SummerSlam 2023 is now behind us, and while there's no denying this year's event delivered some bright spots that will be talked about for months to come, shortcomings weren't exactly avoided across the board. One sore spot was the noticeable lack of ring-time for top superstars like the outspoken Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley, who had established storylines on Monday Night Raw that will now be resolved after the big event. Triple H responded to criticism of the booking decisions of the Premium Live Event, and explained why certain superstars and their matches were held for upcoming WWE events.
Triple H spoke at the press conference that followed SummerSlam 2023, and was almost immediately asked about the situation with booking female superstars in the WWE. While the question was not inherently pointing to Becky Lynch (who didn't settle her grudge match with Trish Stratus) or Rhea Ripley (who didn't have a title defense), it seemed the head of creative still wanted to address the comments made by both women on social media. The CCO talked about the SummerSlam booking process, and how he views setting up women's matches versus men's matches, saying:
I see the women in WWE like I look at the men in WWE. They’re talent, and it’s irrelevant to me if they’re female talent, male talent, it doesn't matter to me... There was a lot of banter that I saw this week about matches being cut...Nothing was cut. There was no card announced, right? If we don’t have more things in the pocket that can fit in the PLE, I’ve done a terrible job. Because there’s always an injury waiting around the corner, there’s always a moment that changes everything. And when one creative thing changes, it changes the trajectory of everything.
SummerSlam 2023 might not have unveiled an official match card ahead of time, but there were certainly bouts that were officially announced and confirmed the annual event. So Triple H was playing it hyper-logical in stating that a match couldn't be cut if there was no card where said match appeared. But he might have sounded less defensive had it been framed as superstars with clear feuds heading into SummerSlam were being held back in order to set up headlining matches for later dates.
And to be clear, this wasn't simply a snub to the female superstar, because even though Becky Lynch, Trish Stratus, and Rhea Ripley didn't draw focus, other notable men's matches also didn't make the cut. Santos Escobar, who defeated Rey Mysterio for a chance at the United States championship, is now only getting that shot on an upcoming SmackDown episode, despite qualifying ahead of SummerSlam, where such a contest would have been celebrated.
In regards to key storylines being pushed to later dates, Triple H gave his mindset behind why there weren't more matches on the card:
The show was plenty long tonight. If it had been longer that would have been bad. So, there comes a time when we say, does everything get shorter time, does everything get rushed does everything get hurried, or do we move things around and shift it and give it a bigger spotlight? As a performer for me, I’d rather have the bigger spotlight. That’s how I look at it.
Triple H's reasons for booking seem sound enough, if overt with the manager-speak, but they don't really speak to the fact that some top stars in the company felt slighted by being left out. Especially if it's all going to be blamed on time. With that said, Rhea Ripley still appeared ringside to offer Finn Bálor support, despite her saucy tweets about not having a match. Though Becky Lynch was not present, she kept fans abreast of what she was up to regardless:
Making lemonade with all these lemons I’ve been given. What’s everyone else up to this weekend?! pic.twitter.com/DADLcT9XU1August 5, 2023
We're far removed from the days when WWE's top brass were presented as major on-screen characters via Monday Night Raw or SmackDown, so for top superstars to go public over being miffed about being left out of major events, it indicates at least a mild problem brewing. Whether the anger will hold or fade is another question entirely, but it should be interesting to observe as the weeks go on.
Monday Night Raw airs on the USA Network on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET, and fans can catch SmackDown on Fox on Fridays at the same time. SummerSlam is over and done with, but those with a Peacock Premium subscription can watch it right now.
