After returning to his former position as Executive Vice President of Talent Relations a few days ago, Triple H has now become WWE's new Head of Creative.
The Game has expressed his admiration for some of WWE's current talent over the past few years. Hence, these WWE Superstars could receive more opportunities to showcase their abilities under his creative leadership. The Game could also find a way to utilize some of the directionless talents on the roster.
Here are eight current WWE Superstars the new Head of Creative Triple H is a fan of.
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#8. Ciampa
For about seven years, Ciampa was one of NXT's top stars. The 37-year-old held the NXT Championship twice and the NXT Tag Team titles once. During his run on WWE's third brand, Ciampa developed a strong bond with Triple H.
The Game is a fan of Ciampa's work. The two even shared an emotional moment after the former NXT Champion competed in his last match on the developmental brand. As Ciampa headed backstage, he was surprised when Triple H came out to greet him on the entrance stage.
In an interview with BT Sport, Ciampa spoke about the emotional moment, disclosing that he and The Game have a close relationship:
"There's no one that means more to me and my career than him. So, and he knows that. We're very open with one another. So, it was extremely cool and a total surprise and it made the moment what it needed to be for me," he said. (H/T: Wrestling Inc.)
Earlier this year, Ciampa debuted on Monday Night RAW. Unfortunately, his character seemingly got lost in the shuffle. With Triple H leading the creative process, the former NXT Champion could now receive better opportunities.
#7. WWE RAW Women's Champion Bianca Belair
After spending about four years in NXT, Bianca Belair joined the main roster in 2020. She has since become one of the top female competitors in WWE, winning both the SmackDown and the RAW Women's Championships.
Since Belair joined Vince McMahon's company in 2016, Triple H has been a fan of her work. In an interview with The Ringer’s MackMania Podcast, the 33-year-old stated that The Game played a significant role in her success in WWE:
"He was like one of the first people that took a chance on me. He put me out there for the NXT universe to see me and to show who Bianca Belair is, and he was so much of an essential part of the progression and development of who is Bianca Belair is inside the ring, outside the ring. He was NXT. He was just so hands-on with everything," she explained. (H/T: Wrestling Inc.)
In another interview with Complex Unsanctioned, Belair also praised Triple H, disclosing that he once told her that she was born to be a wrestler:
"Oh definitely, there'd be no Bianca Belair without Triple H. I mean, he was such a huge part of the development of who I am in the ring. You know, he was the first person that believed in me, first person that put me on that stage and introduced me to the WWE Universe. He was the first person who pulled me aside after the Mae Young Classic and let me know that this is what I was born to do and gave me that confirmation that you’re walking in your purpose." (H/T: POST Wrestling)
Belair is currently active on Monday Night RAW, where she holds the brand's Women's Championship. The EST of WWE will now defend her title against Becky Lynch at SummerSlam.
#6. Pat McAfee
For over a year, Pat McAfee has been doing a tremendous job as a color commentator on SmackDown. Since 2020, he has also competed in a few matches.
Before McAfee went head-to-head against Theory at WrestleMania 38, Triple H showered him with praise in an interview with ESPN, calling the SmackDown commentator a "unique performer":
"Pat has performed in-ring for us before and just blew everybody's mind with how good he was at this. A little-known fact about Pat is that he really wanted to be in WWE. He went and bought himself a ring, threw it in his barn, and has been training in it for years. People don't give him credit for that because he wanted to do this. Pat's one of those unique performers that, when you talk about larger than life and building yourself up, he's got the gift of gab. Not many got what you guys have, right? You could do it and make yourself a household name just by that. You can back it up athletically and that's what matters in our world. Those two things." (H/T: Wrestling Inc.)
McAfee is currently feuding with Happy Corbin. The two will square off at SummerSlam next Saturday. Under Triple H's leadership as the new Head of Creative, the SmackDown commentator could receive more opportunities to wrestle in the future.
#5. Riddle
Since his main roster debut in June 2020, Riddle has been one of the fastest-rising stars in WWE. Over the past two years, he has held the United States Championship once and the RAW Tag Team titles twice alongside his RK-Bro partner Randy Orton.
Triple H has been a fan of Riddle for several years, as The Original Bro disclosed in an interview with ESPN in 2020:
"Honestly, with Triple H, amazing. I don't think we're like family but he's shown me videos of his kids imitating my entrance in their house during the quarantine. We jib-jab, we joke around. I think we both appreciate hard work in sports entertainment, we appreciate the business."(H/T: Wrestling News)
The Game also praised the former RAW Tag Team Champion while speaking to media members to promote NXT Takeover in 2020:
"Matt is an incredibly talented performer. He's very vocal. He has his own personality and his own viewpoints on things. That's a great thing," Triple H said. (H/T: The Sportster)
Riddle is currently active on Monday Night RAW. The 36-year-old will go one-on-one against Seth Freakin' Rollins at SummerSlam.
#4. WWE SmackDown Women's Champion Liv Morgan
In 2014, Liv Morgan signed with Vince McMahon's company. Although she was only 20 years old at the time with no previous wrestling experience, Triple H believed she would become a star in WWE.
During a recent episode of his Armstrong Avenue podcast, former WWE referee Scott Armstrong disclosed that Triple H had been a fan of Morgan since day one:
"I know for a fact that Liv Morgan has worked. I mean, I, I knew her when she was at NXT, just getting her foot in the door. And it was like, I mean, I remember saying the words to Hunter saying, 'is this little girl old enough to be on the TV show?', and, and he said, 'oh yeah, man, she’s gonna be a star!' So Hunter believed in her way back then," Armstrong said. (H/T: Still Real To Us)
Triple H's prediction about Morgan has come true as she recently captured her first major title in WWE. She cashed in her Money in the Bank contract on Ronda Rousey and defeated her to become the new SmackDown Women's Champion at this year's Money in the Bank premium live event.
Morgan will now defend her SmackDown Women's Title against Rousey at SummerSlam.
#3. Damian Priest
After having a successful run in NXT, which saw him win the NXT North American Championship, Damian Priest moved to Monday Night RAW in 2021. He has since won the United States Championship once.
Although he is a former United States Champion, Priest seems a little lost on the main roster at the moment. However, this could change now that Triple H is the new Head of Creative. The Game has been one of Priest's supporters throughout his WWE career. He once gave him a piece of advice that changed his life:
"I want to see the person I'm seeing here in the ring. When you're between the ropes you're playing the role of a wrestler, but I don't want that, I want to see someone else. When you learn to be yourself, you will have an amazing career," Priest recalled Triple H's words to him in an interview with ViBe & Wrestling.
Priest also revealed that Triple H advocated for him to be in the WrestleMania match in which he teamed up with Bad Bunny to defeat The Miz and John Morrison. Speaking on The Masked Man Show, Damien explained how The Game went to bat for him:
"There are people like Hunter, who knew I was fine and he is the one, the reason why it ended up happening, because I almost got switched out. They almost took me out of that spot. (...) And Hunter went to bat for me. And he was like, 'hey,' he was like, 'sorry that they even told you that it's not going to be you now because I'm gonna go have a conversation, you know?' And he explained why I should be trusted, I guess. I wasn't in the meeting, but I'm guessing that's what he had to have done, you know? 'No. I trust him, let's trust him. He's going to be fine'." (H/T: Wrestling Inc.)
Damian Priest is currently a member of The Judgment Day, alongside Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley. With Triple H's trust, the 39-year-old could receive more opportunities on RAW in the future.
#2. Rhea Ripley
Another Judgment Day member that Triple H is fond of is Rhea Ripley. The Game has been a fan of Ripley since she joined Vince McMahon's company. Ripley has also been a fan of the 14-time World Champion since she was a kid.
In an interview with Wrestling Inc., Ripley expressed her love for Triple H. She also gave him credit for giving her a push on NXT, which eventually led her to become one of the top female stars in WWE:
"He's the reason that I started watching wrestling, he's the reason that I started wrestling. He's the reason that I got the push that I did in NXT, and became the Rhea Ripley that you see today. If it wasn't for him believing in my, and giving me these opportunities then I wouldn't be here."
Ripley is currently out of action due to injury. She last competed on June 6, when she defeated Alexa Bliss, Doudrop, and Liv Morgan in a Fatal-Four-Way on Monday Night RAW.
#1. Finn Balor
Since joining WWE in 2014, Finn Balor has had great success on NXT, winning the NXT Championship twice. Although he also won several titles on Monday Night RAW and SmackDown, including the Universal Championship, the United States Championship, and the Intercontinental Championship, many fans believe that Balor never reached his full potential on the main roster.
With Triple H as Head of Creative, things could change for the Irish superstar. The Game is a fan of Balor's work. The two have also developed a friendship over the past few years, as the former NXT Champion revealed in an interview with TV Insider:
"Working with him has been absolutely fantastic. I came to WWE about six years ago with a lot of uncertainty. There were expectations, but personally, I was uncertain how it was going to go. I feel like myself and Triple H struck an understanding early on in my career at NXT. It has grown and developed. He is someone I can say I've spent in and out of the ring more than anyone else. I trust his direction and take his advice. He's someone I feel very fortunate to have developed a friendship with the last couple of years."
Balor is currently a member of The Judgment Day. With Triple H leading the creative process, the former Universal Champion could soon find himself back in the main event picture.