Kayfabe is dead.
That was the big soundbite that came out of Monday night’s live Steve Austin Show podcast on the WWE Network. But if you’ve seen the new interview with Triple H on the WWE’s YouTube channel, you might think again.
Each week, commentator Michael Cole sits down with The Game and conducts a strange “is it real / is it not” type of interview with the COO.
What’s fun and underrated about these gems is how effortlessly Triple H can move from likable real-life executive to evil corporate overlord.
This week’s interview was no exception, and since there has been a lot of attention paid to the WWE and its handling — some would say “botched handling” — of the Royal Rumble , this one is really worth a look.
During the course of the 7 minute, 46 second discussion, Triple H playfully celebrates his “win” over Vince McMahon in the “Stone Cold” Steve Austin podcast ratings.
(Forty percent more people tuned in Monday night to see the podcast than did McMahon’s.)
The Game then commended Austin on his interviewing skills, noting that the Texas Rattlesnake had “found his niche” outside the ring as an interviewer.
He maintained the same “reality” image presented Monday night, but as soon as Cole asked him about the controversial decision to force Roman Reigns into another match in order to compete for his WrestleMania spot at Fast Lane , he seamlessly moved into his Authority role.
He explained that Big Show and Kane were guilty of “unsportsmanlike conduct” in going back into the ring to attack Reigns after they’d been eliminated.
That, he said, was their right as WWE Superstars. But The Rock, a “non-WWE superstar,” interfered while the match was still going, and he simply couldn’t have that.
The interference of the Great One essentially “tainted” Reigns’ victory, so he had no choice but to make the stipulation on Monday Night Raw that now has Reigns competing against Daniel Bryan to see who will face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31 .
In one of the better lines of the kayfabe 2.0 interview, Cole tells the COO he doesn’t “mean to upset” during a line of questioning on his reasons for allowing some interference but not allowing others.
“You’re not upsetting me,” Triple H responds. “I just can’t believe sometimes that you are an educated person.”
Here’s the full thing — a nice piece of old school kayfabe well worth your time.
Do you think it’s time to put Triple H in charge of the WWE product? Sound off in our comments section.