The WWE Universe has noticed significant changes in the promotion since Triple H took over from Vince McMahon. In 2022, Vince McMahon, WWE’s former chairman, abruptly retired amid a scandal involving hush money payments.
However, he made a surprising return to WWE early the following year. This brief comeback ended towards the beginning of 2024 when a lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct forced McMahon to step down from his board position. This led to him selling his remaining shares in the promotion. After McMahon’s departure, Triple H became WWE’s chief content officer.
Under his leadership, the promotion has experienced increased success. One notable change Triple H implemented was reducing the number of matches on premium live events. WWE has been on a hot streak, delivering some of its most successful premium live events since the start of 2024.
WWE’s next event, Bash in Berlin, is scheduled for Saturday, August 31, at the Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany. The promotion has already announced five significant matches for the show. At the same time, it is experiencing huge success with the current PLE format.
However, fans are still debating the length of PLE cards. Previous PLEs during Vince McMahon’s tenure typically featured 8-9 matches, whereas the current format includes fewer matches. Amidst this debate, recent reports have shed light on backstage reactions to WWE’s adoption of this new format.
Backstage reaction to WWE’s PLE match format changes
As WWE gears up for their next Premium Live Event, Bash in Berlin, which will feature five exciting matches, the trend of fewer matches continues. Recent reports from Fightful Select reveal backstage reactions to this new format. WWE plans to keep the trend of fewer matches at PLEs, as backstage officials are pleased with the results.
The format has proven successful and allowed for more matches on Raw and SmackDown. This setup is also useful when SmackDown takes place in the same city as the PLE the next night. The upcoming SmackDown will be at the Uber Arena, the same venue as Bash in Berlin. Despite fan debates about having fewer matches, WWE seems set on sticking with this strategy due to its recent success.
