into the booking. WWE’s last six months have been lessening in overall quality, and the audience shouldn’t be damned for declaring their desire for it to be better.

These fans have high standards because WWE is, on paper, supposed to be the pinnacle of sports entertainment and professional wrestling, so it isn’t out of order for anyone to claim to want the best product possible. Triple H will turn fans away if he continues down the route of not just alienating fans who have shared reviews, reports or criticisms, but making them the bad guys too. Expecting everyone to just shut up and enjoy it regardless of the quality is illogical and a laughable company line for WWE to be sharing. WWE claims to “listen to the fans”, but Triple H is now saying that he essentially only listens to those who can afford to go to the shows and respond well to what he books.

Triple H Is In Denial, And This Is Not A Good Look

It Feels As Though Triple H Cannot Take Criticism

• No wrestling bookers are infallible.
• Every wrestling company makes mistakes and books questionable storylines.
• Triple H should appreciate different opinions to improve the product.

Everything about Triple H’s latest remarks about fans both in his interview with Peter Rosenberg and with Andrew Schulz on the FLAGRANT podcast, where he stated that the internet is not real, screams of him not being able to take criticism. For Triple H to state that the internet is not real, but at the same time constantly tout WWE’s success on social media, views, impressions, and more, is contradictory to say the least. The Road to WrestleMania 41 has been objectively poor given WWE’s recent standards, but instead of taking on board this sentiment and working to improve, Triple H is doubling down and calling everyone else wrong. This is an ironic development too, considering a report from Mike Johnson of PWInsider last year revealed that Triple H was always on social media seeing the opinions shared by the online fanbase. It is another hint that despite a change in ownership, WWE is still WWE, and that may never change.

WWE’s media train in recent weeks and months has been questionable to say the least, with many shots taken at AEW and Tony Khan just as the competition is beginning to build some momentum again. In addition, there have been shots at the fans who just want to see better content on TV instead of, for instance, CM Punk being handed a token WrestleMania main event, the badass Rhea Ripley turning into a whining sore loser, or the impressive SmackDown tag team division being snubbed from WrestleMania. But hey, anyone saying any of that will be told to “f*** off” by the creative lead of WWE, and you should just shut up, smile, and enjoy it, even if you don’t like what you’re seeing.