WWE’s White Rabbit Tease Is A Great Example Of Why Triple H’s Booking Works
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Over the last few months, WWE has seen a shift in its programming and the buzz around the weekly product of Raw and SmackDown. With Triple H now taking the reins from Vince McMahon as Head of Creative, there has been an obvious change in booking, even if it isn’t overly drastic just yet. It has certainly been an improvement though, and most things have worked so far. Recently, WWE has been teasing something surrounding a ‘White Rabbit’, which has had next to no reference on television, but has caused a big stir online. This has been a great example of how perfect Triple H has been in control of WWE creative.
Under Vince McMahon, WWE Didn’t Allow The Audience To Think For Themselves
For the longest of times, WWE felt entirely predictable, by-the-book, and uncreative. Feuds and storylines progressed with cliche promos, distractions, and disqualification finishes to matches. In the last few years especially, a lot of fans had tuned themselves out of the product due to the lack of creativity at play. When it came to Raw and SmackDown, it felt very much as though commentators, explanations, and video packages were holding the hands of fans through every storyline, to the point where the audience could do no thinking for themselves.
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When it comes to most TV shows, there is some level of interaction with an audience when it comes to debating about what is coming next, with unpredictability leading to engagement. In WWE, this simply didn’t happen, with no reason being given to fans to tune in the following week. Now that Triple H is in control, the level of fan interactions has increased, and the condescending hand holding has decreased in a big way, which is a huge positive.
WWE’s Tease Of The White Rabbit Has Sent Fans Into An Online Frenzy
WWE TV has seen a lot of things happening in an understated way recently, for example, the background of some interviews has seen car accidents, arguments, and other interactions which eagle-eyed fans have noticed, rewarding them for paying attention. In terms of the online audience, this has often led to a lot of discussion about what is happening and what may be coming next, which is perfect for the wrestling community, and it is exactly the type of thing fans have been asking for.
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In the last couple of weeks, there has been something brewing, with WWE playing the ‘White Rabbit’ song by Jefferson Airplane at live events and in the ad breaks of some TV shows too. The only way people know about this is because it has been filmed and put online, which is very likely the intention of doing it like this. Not throwing something like this at the forefront of programming allows buzz to emerge - and it certainly has done as things ramped up on an episode of Raw.
WWE flashed up a QR code, and when scanned, it took fans to a game of hangman, in which the question is asked ‘Who Killed The World?’ There was a white rabbit shown playing the game, revealing the cryptic answer of ‘You Did’. In addition, the numbers 9:23 popped up, which hinted at something happening on the upcoming episode of SmackDown, taking place on the 23rd of September. Observant fans also noticed that at exactly 9:23pm during the show, a fan in the crowd held up a QR code, taking fans to yet another tease regarding a White Rabbit.
Triple H Is Allowing Fans To Interact With WWE’s Product
Doing all of this is plain proof of some thought being put into WWE’s creative direction. It has gotten fans excited about the prospect of who this is in reference to, leading to fans researching and delving into all available information, creating links, and ultimately causing more excitement. Triple H has opted for some elements of the classic ‘show don’t tell’ philosophy when it comes to storytelling, which is more often than not the correct choice when it comes to producing a compelling story.
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Without a single mention from commentators, superstars, or anything else on screen, WWE’s new Head of Creative has made fans want to tune in to who this is in reference to. The common consensus has been in the way of Bray Wyatt, with many fans online finding even more links which come back to him. Making the clues and secrets make sense is likely a purposeful move from WWE too, as they know full well how popular Wyatt is, so making fans expect yet not know for sure that he is incoming is the perfect way to go about building a major return. This makes sense if one believes rumors, with WrestleVotes reporting that WWE are trying to keep things quiet. If Triple H and his creative team continue putting this sort of effort into their work, then good things are ahead for the long-term.
