I must admit I was not familiar with this story until today, mainly because I did not read the article by Justin Barrasso in Sports Illustrated. Apparently, the WWE Performance Centre has been criticised of late. Triple H defended his performance centre in the interview. Here’s the story!
WWE Performance Centre Under Fire
Before we move on to Triple H’s defence that was published in Sports Illustrated, we need to elaborate on what the WWE Performance Centre is being criticised for.
During the interview, Triple H stated that some of the criticism relates to how the WWE Performance Centre trains talent. According to numerous sources, the WWE trains talent in quite a ‘robotic’ manner… in other words, the WWE trains unoriginal superstars.
The Sports Illustrated Interview
In a recent issue of Sports Illustrated, Triple H responded to the criticism the WWE Performance Centre has received. Here are some of his comments from the article:
“The misconception is always the same, and it’s absolutely wrong. We are looking to make our talent as diverse as possible. People say everyone is wearing the same thing and training the same way. Yet they are not training the same way. We are grouping people together to work on building certain skills. The core of what we do is the same – yes, you have to learn the same skills, techniques, and foundation when you start. Then we set you up with people to develop your characters. We want the talent to develop their character, and our job is to help harness the character. We want them, every single one of them, to be unique and have their own feel”
“Yes, we are all wearing the same WWE gear. That is because, when you’re here, we’re all the same. No one is above anybody else, and we’re all here to learn. We are a team and a family. What we do in the WWE is a partnership–it’s a partnership with the guy across from you, and a partnership with everybody here. One of the pieces of the Performance Center that makes me so proud is when somebody succeeds here, the whole place goes nuts for them. They’re all here to help each other succeed. When you can build that type of climate, it shows our culture within this place is right to develop and to cultivate the best talent possible.”
My Opinion
The statements made by Triple H in Sports Illustrated are certainly interesting. They shine a new light on the criticism the WWE Performance Centre has had over the years. Still, when I look at Superstars coming from the independent circuit – such as AJ Styles – there is still a big difference between them and those superstars trained in the WWE Performance Centre.
So, does this mean that the WWE Performance Centre is doing it wrong? I don’t think so, I think it all comes down to individual talent and their ability to make a character shine. Just think about Ember Moon, Charlotte, Sanity and others.
What do you think about the WWE Performance Centre?