The 2016 Royal Rumble had plenty of great moments. From Kevin Owens going through two tables, to AJ Styles stepping into a WWE ring for the "first" time, the event showcased so many young talents that can lead the company into the future. This was all ruined at the end of the night when the 46-year old COO of the company put the title on himself. Yes, that man was a legend as Triple H, but with so many great young, new talents in the WWE, this could have been the perfect time to elevate someone new to a main event level.
Even keeping the belt on Roman Reigns would have sufficed. After all, Reigns is only 30 and is improving nearly every day. With Reigns, Styles, Owens, Dean Ambrose and even guys like Sami Zayn and Finn Balor potentially the next big things in the company, giving the title to Triple H is just not smart.
The WWE wants to make WrestleMania 32 the biggest in the illustrious event's history. The Rock will be there, but the company still needs to put on a show to make it better than some past Manias. With John Cena, Randy Orton, Seth Rollins and even Cesaro out of action for the time being, it makes sense that a big name like Triple H will be there wrestling. However, main eventing the night with so many young stars available just seems like overkill.
There seems to be only one legitimate option for Triple H at Mania, and we will almost undoubtedly see Roman Reigns take him on for the title. It's good to see Reigns back in the main event, but having him go against nearly any of the names mentioned earlier would be great. Owens has been getting huge pops and working great matches since his main roster debut. During his match against Ambrose at the Royal Rumble, Owens very loudly yelled, "I hate you!" to Ambrose. It's this character development that makes me believe he could have a great feud with nearly anyone on the roster. Whether it be Triple H, Reigns or another newcomer, he could main event WrestleMania. Styles got by far the loudest pop of the night when he entered at No. 3. He is going to be hot for a while, especially if he can get some backup from his former NJPW cronies.
Triple H will always be welcome as a champion in the WWE. He has gone through more than enough to earn another run or two as champion. At this point in time though, the WWE has more good, young talent than it has seen in a long time. If it had a young talent win the biggest prize in the company, it would be much smarter than having an older legend win the strap.
