With Triple H finally taking his rightful place on the WWE throne this year, all eyes are on the Cerebral Assassin as he heads into his first uninterrupted Vince-less year of WWE in 2023.
So far, Trips has spent a good portion of his tenure as WWE Head of Creative tying up the loose ends of the Vince McMahon era, and next year could see him with something of a clean slate to shape the company in his own image.
There’s no doubt that he’ll want to use a new calendar year to really establish himself as the new man in charge, and what better way to do that than by blowing people’s minds with some unexpected surprises and booking decisions?
But what kind of shocks and thrills could the big man have in store for us come January?
Some unexpected booking decisions? A surprise return or two?
Buckle up as we take a look at the biggest WWE shocks Triple H could book in 2023.
The Return Of CM Punk
If Triple H really wants to signal a clean break from the previous WWE regime, he could do worse than bringing back one of the company’s biggest white whales in CM Punk.
While Punk left the company on bad terms, many of his issues were thought to stem from the specific way that the old guard handled business, so what better way to show that WWE has changed than by making amends?
Sure, Punk had similar issues when he joined AEW, but his (potential) new found free agency could also offer both WWE and the man himself a great opportunity to put their differences aside and stick it to the competition.
As controversial a figure as Punk has become in the world of wrestling, you can’t deny that people will still absolutely lose their minds as soon as the first few notes of Cult of Personality hit, and the prodigal son makes his way back home to the company that made him a household name.
If Punk does return, it’s only reasonable to wonder who his first feud could end up being with in Triple H’s WWE.
And right now, there’s only one name on everybody’s lips…
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. CM Punk
The wrestling world held its breath as Stone Cold Steve Austin made his way to the ring at WrestleMania 38, to face Kevin Owens in night one’s not-so-secret main event.
Luckily for us (and for Austin) the match exceeded expectations, with the veteran getting some great shots in and even taking some (safe, but nonetheless impressive) bumps.
With reports circling that Austin could have the wrestling bug once again, and that WWE would be more than happy to indulge him, what better opponent than the one who was teased for him more than 10 years ago but sadly never came to fruition?
Stone Cold vs Punk could be a match made in Hell (yeah), as the two faces of anti-authority in wrestling step into the ring to see who most deserves to be crowned ‘least likely to wear a tie.’
The match would also be a good way to send Stone Cold out on his shield, as his victory against Kevin Owens goes against the wrestling tradition of veterans losing in their retirement bout.
Meanwhile, a Punk victory against the quintessential WWE babyface could be the thing that finally be the thing that gets WWE fans to stop chanting his name at the slightest provocation, and cement him as the company’s new (old) top heel.
The End Of Roman’s Reign
At this point the likelihood of Roman dropping the belt feels both inevitable and impossible, as the Tribal Chief seems well overdue for a loss and yet completely incapable of losing momentum.
While it wouldn’t be the most shocking thing in the world for Reigns to finally give somebody else a turn with the shiniest toys in WWE, it’s also difficult to think of somebody who could beat him that wouldn’t itself be wildly surprising.
Roman has already beaten a lot of the company’s top faces (and heels, for that matter), and there just never seems to be a worthy enough opponent to finally wipe that smug look off his perfectly sculpted face.
The closest he’s come to a believable dethroning was against Drew McIntyre at this year’s Clash At The Castle, but that ship has long sailed and there doesn’t seem to be anybody left to put the Big Dog down.
Cody Rhodes could be a good fit, although WWE will have to cover a lot of ground to make that story work. A loss to Drew, or Seth, or Owens – or most other people, really – might ring a little hollow after unsuccessfully facing Reigns in the past.
However, there is one person who’s perfectly positioned to do the impossible…
Sami Zayn Beats His Tribal Chief
It isn’t likely, but by God it feels like the right thing to do.
Sami Zayn and the Bloodline have captured lightning in a bottle over the past few months, effortlessly weaving the most engaging story in modern wrestling history.
While Zayn recently reaffirmed his commitment to the Tribal Chief at this year’s Survivor Series WarGames, the ground is fertile for a turn – and ultimately a victory – against the Head of the Table.
Zayn’s crowd-led push is the closest thing we’ve had to a Daniel Bryan-style underdog storyline in quite some time, and while it may not have the more mainstream appeal of a Rock or Cody feud, a ‘Mania victory for the Great Liberator would be a great way to win back the trust of all the hardcores who haven’t felt properly listened-to by WWE in a minute.
It’s not completely out of the question; segments featuring Sami have done surprisingly well on social media, and his feud with Johnny Knoxville earlier this year allowed the former El Generico to make some headway with an entirely new audience.
Giving Sami Zayn the biggest victory of his career would be shocking not just despite the fact, but also because, it would make perfect sense.
An AEW Crossover Show
No, it probably won’t ever happen, but it’s always fun to dream.
As cool as a crossover between AEW and WWE would be, Triple H knows full well that the competition would benefit from it infinitely more than his home turf in terms of legitimacy and exposure.
That being said, let’s not forget that before Tony Khan came on the scene, Triple H’s NXT was heralded as the vanguard of mainstream indie-style wrestling, and he might end up taking the opportunity just to show that he can still hang with his former flip-obsessed fanbase.
Not only that, but since WWE purged its roster of former NXT talent a good chunk of Triple H’s favorites – including Adam Cole and Samoa Joe and William Regal (or maybe not anymore by the time you’re reading this) – are currently across enemy lines, and he might be persuaded to enter into a brief reunion.
That’s not even to speak of the temptation to run some all-star matches: Omega vs Rollins; Moxley vs Reigns; a Bullet Club Battle Royale. It’s unlikely, but it could happen.
A crossover that may be a little more likely, however, is…
An NJPW Crossover Show
While New Japan Pro Wrestling already has a working relationship with AEW, there’s nothing to say that it couldn’t be an open relationship.
Recently-returned OC member Karl Anderson is currently NJPW’s NEVER Openweight Champion, with the expectation being that he’ll defend the belt in the promotion at some point in the future.
WWE has also allegedly reached out to NJPW as recently as last year, to arrange a working partnership.
In a similar vein, WWE has already shown a willingness to work with Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah, by lending the company Shinsuke Nakamura for a match as part of the Great Muta’s retirement tour.
While WWE doesn’t have the best reputation for playing well with others, it does seem more amenable to working with overseas promotions under Triple H’s watch.
Does this mean we could get Okada and Reigns at some time in the future? Could Tanahashi vs Cena finally be on the cards? It’s a stretch, but it’s not the impossibility it once was.
Sasha Banks In The Royal Rumble
Yes, I am aware that Sasha Banks will be at Wrestle Kingdom 17, but that’s why a Rumble appearance would be a shock.
Sasha Banks has had a lot of opportunities to return to the Big Dub in recent months – the women’s tag elimination tournament, the women’s WarGames match at Survivor Series – but the Royal Rumble may be the event best placed to give her the reception she deserves.
Karl Anderson is working Wrestle Kingdom 17 while under WWE contract, so maybe she could also have a similar deal.
I don’t expect her to be back in WWE, but who can really rule it out, especially after the year we’ve just had.
Somebody Other Than Cody Rhodes Or The Rock Wins The Men’s Rumble
Sometimes the biggest problem with wrestling in the internet age is that when enough people guess that a shocking twist is coming, the best thing a promoter can do is book literally anything else (not that we’d ever be complicit in that…).
The Rock returning at the Royal Rumble would be huge, but it’s something we’ve been expecting for two and a half years now.
Similarly, Cody winning felt like a shocking possibility earlier this year, when he was freshly unglued from his AEW roots, but between his injury and a lack of babyfaces/stars left for Reigns to face he’s quickly become the obvious candidate.
At this point, I’d be surprised to see literally anybody else win the Rumble.
Even semi-obvious choices like Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre would be completely wild, because we’ve spent so long fantasy booking the obvious “shocking” returns.
Or you could just go crazy and give it to Sami Zayn. Come on Triple H, it’s been a rough year, we need this.
GUNTHER Keeps His Intercontinental Championship All Year
This is kind of the reverse of many of the other entries on this list, because it’s contingent on something not happening in 2023.
When he was in NXT UK, GUNTHER (then WALTER ) held the brand’s top title for a frankly insane 870 days, as he established himself as the man to beat not just in that brand, but in wrestling in general.
He doesn’t need to keep hold of the Intercontinental Title for that long – if only because it would preclude him from chasing the company’s top title – but a lengthy year-long reign would do a lot for both his character and for the belt.
Just send dudes after him, and let him chop them until there’s nothing left except a vague wrestler-shaped shadow on the mat.
Another huge benefit of this would be the fact that, after his dominant run comes to an end, you could reheat the rivalry between him and Sheamus, and have Beaker’s cousin dethrone the Villain of Vienna to finally get his grand slam.
Or, you know, you could just have Akira Tozawa do it on a random episode of SmackDown.
One Last Ride For The Undertaker
We haven’t see Morbid Marcus on our screen since his TED Talk at this year’s Hall of Fame ceremony (and subsequent walk on appearances at ‘Mania), and we haven’t seen him in a proper scrap since he buried AJ Styles at ‘Mania 36.
It probably isn’t advisable for Triple H to bring the Dead Man back to life at this point, even for a brief run, but we probably would have said the same thing about Stone Cold a few years ago, and his match with Kevin Owens turned out to be the sleeper hit of this year’s show of shows.
Undertaker will probably always be in the conversation for a return because, at the end of the day, he feels like he’s always been around.
It’s still weird to have WrestleMania without him and his obvious streak-extending victories, so no crowd is ever going to be upset to see him.
Like Austin, Undertaker won his most recent (and potentially final) match, which doesn’t seem right for somebody who places such value on wrestling tradition.
One last go-around could finally give him the closure that he – and all of us – need, so that we can finally rest in peace.
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