Defining the moment: Triple H

[LSN80]

First off, I want to thank all who responded to the John Cena thread on defining his career moment. It was great to see so many different perspectives on John Cena's career, and what really defined him, some of which I had never thought of. But I digress, this thread is about HHH.

A defining moment, as I noted previously, is THAT moment in a wrestler's career that made you take notice more than any other. The one that made you look at said wrestler as truly being something special, and not just another superstar. It can be a promo, a segment, or a match, or even a series of events in a row. It doesn't necessarily mean we like said wrestler, but a new found appreciation is found and shown towards them. We all have our reasons for getting into wrestling, but it's safe to say that a certain wrestler influenced it, some more than others. And there was and is that special moment that sticks with us through time. In the case of some, we don't even have to like the particular wrestler for a moment to be special.

I decided to go with HHH second because he's had a long and distinguished career within WWE. Because of that, there are many moments that Im sure we could point to, which is the beauty of this thread. None of us are wrong here, it's the moment that we truly own. Also, like John Cena, HHH has stirred up a great deal of controversy and disagreemt within the IWC due to his marriage to Stephanie McMahon. I'd like to keep the smarky comments regarding this to a minimum, unless you truly believe that was THE defining moment in his career. I ask respectfully, that you please be prepared to back it up if this is the case.

For me, there are so many moments, matches, and promos with HHH that stand out and any of these could be used to define his career. But to me, there's one moment that stands out more than any other as truly "defining" HHH. Up until this point, HHH had spent the majority of his WWE career as a heel. But upon sufferring a career threatening quadriceps injury in 2001, the McMahon-Helmsley era came to an abrupt end, and HHH was sidelined for 8 months. He made his return at Madison Square Garden, one of the most hostile crowds of all time, and the reaction from the crowd says it all.

[YOUTUBE]EV3h34tUIcQ[/YOUTUBE]

In all my time as a wrestling fan, Ive never heard anything approaching this reaction at MSG, who again are notoriously for being a difficult crowd. And though it didn't last long, HHH showed he could step out as a face on his own, and this was the catalyst for it.

So to you personally, I ask the following:

What has been the defining moment of HHH's career to you? Why?

Again, as was the case with Cena, you dont have to like the man to understand and appreciate that he's provided his share of moments that have been impactful on the business. If you like, provide a Youtube video of said moment. And have fun with this.

 

[Ferbian]

There's a promo Triple H performed back in 2000 with Jim Ross, it's shown in the DVD that was made for him during the time (Or after, I forgot) he was injured in 2002. There's one specific part of the interview where he begins to shoot on WWE and the fact that he felt that they held him back during the MSG incident, and how he felt like he was being treated like crap. And eventually, this little thing came along that changes Triple H's entire career. "I am the game J.R".

Triple H calling himself the game had a major play going for him when he became not only a top heel, but eventually became one of the top faces. Triple H is known as The Game, the guy you have to go through to be something in this business (Alongside John Cena really). And without this moniker, Triple H might not have become truly as huge as he has become. Sure he would've become big, but the moniker of "The Game" truly made a great defining moment in Triple H's career.

There's many other moments, like the one you posted LSN80, there's the moment of the forming of Evolution, the forming of D-Generation X and many many other moments that has helped define who Triple H is for the business today, as well as what a legend he has become. However, I would like to at least throw the above mentioned point out there, cause I definitely feel it has a big part of his career.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

The return is great and is possibly the loudest I've seen a crowd pop for someone, but I'm going to go for something else. My choice is this:

[YOUTUBE]OHfTLFHt8sk[/YOUTUBE]​

This was the moment we all realised that Triple H was an excellent heel who could sit at the top of the company as the evil, dastardly villain. Triple H has always struck me as a batter heel than as a face and this was his crowning achievement in the villainous category, the night he marries Stephanie. She was supposedly this 'pure' girl who was going to marry the man of her dreams (Test) when Triple H came in and crapped all over that. He not only married her, he drugged her (and it was implied that he raped her too). Triple H didn't stop there though; he actually managed to corrupt Stephanie into working with him. Triple H was a master manipulator, and a diabolical plotter, and that moment sums up why he is the Game.

 

[cboedeker2]

I would have to go with when he ruined Stephanie and Test's wedding. Even though I was still a young kid at the time (I had just turned 12 about 5 days earlier), I found that segment to be HILARIOUS, and I still do to this day. It was during this time when his mic skills truly started to shine through. One other moment that pops out in my head, and I can't remember the date for the life of me, but it would have to be his match on Raw against Chris Jericho where he lost the WWE Championship to Jericho, then forced Earl Hebner to reverse the call. That moment, for the first time, demonstrated Triple H's ability to help make stars. Not that Jericho isn't or wasn't a star, but that moment helped make him in WWE, and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone that could have done the job better than Triple H.

 

[GameOver]

For me it was the promo with Jim Ross where he explained how pissed off he was with being treated like crap over the clicq incident etc. leading to his heel turn and first world title

It was real, it was intense and it was like classic Jake The Snake promo's which i always say is who Trips modeled his heel promo's on initally.

his entertainment with DX were what made him popular overall i'd say.
his heel runs as world champ were what made him a legend and The Game

He is the Game and he is that damn good.
his entertainment with DX were what made him popular overall i'd say.

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

For me,it was when HHH took over DX. I say that because when he was in the first version of DX he was more of a lackey to Shawn Micheals. When he took over its that moment he started to show his promo skills thus his personality and became more of a leader type than a follower.

 

[The Brain]

Since Triple H has been around so long I’m going to give two different examples from different stages of his career.

In December 1994 my brother and I received tickets to a WCW house show for Christmas. We were WWF fans but my grandparents didn’t know the difference. They just saw Hulk Hogan was coming to town and assumed we would want to go. It was still wrestling and we were casual viewers of WCW so we certainly weren’t going to turn down the free tickets. The opening match featured Alex Wright vs. someone I had never heard of. I couldn’t really make out his name during the introductions. He wore pink tights and had long blonde hair. He worked the crowd pretty well with taunts and stall tactics. Wright was the one being pushed by WCW at the time and he got the win, but it was the unknown man who impressed me even in defeat. I liked his style and his attitude. I hoped one day he would come to the WWF and challenge for the IC title. Shortly after the show I found out the guy’s name was Jean Paul Levesque who would of course become Hunter Hearst Helmsley in the WWF. A few months later I was watching WWF Superstars and there was one of those pre debut vignettes for a new superstar. The new star didn’t say a word in the vignette. He didn’t feel the need to lower himself to the level of WWF fans and address them. I recognized him as that guy I liked from WCW and pegged him as a future IC champion right off the bat.

I’m not going to sit here and try to convince you I knew Helmsley would go on to become a 13 time world champion and main event several WrestleManias. There’s no way I could predict that. I liked his potential and thought he would be a good IC champion like Rick Rude and Mr. Perfect. If he never went further than that he would have had a successful career but of course he went on to so much more. That takes me to the second defining moment for Triple H.

In the summer of 1999 it was obvious Triple H was becoming the top heel in the WWF. He won a couple world titles in the second half of 1999 and captured his third on the first Raw of 2000. At this time Steve Austin was injured and The Rock had become the most popular star in the WWF. After hosting Saturday Night Live, and with his popularity at an all time high, The Rock winning the world title at WrestleMania 16 seemed like a foregone conclusion. He challenged Triple H for the title at mania in a fatal fourway match also featuring Mick Foley and The Big Show. As expected the match came down to Triple H and The Rock. Then something unexpected happened; something that had never happened before. Triple H won the match and for the first time a heel was victorious in the mania main event. The WWF was more popular than ever in 2000 and you would think that they would want their most popular star to win the main event at the biggest show of the year. Triple H and The Rock would go on to trade the world title back and forth over the next few months, but Triple H walking in and out of WrestleMania as world champion made quite a statement.

 

[Dave]

Oh my God, I have never heard a reaction like that in the history of ever, Thank you for posting that LSN. I remember watching that live when I was just a Triple H mini-mark and couldn't believe how amazingly superior it was, in terms of fan reaction to a return. It surely was one of the most career defining moments in the fabled history that is Triple H. Anyway, thanks for posting that. Respect!

Anyway, as a huge Triple H mark, I have so many moments that I have completely marked out to. One of the moments, is the moment that is outlined in the OP. I have never been so excited to be a wrestling fan as I was when I heard those all too familiar stokes of Motorhead's guitar. All of the moments that have been mentioned in this thread make some great reading and viewing but my personal favourite moment is the match he and Mick Foley (Cactus Jack) had in 2000 at the Royal Rumble, Of course, this match was just the beginning to a wonderful series of brutal match that not only shifted the way Triple H's career went but also the career of Mick Foley. Foley was always known for being a sick son of a bitch but those two matches and especially the Rumble match, really set him apart from the rest. Of course, it showed that Triple H could also have that ruthless side of his character and it really shot him into the stratosphere, as far as I am concerned. It takes a lot to keep up with Mick Foley in any sort of extreme rules match and Triple H did just that. It was, perhaps, the best match I have ever seen and it is definitely the best hardcore match I have ever witnessed.

Also, on a personal note, this was the first main event match I ever viewed as a fan of the WWE. It was at the first PPV event that I ever watched and it just kept me intrigued form the very first moment. Without Triple H, Cactus Jack and that match at Royal Rumble, I might not have actually become a fan of the company and professional wrestling as a whole. It was wonderfully brutal and I wouldn't have changed anything if I had the opportunity to. It changed Triple H's career, there is absolutely no doubt about it. People realised that Triple H was for real and could be one of the most dangerous people in the company. Since then, he has managed to carve out a reputation for himself as being a man who can rise to the level that one would expect from an extreme rules match and it is all due to that match.

It is my favourite Triple H moment and I have many.

 

[Tech N9ne]

I will go with the day after Wrestlemania 14.

That RAW, the night after Mania was a defining, if not THE defining moment of his career.

Though he had held plenty of titles AND won The King Of The Ring before that. He was 2nd in DX to HBK. Shawn Michaels had the World Title and HHH was the one getting the rub from being around HBK.

Then after HBK retired the 1st time, HHH came out and announced himself as the leader of The New DX. He reformed the group and took it's popularity to new heights. What he did on this night was an attempt to step out of HBK's shadow. He truly had an attitude that night and went out there to announce DX would carry on without Shawn. Confidence exuded out of him. He acted like he had always been the leader and removed Shawn to bring in new guys.

It was awesome. He brought out X-Pac and The New Age Outlaws joined later that night.

He became his OWN man that night. He proved he was more than Shawn's lackey!!

 

[LitasRevenge79]

Granted, I did get into the newer part of wrestling a bit later in life, but HHH was someone SO fascinating to me, and he really does have a life almost out of a Jerry Springer show, so to speak. This man's career accomplishments are enough to warrant probably a 3 or 4 disc collection, but I will do my best to pare down some of the highlights in my opinion.

1. Jan. 7, 2002- HHH makes his return to WWE during the Royal Rumble. What was thought to be a career ending injury, he emerged after the countdown ended. The ever famous music of Motorhead blasted in the arena, those that were left in the ring looked on in fear/confusion/and shock. The crowd rose to their feet in shock and awe. HHH makes his way to the ring and cleans house like he knows how. From that point, he gets his shot at the Undisputed Champion, Jericho at WM18.

2. Formation of Evolution- This was the ULTIMATE coup of greats to have as a stable. He started out with Flair coming to his aid. Then recruiting the young Randy Orton. Then they needed the muscle to take out HHH's largest nemesis, Goldberg. The goal, $100,000.00 bounty to anyone who could successfully take out Goldberg. Who answered the call? A behemoth named Dave Batista. Then you had one of the supergroups of that era, they ruled with every belt at one point. The World Heavyweight Championship, the Tag Team belts, the Intercontinental belt. This was probably one of his greatest achievements in terms of successful stables with gold. (In my opinion.)

3. Shawn Michaels' retirement- I think the whole storyline up to this point was a MAJOR event. It really tested the friendship with HHH and Shawn. It showed how they could depend on each other in the worst of times, and no matter what, he would be there. I'm sure it was hard for him seeing HBK so down, feeling like he'd not get to have his chance with Undertaker. Then seeing HBK taking that lunch lady job. Even HHH going as far as to bring him back to WWE. Then HHH even being there for him even after Shawn lost, and was making his goodbye speech, (despite Sheamus' attack on him later the next week) but it was a true moment to show that HHH could say goodbye to one chapter of his life.

 

[The Eighties]

Triple H has had many huge moments in his career, for me the one that cemented him was winning the brutal match at the Royal Rumble with Cactus Jack in 2000.

However the defining moment for me was him and Steph pulling off one of the most shocking swerves ever at Armageddon 99. To this point he was still a guy they were testing out as the new top heel with a couple of short reigns, but as he stood over Vince making out with Steph and smirking triumphantly at the crowd, you knew this wasn't just another heel but that the WWF were about to put the whole machine behind making him a huge star.

I’m not going to sit here and try to convince you I knew Helmsley would go on to become a 13 time world champion and main event several WrestleManias. There’s no way I could predict that. I liked his potential and thought he would be a good IC champion like Rick Rude and Mr. Perfect.

This was my initial feeling as well when he had the Blue Blood gimmick, he seemed like a classic IC champ with his look and his techncial ring style. It wasn't until his KOTR final with Mankind that I started to get the feeling he could be a WWF champion.

 

[#hamler]

LSN, sorry I'm late. As promised...

Triple H's defining moment for me would have to be his dominating reign over RAW and his Evolution front man days back in 2003. Triple H would take his mentor Ric Flair and pick up two rookies by the name of Batista and Randy Orton. Now these two guys were not your typical rookies. They were two rookie that no one saw the huge amounts of potential in, except Triple H and Ric Flair. Tiple H and Ric Flair took these two guys and gave them a major make over into rich, snobby, heels. Evolution represented the past (Flair), present (Triple H), and future (Orton and Batista). Their whole purpose was to push these two rookies to the top, and that they did. During this time, each member would have great feuds with other phenomenal wrestlers. Their fontman Triple H, was no different.

Triple feuded with Scott Steiner when Evolutioon officially debuted. Batista and Randy Orton began to help Triple H out at various times attacking his opponents. This lead to one of the greatest feuds in Scott Steiner's career. Scott would always come up short when facing Triple H. Everytime it looked as if he would win, Triple H would find a way to keep his World Title. This is where Triple H was born. This is where he began to act like a younger Ric Flair cheating at every oppotunity. He would go on to have another fantastic Heavyweight Championship defense against Kevin Nash at Bad Blood 2003 Hell in A Cell.

Later on that year, Goldberg would arrive. Triple H still found a way to hang on to his World Championships. While Goldberg seemed unstoppable, Evolution helped Triple H through out his title defenses against Goldberg. Triple H would try everything to stop Goldberg. 100,000$ bounties, run in attacks and sledgehammers wouldn't stop Goldberg. I believe this was the time where Triple H's heel character reached an all time high. Goldberg was so over that Triple H couldn't talk without getting boo'd. At Wrestlemania XX, Triple defended his World Championship to Shawn Michaels and Royal Rumble winner Chris Benoit with Chris winning his first World Title.

Chris would go on to feud with Evolution in the coming months being attacked several times. That summer at Summer Slam PPV, Chris would go on to lose his World Title match to Randy Orton. Thus, starting a Triple H/Randy Orton feud which lasted several years. Randy was able to go out on his own. Batista was next up. After months of tension between the remaining group members and winning the Royal Rumble, Batista chose to face Triple H at Wrestlemania 21 which saw him winning. Batista would be put over Triple H, three times in a row.

During this time, Triple H helped put over two of the biggest stars in the last decade in Randy Orton and Batista. Triple H drew tremendous heat during this time, doing anything he could to keep his World Championships around his waist. In fact, all the other Championship reigns during this time were definitely faded because of Triple H's sucess. Triple H made you hate his guts. A phenomenal heel. Sure this was over the course of two to three years but Triple H's time as Evolution's frontman is his defining moment in my opinion.

 

[Wrestlezone_IS_JeRiiCho]

i believe it was the start of the evolution of "the game" wich totaly turned around his carrer after they revamped him with a new badass look. also the mcmahon helmsley era was one of the best story lines because it was believable and it showed that not only was he a great wrestler, but he could cut an amazing promo and carry a major story line, the matches he had during that era such as the hell in the cell between him and foley added to making him a superstar to watch, truely, his defining moment

 

[Dark Horse]

For me it all goes back to D-X. It was Shawn Michaels who got this guy over big with me. I had already liked his gimmick as Hunter Hearst Helmsley. I liked The Pedigree, I liked his look, I liked the way he acted, and overall I liked his wrestling. He was already someone I quite enjoyed and was fond of. It wasn't until he started to run with Shawn Michaels though, that I thought "Ok, this guy must be for real." I thought he became a real bad ass in D-X which was what his previous character lacked. Sure, Hunter Hearst Helmsley may have been good, he may have been savvy or even cunning, but he was not a bad ass. In D-X Triple H became the man, when Shawn left due to injury and Triple H took over it was official, he was going to be biiiiig. I knew that before he took over D-X just because Shawn Michaels kept him so close by and invested so much into him. He had to be one of the next BIG guys if Shawn was giving him all this attention and the proverbial nod of approval. As it turns out 13 title reigns later, he was that damn good all along.