The controversial ending at Survivor Series and Kurt Angle’s response on the Nov.20 edition of Monday Night Raw showed it’s very likely the two icons will fight one last time in the first pay-per-view of 2018.
Since coming back to the WWE as the general manager of RAW, Kurt Angle seemed to avoid any altercations with the other superstars that could lead to a potential match.
However, and due to Roman Reigns’ illness, he decided to join the “Shield” in their 3-on-5 Handicap Match at TLC, proving he could still be a decent in-ring competitor.
The same goes for the “Game”, too. The multiple-time world champion hadn’t been seen in a WWE ring since Wrestlemania 33, where he had been defeated by Seth Rollins.
According to rumours, though, Triple H would return to action before the end of 2017 in order to build up his matches at the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania 34, respectively.
What a better way to do that than joining Team RAW and playing a decisive role in the match.
More specifically, Hunter first hit Angle with a Pedigree and helped his brother-in-law, Shane McMahon, eliminate the WWE Hall of Famer.
Then, he hit McMahon with another Pedigree and secured the victory, but Braun Strowman’s onslaught a few moments later proved a match between the “Monster Among Men” and the “Cerebral Assassin” is set to happen very soon.
The following night on RAW, Angle confronted Triple H and looked ready for a fight.
With that being said, is this match-up what WWE really needs right now?
Both Triple H and Angle know their in-ring career will soon come to an end and both superstars will be forced to retire.
Therefore, a possible match between the two legendary wrestlers will give them the opportunity to renew their rivalry and fight against each other one last time.
Given their epic matches in the early 00s (they squared off at Unforgiven 2000, Royal Rumble 2001 and No Way Out 2002, respectively), I think the WWE Universe would be excited to see one more match between the two former world champions.
In addition, a potential fight at the Royal Rumble can help WWE build new storylines for Wrestlemania 34.
For instance, a possible interference from Strowman (who attacked the “Game”, following Survivor Series’ bizarre ending) could lead to a match between him and Triple H, which would help the “Monster Among Men” solidify himself as one of WWE’s top guys.
Similarly, Jason Jordan (Angle’s son in the show) could play a pivotal role in the match that could lead to him facing the “King of Kings” in the “Showcase of the Immortals”.
That said, my point is that a match of such magnitude could certainly be “best for business” for two reasons.
Firstly, it will let these two icons put an end to their great rivalry and, secondly, it will enable WWE to further boost its biggest pay-per-view of the year, Wrestlemania, by booking some dream matches that could raise the fans’ interest.
With that in mind, the intense face-off between Triple H and Angle two weeks ago was a preview of what we are expecting to see in the next few weeks, and especially from late December onwards.
It’s also worth adding that Stephanie McMahon, commissioner of Monday Night Raw and Triple H’s wife, will have a central role in the build-up of the match (as always in such cases), which will probably be revealed in the following episodes of Monday Night Raw.
Overall, it seems the controversial ending at Survivor Series was the beginning of a storyline that will mark the end of an era for the two iconic superstars and will give the WWE Universe what they really want, namely an exciting match that will be “best for business”.
