Triple H really booked these SmackDown main events?

In August 2022, Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque took over a role as the head of WWE’s creative team, taking control of all WWE’s booking. The last few years have seen RAW, SmackDown and WWE’s PLEs enter a brand new era under the rule of Triple H. At times, the main events across RAW and SmackDown have been random, strange, questionable, or downright terrible, and due to this, it can sometimes be difficult to remember specific, surreal show-closers.

We shall take a look at several of the SmackDown main events that left fans either scratching their heads or else being in disbelief at the line-up. It should be noted that SmackDown under Triple H has predominantly been “main-evented” by promo segments, so the “main event” of SmackDown is considered here as the final match on the card, rather than what closed out the show.

8

Liv Morgan Vs. Shotzi

WWE SmackDown 08/19/2022

• Liv Morgan was not the star she is today.
• WWE booked a non-title match instead of a title match.
• This was one of Triple H’s first SmackDowns.

Triple H was just starting to find his footing as WWE’s head of creative, though this choice as the final match on one of his very first episodes booking Friday Night SmackDown was somewhat of a questionable choice. At the time, Liv Morgan was reigning as SmackDown Women’s Champion (though not a massive star like she is in the current day WWE), and she defeated Shotzi in a pretty bog standard main event match.

The reason why this was so questionable is the fact that it would have been so easy to make this a title match, giving fans higher stakes for the matchup and making it a worthy match to sit atop of the card on the blue brand.

7

The Miz Vs. Jimmy Uso

WWE SmackDown 03/28/2025

• This is a surprising main event for 2025.
• The Miz vs. Jimmy Uso doesn’t sound especially exciting.
• WWE chose this match to main event a special international event.

WWE went on a European tour on the Road to Wrestlemania 41, hosting several episodes of RAW and SmackDown across several nations. You’d think that these special events would be headlined by some big matches – but Triple H selected Jimmy Uso vs. The Miz for an episode in the UK.

Neither The Miz nor Jimmy Uso had too much momentum at the time, so seeing them get the final match on the card for this episode was certainly bizarre to see. Uso soundly won the match after just seven minutes.

6

Karrion Kross Vs. Madcap Moss

WWE SmackDown 10/28/2022

• Madcap Moss is no longer in WWE.
• Karrion Kross had only just returned to Triple H’s new WWE era.
• This doesn’t feel like a main event match.

After a decent run under the rule of Vince McMahon, Madcap Moss was still a fairly popular figure on the WWE roster at the back end of 2022. In the final match on an episode of SmackDown, he was fed to the recently returned Karrion Kross. Fast-forwarding to where both men are today, it feels like a bizarre match to have hosted as the main roster in-ring match for a WWE event.

This match was put in place to make Kross look strong, though Triple H failed to upkeep his momentum after his comeback, with him only reclaiming some buzz in 2025.

5

John Cena & Kevin Owens Vs. Roman Reigns & Sami Zayn

WWE SmackDown 12/20/2022

• Fans forget this insanely high-profile match.
• It is a shock that Triple H gave this match away on TV.
• This was Cena’s only match of 2022.

This match was an instance of a super-high-profile match that we can’t believe actually happened, as it feels quite surreal. John Cena returned to WWE to ensure that he kept up his streak of wrestling at least one match each and every year since his WWE debut, teaming up with Kevin Owens to take on The Bloodline’s Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn.

Compared to most SmackDown main events, the star power on display was through the roof, with it also being rare to see Reigns compete on TV too (and rare for him to lose). The fact that Triple H booked this on TV and now on a PLE was certainly a surprise.

4

Dominik Mysterio Vs. Butch

WWE SmackDown 07/21/2023

• Pete Dunne was still wrestling as Butch.
• The NXT North American Title was defended on SmackDown.
• This feels like a random match.

On an episode of SmackDown in 2023, Dominik Mysterio took on Butch (Pete Dunne) in the main event match… battling over the NXT North American Championship. This sounds like something you’d put together on a WWE 2K game, but no, it did in fact happen on an episode of SmackDown.

For a time, Mysterio was working across all of WWE’s shows and ended up as the NXT North American Title, so the championship began appearing on main roster shows – a rarity for NXT’s midcard gold. He successfully defended the title against Butch in 2023 in what was the last match on the SmackDown card.

3

Hit Row Vs. Legado Del Fantasma Vs. Viking Raiders

WWE SmackDown 12/16/2022

• Hit Row became number one contenders.
• The team doesn’t even exist any longer.
• They were a failed project in Triple H’s new era.

Hit Row returned to WWE when Triple H took over creative control, and he decided to give them a decent initial push in the tag team division. When looking at the current SmackDown tag team division, this number one contenders match seems like a distant memory.

Hit Row defeated Legado Del Fantasma (the old version) and The Viking Raiders in a triple threat to earn a shot at the tag titles – and it just so happened to be the last match on this SmackDown card.

2

Gunther Vs. Madcap Moss

WWE SmackDown 02/17/2023

• Gunther faced a lot of talented names during his Intercontinental Championship reign.
• His match with Madcap Mass was one of his weaker ones.
• This was handed the final spot on the SmackDown match card.

Gunther faced a whole host of big names during his record-breaking Intercontinental Title reign, including the likes of Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, Rey Mysterio, Braun Strowman, Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, Jey Uso, and several others. In the last match on an episode of SmackDown in 2023, Gunther defended the title against Madcap Moss.

At the time, Moss was losing more and more momentum, so to see him in such a spot against Gunther was a surprise. The match was fine, but no one bought that Moss had a chance, so it was a shock to see Triple H book this match high up on the show.

1

Edge Vs. Grayson Waller

WWE SmackDown 07/07/2023

• This was Grayson Waller’s main roster debut.
• Edge in WWE feels like a whole other era.
• This feels like such a random match to put together.

Edge vs. Grayson Waller is one of the most random SmackDown main events of the Triple H era. With Edge just a month away from leaving WWE for good, he was booked as Waller’s first ever main roster opponent.

When looking at Waller’s low down position on the card today in his tag team with Austin Theory, and when looking at the fact that Edge is now in AEW, this feels like a bizarre matchup to have taken place on WWE programming. Edge won the match, Waller looked good, but in the long run no one found much benefit.