Triple H has been a part of countless factions over the years, from DX to The Corporation and more recently The Authority. In recent weeks WWE have been teasing the idea that Triple H is trying to form a new faction along the lines of Evolution, with his recruitment of Samoa Joe and the backstage segments with Kevin Owens.
In this article we’ll break down the likely members of ’Evolution 2.0’ and the subsequent roles they will play.
The Veteran/Leader – Triple H
Triple H has reached a point in his career where he has taken a step back from competition and is concentrating on his role as ‘Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative’. However, this doesn’t mean that he can’t still go, as proven by his top quality match at Roadblock last year and to a lesser extent WrestleMania 32.
His role in his new Evolution will be similar to that of Ric Flair in the original, The Veteran with a wealth of experience in the business, who’s very presence demands respect for the group. This would mean he would spend some time in the ring, but for the most part, he’ll be on the back supporting the younger talent.
However unlike Flair, Triple H will take on the role of leader, so when he’s in the background, he won’t only be supporting the other talent, he’ll be pulling the strings and controlling the workings of the group.
This role falls more in line with that he had with The Authority.
Main Eventer – Kevin Owens
Having established himself as the most dominant full time heel on the roster as the reigning Universal Champion, Kevin Owens is a shoo-in for playing Triple H’s role as immediate main eventer for the faction.
His new no-nonsense attitude gives him the edge that makes him seem believable as the sort of superstar who would do anything to be champion. That is the exactly the type of persona that is lacking on RAW at the moment, and like Evolution’s original incarnation, this new faction will not just elevate Kevin Owens, but will also serve as a springboard for babyfaces, by giving them a form of struggle to reach the top.
Hopefully Kevin leaves the shovel at home, unlike Triple H all those years ago.
However, instead of being a total heel, Kevin Owens has dropped hints of tweener-like behaviour. Such as he knows how to play “The Game” or his facial expressions when he beat down on Chris Jericho.
These suggest the potential of him being a tweener. This would be an interesting take on Triple H’s Evolution character, as present day crowds easily grow tired of ‘pure heels’ and ‘pure babyfaces’.
The Muscle/Monster – Samoa Joe
Ever since he debuted on NXT, Samoa Joe has been booked as an unstoppable force of nature, running through every superstar unfortunate enough to face his wrath.
This has continued on the main roster, where he’s destroyed, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn.
It seems obvious that WWE have big plans for Samoa Joe – or at least Triple H does. With the right direction he can easily become a main event star in the not too distant future. However, unlike the monster from the original Evolution, Drax the Des- I mean Batista, it doesn’t seem viable for Joe to become a face.
Therefore, it will be likely, that when the faction eventually breaks (all good things must come to an end), Joe will continue as a monster running through the roster. Hopefully leading to a confrontation between himself and Brock Lesnar, culminating in a huge match, where Joe will conquer the conqueror.
The Future – Pete Dunne
Going off what we’ve seen from Dunne in the WWE alone, it’s obvious he’s being groomed as the next big thing. Be it the way he was booked on the UK Tournament, his match on NXT with ‘Mandrews’ or even the tweet posted by Triple H about the young superstar. It’s clear Triple H wants Pete Dunne to be the next Randy Orton.
Much like Randy Orton, Pete Dunne will win a mid-card title from an established superstar and have a solid reign. All the while, Dunne will be mentored by his fellow new Evolution superstars.
The lessons Dunne will learn by working with these superstars will help him develop, and become used to WWE’s style. This means once the group disbands, whether he be babyface or heel, Dunne will be seen as a viable option as future World Champion.
Final Thoughts
As we can see all the pieces are there for an ‘Evolution 2.0’ to be built.
A dominating heel faction on RAW is just the boost that the show is lacking at the moment. Right now the babyfaces have no clear heel figures to compete against. Neither do the the fans have any groups to root against. This new faction will not only benefit the four stars, the whole product will become more exciting to watch.
Furthermore, the tweaks in character compared to the original Evolution makes the group more appealing to modern audiences. This shows that WWE Creative (or at least Paul Levesque) has a good grasp on where they’re taking this story. If WWE do build a faction and it stays out of Vince’s reach, they’ve a money maker on their hands.
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