That Damn Good: The Saga of Triple H
He's a four-time (now five) World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Champion, and a man whose drive, ingenuity, and work ethic has been an inspiration even to his enemies. Whether he's swinging his ever-present sledgehammer, using his signature "Pedigree" finisher to tie up an opponent's arms and drive his head into the mat, or simply humiliating his rivals on the microphone, Triple H is always "the Game."
The Triple H now universally regarded as one of the most captivating performers ever to step through the ropes is dramatically different than the athlete who began his World Wrestling Federation career in 1995 as Hunter Hearst-Helmsley. Billed as a rich brat from Greenwich, Connecticut, Hunter often came to the ring accompanied by a beautiful woman.
To some, his taste for the ladies was a sign of weakness in an otherwise flawless arsenal, as Helmsley didn't always live up to his potential. And when he blamed the sultry Sable for a loss, he compounded his problems by sparking a feud with her defender, Wildman Marc Mero. In one encounter, Helmsley suffered an embarrassing defeat to Mero when Sable distracted the man then known as "the American Blueblood." Regrouping, Hunter revealed a devious streak that would later become the stuff of legend, conspiring with one of the greats of a prior era--"Mr. Perfect" Curt Henning--to take down the Wildman.
On October 21, 1996, Perfect showed up at the arena, pretending to be an ally of Mero's. But when the Wildman clashed with Helmsley, the former Superstar turned on Mero and helped the American Blueblood win his first Intercontinental Championship.
Still, Hunter wasn't the only dirty player in the World Wrestling Federation. Like Helmsley, another youngster was striving for recognition and believed an Intercontinental title win could achieve that end. Rocky Maivia and Helmsley had tangled before, feeling each other out and seemingly understanding that when they clashed in the future, the stakes would be higher. On February 13, 1997, they battled for Hunter's Intercontinental title. Suddenly, the flamboyant, unpredictable Goldust appeared, diverting the titlist's attention. Seizing the moment, Maivia--soon to be known as The Rock--pounced, pinning Helmsley and winning the title.
Rocky's win was overshadowed by a bizarre incident at ringside. During the clash, a striking, muscular woman emerged from nowhere and assaulted Goldust's manager Marlena. Fans marveled at the lady who'd seen be dubbed "the Ninth Wonder of the World." His loss notwithstanding, observers hailed Hunter as a genius for "discovering" Chyna and hiring her as his special bodyguard.
With Chyna by his side, Hunter won the 1997 King of the Ring, beating Ahmed Johnson in the semifinals and Mick "Mankind" Foley in the final. Then, in a move that shocked mat watchers, Helmsley invited Chyna to join him in battering Mankind with the crown and scepter that had been awarded to the winner of the tournament.
Rechristening himself Triple H, Hunter--with Chyna and the late Rick Rude--joined forces with the "Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels.
With his swiveling hips and daredevil maneuvers in the ring, Michaels was arguably the most intriguing World Wrestling Federation Superstar at the time. He also happened to be Triple H's best friend.
On television, the group behaved the way they did in the dressing room, putting on outrageous skits about rival Superstars and always pushing the envelope on decency. When former World Wrestling Federation Champion Sergeant Slaughter--a onetime drill instructor then serving as the WWF's Commissioner--tried to tone down the group's antics, Triple H humiliated him in a No-Holds-Barred "Boot Camp" match. Later Slaughter tried to gain a measure of revenge by ordering Michaels to defend his World Wrestling Federation European Championship against his stable mate. When the duo locked up, though, Triple H and the Heartbreak Kid laughed and smirked in the ring before Michaels simply laid down on the mat and allowed his friend to pin him, making a mockery of the title.
Michael's perennial rival Bret "Hit Man" Hart was among those disgusted by the group's displays and derided them as "degenerates."
Instead of being offended, the rowdy clique celebrated the label. calling themselves "D-Generation X," then then simply "DX." Today, many credit the unit with transforming the World Wrestling Federation into an organization with cutting-edge "Attitude."
On March 29, 1998, Michael's lost his World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship to Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV. Historians would later claim that the "Steve Austin Age" of the World Wrestling Federation officially began on this night. But a new era for DX was also dawning.
For months, HBK had been suffering from numerous injuries, but concluded that as WWF Champion, he could not afford to take time away from the ring. Now, with the title in Austin's possession, HBK went on sabbatical, and Triple H became the de facto head of DX, joined by Chyna, X-Pac and the New Age Outlaws tag team of Badd Ass Billy Gunn and Road Dogg Jesse James.
Even after finally losing the European title to D'Lo Brown, Hunter's momentum continued to build. At Summer Slam '98 at New York's Madison Square Garden, he engaged in what at the time was the most important battle of his life, a grueling ladder match against the Rock--with Triple H's old foe putting up his Intercontinental crown.
To no one's surprise, the metal stairway was used as a weapon. Triple H executed a baseball slide into the object, cutting open his adversary's head. The Rock delivered his People's Elbow onto the ladder, squashing the champion, who happened to be positioned underneath. The Rock's ally Mark Henry intervened, tossing powder into the titlist's face. But Chyna evened the score, hitting the Rock with a low blow, thereby allowing Hunter to scale the steps and snatch the IC belt which was suspended from the arena ceiling.
The new Intercontinental kingpin limped out of the fight with a knee injury. Title defenses became few and far between, and two months after Summer Slam, Triple H was stripped of the championship.
An eight-man tournament was held to determine the next titlist. Triple H made his preference no secret: fellow DX member X-Pac. But when X-Pac fell to Ken Shamrock in the finals, "the Game" was ordered to hand over the belt.
All was not peaceful in DX, however. After a brief feud with one another, Triple H and Chyna joined Federation owner Vince McMahon's "Corporation," believing better opportunities awaited them if they sided with the boss. But the pair remained competitive. In the weeks leading up to Summer Slam '99, both expressed a desire to win the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship and were placed in a Triple-Threat match with Undertaker for the No. 1 contender's slot. In the pandemonium that followed, Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin inserted himself into the fray, flooring Triple H and allowing Chyna to score the pin on her associate.
Before a Chyna/Triple H clash could be staged, though, Mankind challenged--and defeated--the Ninth Wonder of the World for the No. 1 contender's position.
Thus, on August 22, 1999 at Summer Slam, Triple H found himself in another Triple-Threat donnybrook, this time with Mankind and Stone Cold--with Austin's title at stake. With special referee--and recently elected Minnesota governor--Jesse "the Body" Ventura officiating, Mankind slipped his signature sweat sock "Mr. Socko" on his right hand and jammed it down Austin's throat to disable the champion and take the title.
Triple H looked on helplessly as Foley was awarded the prize. Overcome with frustration, "the Game" attacked Austin with a chair after the contest, temporarily placing him out of commission. Then, the next night, the "Cerebral Assassin" demanded the right to challenge Mankind in his first title defense. Never one to back down from a dare, Foley agreed.
Shane McMahon was the special referee in the contest, but he seemed to be biased in favor of the No. 1 Contender. When Mankind had his rival in a pinning combination, Shane refused to log the fall. Foley's response: introducing Shane to Mr. Socko--a fate Chyna also suffered when she drifted too close to the action. Chyna eventually recovered and helped Triple H batter his opponent outside the ring, prompting The Rock to enter the ring and go after the "Cerebral Assassin." But "the Game" was determined to win back his title, and even the People's Champion could not derail him. After Triple H hammered both the Rock and Mankind with a chair. Shane rolled the champion into the ring, where the challenger delivered a Pedigree and covered Foley, as a second referee counted to three.
The victory seemed to realign the new champion's priorities. He renewed his alliance with his original DX partner, Shawn Michaels, who while working as WWF commissioner chose friendship over corporate responsibility, and assisted "the Game" in a title defense over the Rock.
Never comfortable in his role as a lackey to the World Wrestling Federation owner, the champion not only severed his ties with Vince McMahon but actually wrestled him for the title.
When Mr. McMahon's wife Linda scheduled a title defense against Steve Austin, Triple H resoundingly disapproved, and menaced Linda on television to emphasize his displeasure. When Vince came to her aid, the titlist further disgraced the honcho by questioning his manhood. Perhaps naively, McMahon challenged the brazen kingpin to a match on September 14, 1999. Triple H not only consented, but agreed to allow Shane McMahon--then aligned with his father--to act as special referee.
Despite the odds, Triple H had a relatively easy time with both McMahon's crashing Vince through a table and cracking a chair across Shane's cranium. But "the Game" never expected Austin to shift the tide of the match. Out of nowhere, the Texas Rattlesnake appeared, executed a Stone Cold Stunner on the titlist and placed Vince on top to score the win.
McMahon's reckless bravado has always been a source of pride to the WWF owner, but he wasn't foolhardy enough to believe that he could run a billion-dollar company and defend the title at the same time. Days after the stunning triumph, he relinquished the championship, and Triple H won it back on September 26, in a special "Six-Pack Challenge" against the Rock, Kane, Mankind, Big Show and British Bulldog.
Once again, "the Game" ruled the World Wrestling Federation. But behind the scenes, Triple was said to be worried about another confrontation with Austin, who vowed to recapture the title at the 1999 Survivor Series in a Triple-Threat match against "the Game" and the Rock. Before the contest could be held, Austin was hit by a car in the underground parking garage of the Joe Louis Arena. While fans and Superstars speculated about the identity of the driver, Big Show was substituted in Austin's place. With Vince McMahon's help, Big Show shocked the sports-entertainment world, capturing Hunter's championship after a choke-slam.
In Vince McMahon, Triple H had met an adversary more cunning than himself. The dethroned titlist was anxious to outshine his boss, but knew that it would take a special type of evil resourcefulness to achieve that end. Just beating up the World Wrestling Federation owner wouldn't do. Triple H decided to hit McMahon where he was most vulnerable, targeting his beloved daughter Stephanie.
The plot began to unfold shortly after Stephanie's engagement to Test. Following her bachelorette party in Las Vegas, a seemingly intoxicated Stephanie was whisked away by Triple H to one of the city's drive-thru wedding chapels. The "Billion-Dollar Princess" appeared barely aware of her surroundings as "the Game" led her through a marriage ceremony.
Quite predictably, Stephanie's relationship with Test disintegrated--and Vince was out for vengeance. At Armageddon, the WWF owner met his son-in-law in a match with specific conditions. If McMahon won, the marriage would be annulled, but if Triple H emerged victorious, he'd receive a rematch against Big Show for the title.
In the middle of the batter, Stephanie jumped into the ring, seemingly to aid her battered father. Then, fans watched a curious chain of events. As the elder McMahon lifted a sledgehammer to pound his foe, Stephanie pulled away the weapon. Triple H took possession of the giant mallet and appeared ready to strike his bride, when he suddenly stopped. Instead of cowering, Stephanie broke into a grin and embraced Triple H. It had all been a plot. For years, Steph resented her father for controlling her life. Now, out of spite, she married the man he hated the most. The "McMahon-Helmsley Era" was born. As promised, Triple H received his rematch with Big Show.
The new millennium began with "the Game" winning the World Wrestling Federation gold for the third time on January 3, 2000. Mick Foley, the man Triple H dethroned for his first championship, was first in line for a title shot. Their animosity could be traced back to SummerSlam '97, when Foley paid homage to his idol "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, by scaling the top of a steel cage and flattening "the Game." At the 2000 Royal Rumble, the two enemies tore into each other in a specially sanctioned Street Fight; Triple H retained the championship by delivering a Pedigree to his opponent on a pile of thumbtacks.
At No Way Out, the two agreed to meet in an enclosed cage in a brutal Hell in a Cell match. For this contest, Foley dusted off his old Cactus Jack persona--the crazed character he boasted during the early part of his career--and vowed to retire if he didn't win the title. The battle was even more brutal than the duo's prior encounter. Somehow, they managed to wind up on top of the cage, where Cactus Jack attempted a pile-driver, but was instead backdropped--breaking through the roof of the cage, and plummeting downwards, hitting the ring with such force that his body caved in the canvas.
Seeing his hated opponent in perhaps the most vulnerable state of his career, Triple H descended into the mat and won the fracas with a Pedigree.
Although Foley had vowed to retire from the mat game upon losing, the tempting lure of the biggest stage in all of sports-entertainment was too much to resist.
It had been Foley's dream to headline a WrestleMania, and when the idea for a "Fatal-Four-Way" was presented to him--with the possibility of getting even with Triple H as a bonus--it was too much for the eccentric icon to resist. The main event has a McMahon in every corner; Linda seconded Mankind; Vince backed the Rock; Shane accompanied Big Show; and naturally, the champion came to the ring with his wife Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley.
When the night ended, Foley had fallen to Triple H again, and fans realized that The Rock had placed his fate in the hands of the wrong McMahon. Vince turned on his charge, bashing him with a steel chair and setting him up for a Triple H triumph.
If anyone questioned the titlist's skills, this reign ended their skepticism. Night after night, Triple H was at his best, ignoring the nagging injuries that come with going full throttle defending the championship, and establishing himself as one of the legends of the sport of kings.
But the Rock was also reaching the apex of his career. And, in a series of confrontations that will be remembered for generations, the "Cerebral Assassin" and the man dubbed the People's Champion would trade the title back and forth.
On April 30, 2000, The Rock took the championship at Backlash, thanks to an unexpected assist from Austin. A month later, the pair met again at Judgment Day in an Ironman match officiated by none other than Shawn Michaels. The contest would last 60 minutes. Whichever gladiator scored the most pinfalls in that time period would go home with the title. The bout was tied at five falls apiece when a number of Triple H's allies intervened. Suddenly, Undertaker sped to the ring on his motorcycle and chock-slammed "the Game." Michaels, who'd previously been knocked out in the skirmish, revived. Seeing the American Bad Ass in the ring, the Heartbreak Kid called for the bell, awarding the match to his old friend via disqualification.
With Michaels firmly in Triple H's camp, the titlist tried cementing his bond to Vince and Shane McMahon, teaming with the duo at the 2000 King of the Ring against the Rock, Kane and Undertaker. But in an unpredictable move, Linda McMahon--the one relative with whom Triple H hadn't made peace--decreed that whichever competitor scored the pin would leave the ring with the World Wrestling Federation title.
Triple H also didn't count on his father-in-law making another run for the title during this match. While "the Game" was preoccupied with his opponents, Vince attempted to snare the championship by delivering the People's Elbow to the Rock. To no one's surprise, the efforts were fruitless, and the Rock found himself winning yet another World Wrestling Federation title after a Rock Bottom to the boss.
With another title loss, Triple H felt more than a modicum of contempt for the family he'd chosen to join. As it was, keeping the home fires burning was always a challenge with the high-maintenance woman who came to be known as the "Billion Dollar Princess." When Chris Jericho disparaged her as a "bottom feeding trash bag ho," "the Game" threw himself into a draining feud to defend Stephanie's honor. Now, Triple H saw a threat coming from another source, American hero Kurt Angle.
Despite denials from both parties, Angle and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley had carried on a flirtation for several months, enraging "the Game," and at times, throwing off his game plan. Angle insisted that he was nothing more than a sympathetic "friend," willing to listen to Mrs. McMahon Helmsley bemoan her mounting marital woes. But Triple H saw the 1996 U.S. Olympic medalist as an obstacle for both his wife's affections and his aspirations of recapturing the World Wrestling Federation Championship.
At SummerSlam 2000, The Rock agreed to put his title on the line in a three-way brawl with both Angle and Triple H. Manipulating the ill will his opponents felt for one another, the Rock had little more to do than stand back and watch the duo fight. At one point, Triple H attempted to slug Angle, but blasted Stephanie instead. Angle then smashed "the Game" with his own sledgehammer, permitting the Rock to win the match with the People's Elbow. As the show was going off the air, Angle was seen carrying a lightheaded Stephanie to the dressing room.
Eventually, Triple H demanded that his wife choose between her husband and her confidant. Stephanie expressed preference for her groom in dramatic fashion, kicking Angle in the groin. Still, the American Hero was such an obnoxious presence in the World Wrestling Federation that fans sometimes felt they had no choice but to cheer Triple H--that is, until they learned the details of the accident suffered by Stone Cold Steve Austin just prior to the 1999 Survivor Series.
It took the Texas Rattlesnake months to recover, then some time before he discovered the truth. The facts stunned the wrestling public: the gigantic Rikishi had driven the vehicle that ran over Austin--under orders from Triple H, who feared losing the World Wrestling Federation Championship to Stone Cold.
Upon digesting this information, Austin went wild, trapping his enemy in a car, then using a piece of heavy equipment to hoist the vehicle off the ground and drop it 20 feet to the pavement.
Now, "the Game" was the one who was out of commission. But when he returned to action, he showed little remorse. In fact, he demanded a special two-out-of-three falls match at No Way Out in early 2001 to finally establish his superiority over his rival. The first fall was supposed to be a straight wrestling contest, but the two ignored scientific maneuvers and commenced their confrontation with flying fists. Triple H hoped to break Austin's spirit in this round, but the Rattlesnake was the one who gained the psychological advantage, countering the "Cerebral Assassin's" best maneuvers to win the fall with the Stone Cold Stunner.
But, as he had in the past, Triple H rallied in the face of adversity. In the second fall--a "street fight"--Austin and "the Game" brawled through the stands, incorporated the ring steps, television monitors, beer cans and the ring bell into the battle, and even reintroduced the barbed wire-adorned 2x4 that last made an impact in Triple H's encounters with Mick Foley. As blood flowed from both combatants, Triple H evened the match after blasting his foe with a sledgehammer, followed by a Pedigree.
Now, a cage slowly descended from the top of the arena. The third fall would be decided within its confines. Both men tried their finishes on one another, but neither was ready to quit; Triple H weathered a Stunner, and Austin fought back a Pedigree. Eventually, each grabbed his weapon of choice: Austin the barbed wire 2x4, Triple H the sledgehammer. Rushing forward, they swung the objects, making contact simultaneously. As they crumpled to the canvas, "the Game" landed on his adversary, remaining in the dominant position while the referee counted to three, awarding the match to the "Cerebral Assassin."
Incredibly, the pair would soon join forces. At WrestleMania X-Seven, Stone Cold Steve Austin shocked fans and onlookers everywhere when he aligned himself with his old enemy Vince McMahon. The next night, Triple H joined the axis, convinced that his association with the two powerhouses would lead to future glory.
The choice initially appeared wise. Two days after WrestleMania X-Seven, the "Cerebral Assassin" won the Intercontinental title. Although he lost the championship to Jeff Hardy in a stunning upset on April 10, 2000, he quickly recaptured the gold on April 16. Then on April 29, Triple H and Austin--then known as the "Two-Man Power Trip"--dethroned Undertaker and Kane for the World Wrestling Federation Tag Team titles at Backlash.
But the streak didn't last. On May 20, "the Game" dropped the Intercontinental title to Kane. The next night was more calamitous. The Two-Man Power Trip was defending the Tag Team Championship against Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho, when "Y2J" caught Austin in the Walls of Jericho.
As Triple H rushed into the ring to interfere, he planted his leg on the canvas, but it gave out. He was diagnosed with a torn quadriceps muscle in his left leg. Despite intense pain, he kept fighting, even enduring the painful Walls of Jericho on the announcer's table.
Within days, he was in the operating room, now placing his future in the hands of famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. But even during his long stay on the shelf, speculation swirled over what Triple H would do upon returning to the fold of the World Wrestling Federation. Was the Two-Man Power Trip going to reconvene, or would "the Game" renew his perennial rivalry with Stone Cold? While Hunter was enduring the rigors of physical therapy, the World Wrestling Federation was invaded by WCW and ECW.
Either way, the Superstar often deemed the hardest working man in sports-entertainment will undoubtedly rumble his way to the top again, entrancing fans with his originality between the ropes, and surprising them with decisions only he understands--rising to every challenge and playing the game as only he can play it.