Triple H was recently announced as the first member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2025. The real-life Paul Levesque was surprised by the announcement by Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker.
However, it seems not everyone is a fan of the announcement, especially when RAW's ratings have been dropping. During a recent episode of BroDown on Backstage Pass, Vince Russo called out Triple H for getting his Hall of Fame induction while RAW's ratings reportedly dipped during the weeks leading up to the Royal Rumble.
"I'm watching this dog and pony show yesterday with Taker and Shawn and Stephanie. I called it a circle jerk, and I'm like, what that viewer just said. I said, 'You guys are having this big celebration. Triple H is crying. You just cut your audience in Netflix in half in three weeks.'
He continued:
"What do they call it, Mac? They call it the misdirection. You know, the old look over here, look over here so you don't see what's happening here. My God, man, I can't imagine if Vince McMahon had lost half his audience in three weeks, Mac, there would have been an emergency meeting every day of the week. We would not have been putting people in the Hall of Fame." [From 23:38 onwards]
Elsewhere on the podcast, Russo responded to a fan who had called out Triple H for doing the "same thing over and over." The former WWE writer attributed Levesque's alleged lack of creative prowess to his background as a wrestler as opposed to someone who writes for television.
"It's real simple. He's not a writer, he's a wrestler. He's not a writer. There is an art to writing a television show, especially a three-hour show. He is not a writer. He has no background in writing. He has no credentials in writing. He doesn't know how to format a show. He's a wrestler." From 39:07 onwards]
Russo had previously offered a similar criticism of Triple H's upcoming WWE Hall of Fame induction, saying it wasn't the right time for the former 14-time World Champion to receive his induction.
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