Hellacious Hard-Nosed Heel
Triple H paid his dues by creating a character everyone loves to hate.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley is finally atop a ladder that has taken him four years to climb. During his ascent, the 6-feet-5, 274-pound performer has seen many changes in the wrestling business, the characters he has portrayed and his personal life.
In four short years, Triple H has gone from scapegoat in a incident that changed the wrestling business to one of the World Wrestling Federation's brightest young stars. He has been the WWF's overall and Intercontinental champion and King of the Ring winner, and he is the current leader of D-Generation X, the most popular on air clique in wrestling.
The Boston native has finally made it. The arduous climb is over, but it is one Triple H will never forget. "I'm finally beginning to enjoy what is happening to me" said Triple H, who began his career in World Championship Wrestling in 1994 as Terra Ryzing before moving to the WWF in 1995. "I'm enjoying taking it all in. I feel like I paid my dues." Some of those dues are ones that never had to be paid.
In early 1996, the WWF believed Triple H could help lead the organization back to prominence. After participating at the 1996 Royal Rumble, Triple H then a pompous, money-hungry, valet-carrying heel- was slated to win the King of the Ring tournament, a victory that usually serves as a springboard for further success.
At the time, Triple H had become close friends with Kevin Nash (Diesel), Scott Hall (Razor Ramon), Shawn Michaels, and the 1-2-3 Kid (Sean Waltman), now known as X-Pac. the four were known as the "Clique" and had a reputation for the kind of deep, real friendships that rarely exists in the wrestling business. Those friendships ultimately took Triple H from being the next headliner to serving a extended WWF detention.
The Going Away Party
In May 1996, Michaels was the WWF Champion and Hall and Nash were
lured away by WCW. The Clique was going to be broken up, and a
tribute was in order.
The group planned it's going away party for a May 19, 1996, house show at New York's Madison Square Garden, where Hall and Nash would be wrestling their final WWF matches. The plan was known throughout the locker room. At the end of the Michaels-Nash cage match, the Clique was going to break character and publicly acknowledge their friendships, a violation of one of wrestling's most scared, unwritten rules of keeping the business's inner workings a secret.
WWF owner Vince McMahon had warned of repercussions if the plan was carried out, but the wrestlers ignored those warnings. At the end of the show, Michaels, Hall, Nash, and Triple H stood in the ring, saluted the fans and acknowledged each other. McMahon was furious, but was left with only one person to blame.
Waltman was still in the WWF, but was not at the house show. Hall and Nash were leaving the company. Michaels was the WWF champion and, at the time was helping carry the company.
"In the WWF, there is only one boss and you better not (make him mad)." said one WWF personality. "It;s not like WCW, where there are eight bosses. Here there is only one, and when Triple H made him mad he paid for it."
Though he was never publicly suspended, it would be almost a year before Triple H returned to prominence. The person who was supposed to win the King of the Ring was taken off television and, after his May 26, 1996, pay-per-view match, did not wrestle until the October pay-per-view. Triple H's downfall led to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin winning the 1996 King of the Ring and subsequently launched the Austin 3:16 craze.
"Looking back it was probably a mistake" Triple H said. "But we did what we said we were going to do. I was the only one who paid, but so be it. It made me enjoy where I am today even more."
A Career-Altering Turn
Triple H returned to television that fall and won the
Intercontinental title from Marc Mero on October. 26. He lost the
title on Feb. 13, 1997, to a up and comer named the Rock, but, a
month later, Triple H's tenure took another career defining turn.
At Wrestlemania 1997, Triple H dropped his "butler" Mr. Hughes, in favor for a muscular, female bodyguard named Chyna, who had trained with Triple H back in the early 1990's at Killer Kowalski' s wrestling school. Five months later the WWF put Chyna, Triple H, and Michaels together and decided to play off the 1996 Madison Square Garden incident. On August 4, 1997 the three showed the incident on RAW, claiming they were tired of the way the WWF was operating, and said they wanted to be fired so they could "join their boys down south".
The promo marked the beginning of D-Generation X and the start of a character change for Triple H. To that point Triple H was still the arrogant, greedy character. As Michaels and Triple H started a rebellion, Triple H evolved into Michaels quick-witted sidekick.
"In this business you are always striving to change your character to make it new." said Bad Ass Billy Gunn, Triple H's future DX stablemate. "What Hunter did was pretty amazing. He went from being one character and didn't change names. That takes some talent."
DX was supposed to be heel, but because of the wrestler's interview skills, their trashing of WCW and willingness to talk openly about the business, fans embraced the new group. At that time, WWF fans were looking for a reason not too switch the channel. DX with it's new, rebellious approach gave them that reason.
Triple H and Michaels played off each other well. Michaels was a superstar, and Triple H was developing into one. The time with Michaels was good for Triple H not only because it gave him legitimacy with fans but it also allowed Triple H to establish himself.
When injuries forced Michaels out of the ring in 1998, Triple H took over DX and recruited Gunn, X-Pac, and Road Dogg as new members. With three new playmates, Triple H thrived. He led "attacks" on WCW arenas. He talked openly about a blatant disregard for rules and became wrestling's rebel.
The Next Level
With his status entrenched, Triple H headed to another level. At
SummerSlam on August 22, 1999, he got a title shot in a triple
threat match against Mankind and Austin. The WWF wanted Triple H
to win the title but Austin who was champion at the time, would
drop the title only to Mankind.
Though the incident hurt Triple H, he won the belt from Mankind the next day on RAW. A short time later, he rejoined his DX buddies and brought Stephanie McMahon into the mix as the "evil" cohort in the Helmsley-McMahon plot too take over the WWF. The alliance, along with another title run, has finally elevated Triple H to the top heel in the company.
"Triple H is the ultimate heel" said one WWF performer. "When I first came here, I didn't think much of him, I didn't think he was going to be where he is now. I know (then WCW vice president Eric) Bishoff thought he was stale and didn't have charisma. But Hunter has won me over. He's a heel's heel. He's the headliner. It's a spot I didn't think he would ever get too when I came in, but he's proved himself very worthy."