A Question For The Triple H Haters

[The Brain]

I don't know if this belongs here, but I’m posting this in the old school section because I’m asking about the Triple H from around SummerSlam 2002 – WrestleMania 21. I’ve read so many times about people criticizing Triple H for having such a stranglehold on the world title during this timeframe. I don’t understand why. Triple H was simply the best wrestler on raw at the time. Why shouldn’t he have been champion?

Of course the most popular criticism is he was only champion because he’s married to Stephanie. That’s crap. Just pretend he didn’t have a relationship with Stephanie. Do you really think he wasn’t talented enough to be champion? I say with or without Stephanie he was a deserving champion.

Another argument is that he should have been putting people over and letting other talent have a title reign. Many argue that Kane should have won the title in the fall of 2002 or Booker at WrestleMania XIX. Why? Shouldn’t a champion be able to have successful title defenses? I really don’t see Kane as championship material. After all he’s been with WWE for over 12 years and had one title reign that lasted one day. Would Kane really have been a successful champion? I don’t think so. How about Booker? Maybe he would have been a decent champion in 2003, but I don’t think he would have been anything special. I think Booker was a great challenger for Triple H but that doesn’t mean he needed to be champion. It’s not like Triple H never lost the title. Goldberg got a run and Benoit had a pretty good one too. Besides Evolution was a great group. They wouldn’t be as fondly remembered if the leader wasn’t champion. Which bring me to my next point.

Most agree that Ric Flair is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. They look back at his title reigns as a positive thing. From September 17, 1981 – July 7, 1990 there was a combined 13 months (approximately) where Flair was not champion. Thirteen months out of nearly nine years. The Four Horsemen is the most respected faction of all time. Their purpose was to keep the title on Flair and they did for years. These were the golden years of the NWA. Triple H was named world champion on September 2, 2002. He held the title for a total of 20 months out of 31 months. Evolution was a great group. Their purpose was to keep the title on Triple H. Why is it ok for Flair to have such control over the title but not Triple H, especially for a much longer period of time? By the way, Hulk Hogan’s four year title reign were the golden years of the WWF. I never read complaints about that reign.

I don’t know if it’s still fashionable to hate Triple H, but I still see the criticisms once in a while. It’s just something that’s always bothered me. Triple H was and is a deserving champion. I guess I have one main question for all the Triple H haters. Based on talent, if you didn’t know about his personal life or backstage power would you have been more accepting of Triple H as champion during that period?

 

[Dagger Dias]

A lot of people give Triple H such a hard time. I'm rather neutral on this issue. Triple H is a better wrestler than he is given credit for.... but he did marry daughter of the boss. I'm sure he truly loves Stephanie, not going to argue that. I do think he sometimes uses that connection to his advantage though. It gives him more opportunities. If you had great opportunities would you not do the real life equivalent of what Edge does, and capitalize on the opportunity?

I actually want Triple H to beat Flair's record. It will be an awesome moment when it happens, and he's almost there. I do think that he would have a shot at breaking this record even if he wasn't married to Stephanie. He might have a couple less championship reigns though. That just means it would take him a few years longer. I still think he could pull it off though.

The Brain, your point about Evolution was a good point. If the Horsemen could make sure that Flair was still champion, why is it not ok that Evolution kept the title on Triple H? I agree with you there. The group may have been trying to show us who the future was (Orton) but they were also supposed to help Triple H keep the title. Lower heels help bigger heels, that is how it has often been done.

I don't support everything that Triple H has done, but if it weren't for all the things we know about his life then I think that he would have been looked at more positively as champion when Evolution was around, and we also would have accepted more of his title reigns because he is criticized more than he should be.

 

[gtajoker01]

Good point.He is a great wrestler no doubt but for yrs hes been shoved down peoples throats and after so long people eventually get sick of that wrestler/superstar for example cena he was doin good in 04/05 then he got the marine gimmick you know the rest.

 

[jayteeERA]

Good piont on this thread. If i can add my 2 cents on here? I'm not a HHH hater. I respect this guy of what he has ever done. He has been in the wwe a long time. He is the best of the best. He's good as a heel or face. HHH in the title scene do not bothers me like most ppl. He deserves it, despite the fact he is married to the bosses daughter. Which I think it is a excuss for ppl to hate on him. Somebody mentions Edge. Edge has been a 9 time champion and he is not married to the bosses daughter. The only thing that annoys me about HHH is finding him a way to involve him in a main event at Wrestlemainia. I just wish he would do some thing else around that time, other than that he is cool with me.But for titles in 2001 & 2006 HHH hasn't won the wwe title and that gave him a break. In 2007 he had it for 2 hours. I just wish ppl would stop bashing the man all cause he is married to stephanie. I think he is doing a good job. The haters just needs to come with a better excuss.He is married to Stephanie not Vince.

 

[burnout4200]

With me the problem is all of the extra news we hear. Triple H got a new work out partner now suddenly Sheamus is getting a title shot? I've heard numerous stories like that along with people he disliked losing their push and noone likes a critic. Why should Triple H get to decide everyone elses fate all of the sudden? Triple H is like an authority figure now and it's instinct to despise authority. Think about the way he got his spot in the first place. He kissed the right ass and was the cliques bitch which landed him a spot in DX. When you hear about the clique in shoot interviews or what not they spend half of the time laughing about how big of a bitch Hunter was back then. But thanks to that he got on Shawn Micheals good side which eventually got him over.

I'm a look at both sides type of guy so I'm not a Triple H hater. He's good at what he does and hes too good to be shoved down the card. Unfortunatly WWE has had their main eventers for years and people are just getting sick of Triple H. I don't see you asking why people hate Cena when he has obvious talent. You already know the answer so you don't have to ask. He's stale and he's been at the top of the card forever, normally in a title hunt. The same applies to Triple H but he's been around even longer than Cena. In that regard alot of people would still dislike Triple H even if they never read a single excerpt of backstage news. Fresh main eventers is what we need to like Hunter again, but when he gets to pick who the main eventer is it ruins the whole thing.

Triple H has been shoved down our throats for years and it feels like Vince is trying to force us to like him since he's family. When someone tries to make you like something you're not so quick to oblige. Fuck those vegetables, I want candy.

 

[Tenta]

I don't know if this belongs here, but I’m posting this in the old school section because I’m asking about the Triple H from around SummerSlam 2002 – WrestleMania 21.

Yes, I'm very familiar. I personally thought it was the worst time for business in the WWE. So, let's address it.

I’ve read so many times about people criticizing Triple H for having such a stranglehold on the world title during this timeframe. I don’t understand why. Triple H was simply the best wrestler on raw at the time. Why shouldn’t he have been champion?

Two Reasons:

A. Smarks want change. Tat's really the best way to put it. Now, I mean change, by adding new names into the main event, and making them viable contenders for the title. If Trips is as good as people make him out to be, then he'd be able to give these guys the rub, enough so that they could stay within the main event.

Instead, what typically happened is that Triple H has a feud, the person he's feuding with gets buried, and returns back down to the mid card. That's why I personally find Triple H vastly overrated.

Of course the most popular criticism is he was only champion because he’s married to Stephanie. That’s crap. Just pretend he didn’t have a relationship with Stephanie. Do you really think he wasn’t talented enough to be champion? I say with or without Stephanie he was a deserving champion.

A champion? Perhaps. A champion fourteen times over? I really do doubt it. But again, that's future thought, so I don't know if it qualifies for your argument.

I can honestly say I felt there were politics played. Given how the Titles were treated, both before and after Triple H's reign, I can't help but notice how closely Triple H stayed to the belt for that entire team. And that's a three to four year stretch in which he's at the top of the card, defending the title, or fighting for the title. And usually, that's either;

A. Poor Booking
B. Something fishy arising.

Ok... Let's just consider the main event from the time periods you're mentioning. Actually, let's even take it back a bit further.

Wrestlemania 18: Triple H is in the main event, fighting for the WWE Title.
Wrestlemania XIX: World Title. Defending against Booker T.
Wrestlemania XX: World Title. Fighting Benoit and HBK.
Wrestlemania XXI: World Title. Fighting Batista
Wrestlemania XXII: World Title. Cena.

Consider that.... That's five years of Triple H around the World Heavyweight Title at Wrestlemania. Only one person ever got that treatment in their life, and that was Hulk Hogan. And even Hulk broke it up at Wrestlemania IV by allowing Savage and DiBiase the main event.

And to answer the question you didn't ask.... No, I do not believe Triple H to be on par with Hulk Hogan.

Another argument is that he should have been putting people over and letting other talent have a title reign.

I'd agree with that sentiment.

Many argue that Kane should have won the title in the fall of 2002 or Booker at WrestleMania XIX. Why? Shouldn’t a champion be able to have successful title defenses?

Well yes, but five years worth really brings an audience down. A lot. No one wants to see the same face at the main event five years in a row. We want some kind of breaking of the monotony.

I really don’t see Kane as championship material. After all he’s been with WWE for over 12 years and had one title reign that lasted one day. Would Kane really have been a successful champion? I don’t think so.

Did you miss the pops he got then? This was easily the best run in Kane's career. And typically, when someone's hot, you give them the ball, especially when they've performed at an optimal level for you for years.

How about Booker? Maybe he would have been a decent champion in 2003, but I don’t think he would have been anything special.

I happen to think Booker makes a compelling champion. Something lost in the WWE today. He's a great worker with good promo skills. Besides, that angle was designed for Booker to go over on Triple H. Still, it didn't happen.

I think Booker was a great challenger for Triple H but that doesn’t mean he needed to be champion. It’s not like Triple H never lost the title. Goldberg got a run and Benoit had a pretty good one too.

Benoit was never seen as the guy with the belt. You know what took up the main event scene while Benoit was champion? Fucking Eugene and Triple H. That was your fucking main event.

Besides Evolution was a great group. They wouldn’t be as fondly remembered if the leader wasn’t champion. Which bring me to my next point.

Here we agree.

Most agree that Ric Flair is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. They look back at his title reigns as a positive thing. From September 17, 1981 – July 7, 1990 there was a combined 13 months (approximately) where Flair was not champion. Thirteen months out of nearly nine years. The Four Horsemen is the most respected faction of all time. Their purpose was to keep the title on Flair and they did for years. These were the golden years of the NWA. Triple H was named world champion on September 2, 2002. He held the title for a total of 20 months out of 31 months. Evolution was a great group. Their purpose was to keep the title on Triple H. Why is it ok for Flair to have such control over the title but not Triple H, especially for a much longer period of time? By the way, Hulk Hogan’s four year title reign were the golden years of the WWF. I never read complaints about that reign.

Because, again, Triple H is neither

A. As compelling
B. As talented as the two men you mentioned.

The reason that can attain that level is because of the talent they possessed. Talent Triple H just didn't have when compared to those two.

I don’t know if it’s still fashionable to hate Triple H, but I still see the criticisms once in a while. It’s just something that’s always bothered me. Triple H was and is a deserving champion. I guess I have one main question for all the Triple H haters. Based on talent, if you didn’t know about his personal life or backstage power would you have been more accepting of Triple H as champion during that period?

Because, in no short way to say it:

Business was in the shitter.
Ratings were plummeting.
The WWE was losing money.

Yet no one stopped to wonder why things weren't changed.

 

[charlieboy]

was never a big triple h supporter until he had that feud with batista in 05, for him to put some one like that was really good, and now he is or was doing the same with legacy, keep himout of the title picture for a whileand keep him with sum midcarders to help them, or a couple of top names.either way triple h has impressed me loads in the last 4 or 5 years.

 

[ICPchris1369]

Ok... Let's just consider the main event from the time periods you're mentioning. Actually, let's even take it back a bit further.

Wrestlemania 18: Triple H is in the main event, fighting for the WWE Title.
Wrestlemania XIX: World Title. Defending against Booker T.
Wrestlemania XX: World Title. Fighting Benoit and HBK.
Wrestlemania XXI: World Title. Fighting Batista
Wrestlemania XXII: World Title. Cena

I wanna point out he did lose in the last 3 of those, so even tho he was in them he was putting others over, and honestly if he has the power to choose to win or lose thats pretty nice of him to choose to give up a wrestlemania victory 3 years in a row.

 

[UseYourBrain]

Triple H will always have a rocky reputation because he was a really good wrestler who was packaged as a GREAT, ELITE wrestler and who stayed on top for way longer than he was welcome, even for a heel. I remember turning Raw off when he would be on the screen. That's X-Pac-heat and that's no good for anybody. They would have HHH convince you he was going to drop the title to HBK, RVD, even Flair... but he'd always end up keeping it. They were trying to recreate Ric Flair, but the difference is that Ric Flair worked that routine in territories, many of which were not televised... so the people didn't KNOW they were getting the same match and results in Alabama as they'd gotten in Arkansas the night before and Boston the night before that. With HHH, all of the matches were on the same show and network. We KNEW we were going to get the same old routine before the bell even rang.

In all fairness, that's the same story as with Cena. The difference is that Cena is a mediocre (and maybe even below-average) wrestler in terms of talent. He has charisma and a huge build. Period. He's clunky, goofy, awkward, and he acts WAY too serious for a fake wrestling show. It comes off as that lame ass kid with the sideways hat in highschool who struts down the hallway and thinks he's on the streets surrounded by gangs when he's just walking to English class. Cena is always yapping about how he "never gives up" but that's silly. What is there to give up on? It's FAKE wrestling and you're being scheduled to WIN. Yeah, you're a real bad ass and a real go-getter you goofball. Kids buy it. Girls want him. Most men see right through it.

In all honesty, I think that if most of us were the age we are today twenty years ago, we'd HATE the Hulk Hogan era. We'd be whining about how Flair should be beating him, how Mr. Perfect NEEDS the world title, and how Savage is always being used as Hogan's whipping boy. We look at Hogan as this legendary thing and the measuring stick for a wrestler with star power... but if we'd been a little more mature, and if we'd had the INTERNET, we'd all bury him immediately.

A physically awkward guy with no in-ring talent and a lot of charisma is beating up the all-time greats every single night. Sound familiar?

 

[Dum Dum Dudley]

With me the problem is all of the extra news we hear. Triple H got a new work out partner now suddenly Sheamus is getting a title shot?

How is the WWE supposed to win? I mean, people want new talent pushed but as soon as HHH as a say in it does that make the person not worthy?
I for one like Sheamus and i think he'll make a good transitional feud for Cena till RR/Elimination Chamber... but back on topic.

That time period of HHH on top was stale in my opinion because he was constantly going over on talent that could have helped RAW succeed. At the time, i watched SD! more than Raw because the options were quite different: watch RAW job to Hunter or watch SD! and see talent like Benoit, Angle, Taker, Rock, Mysterio, Eddie and Edge have competitive matches and compelling storylines.

If we look at that time period, HHH did two things that pissed me off. He ran the Katie Vick angle and he unified the World and IC belts which effectively gave the midcard nothing to fight for except the tag belts (teams like Jericho/Christian and Booker/Goldust spring to mind). Look at Kofi. He had the run with the US belt to build momentum then smartly put in a feud with Orton. So potentially, Kofi could be a top player. Who on RAW looked like taking HHH out at the time?

Then when we get to the Evolution period, i blame Vince more than HHH. Look at the challengers on RAW between 03-04. Goldberg, Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner. All ex-WCW and i think he went over every single one of them so Vince could say 'WCW's best isn't as good as the WWE's'. You could add RVD to that as ex-ECW but that might be stretching it.

Overall, i think it was just the way he was booked as being a dominant force which didn't end until the Batista feud. I won't say it was the 'cerebral assassin' gimmick was stale because i think that made a great heel and i would much rather have him back as a heel than fannying about with DX. as a heel, HHH has intensity and just seems more interesting overall IMO.

 

[mikeyg]

Triple Natche mcmahon is simply uninteresting to me. Granted when he started to become a main eventer, he wasn't married to stephanie for real. And i agree he was the man to push bc rock was gone, austin was gone, and Im sure undertaker was or was stale. And if we all remember he was suppose to win King of the Ring but the curtain call by the clique cost him that push and thus we got Austin. I mean his run should have lasted 2 three years then moved on. I mean Id say he would eventually win a few more titiles bc he is a good wrestler and loyal to the E but 14 is more than he deserves. He tried to make Shelton who is so gifted and that failed. And the only reason why Batista and Orton get pushed is bc he goal he said for Evolution was to make guys like Flair did with sting and the horsemen. So thats why orton and batista get pushed down our throats so HHH can say he made them. Orton was gonna be great no matter if he was with hhh or not. He knew this so groomed him to make it look like he is so great. And for Boretista we all can sit down and watch him bore us for 2 minutes, win the title, and 2 weeks later forefit it due to injury. So take all that into consideration next time you want to defend hunter hearst mcmahon.

 

[TheLittleOne]

yea..ur right.. BUT also that buildup of HHH really helped make Batista's huge face turn mean so much more.. and they were planning that.. the way Hunter dominated for soo long..then batista got over at WM, then backlash..u just swore finally some how Hunter would get his due at the hell in the cell BUT no batista again.. which totally displayed hunter's ability and willingness to help... but also how he must be confident in it working and being worth it.. hes smart, and a damn hard worker.. dont forget , hes been bumpin his ass off in vince's ring since 1995.. sumtimes i feel people forget that and think he debuted with DX then took off as the game.
i really think with all these young amazing talents.. we would benefit from another heel run from HHH after DX runs dry.. he could turn of hbk one day..then after their feud.. he would help so many new guys out.. a heel controls matches and sets the pace to build a baby face's career.. its easy to build a new guy as a face with a great heel.. (think piper4 hogan) (bret 4 austin) (hogan 4 goldberg eeh) (hunter 4 orton and hunter 4 batista) (jericho helped cena..as did JBL and Hunter did 4 cena) now orton 4 kofi... it does happen other way around sumtimes.. but a match is controlled by a heel.. and in that time steiner, booker, nash DID just not deserve to get over on hunter and were in no shape to take a top spot

 

[JJ "the Devil's Advocate"]

agreed 100%, i HATE IT when people thank that HHH only gets title cause he married to the boss's daughter, i think A LOT of people forget that HHH was a 7- time champion (and evolution was already the top stable on raw) BEFORE he married Stephanie, and that he's been around since 1995 and a main eventer since 1999/2000 (the 2 MOST POPULAR YEARS FOR WWE/WWF) *OMG caps!!!!*

with that being said do i think he's NEVER used his "power" to win a match or get a title, no. he probably would be a 9, 10, or 11 time champ instead of 14, and i will be pissed IF he gets to flairs 16 or worse breaks it.

 

[jmt225]

If I didn't know anything about HHH being married to Steph or that he had a lot of pull backstage.... I still wouldn't like him. Why? Well, for two reasons. Just by watching every single week, now that I'm a grown adult, I would be able to sense that there's something fishy with the way this guy is booked. However, that wouldn't bother me if HHH was still the HHH of 1999/2000.

See, that's my biggest gripe about HHH; I wouldn't mind him having the top spot, but he simply doesn't entertain me. I just don't think he's very good anymore, yet I have to watch this prick every time I want to watch Raw, and I have to watch him bury and dominate up and coming performers who actually do entertain me. It pisses me off to the fullest.

As far as his marriage to Steph... I don't fault him for that. How could anyone? She was fine as hell when they first started hooking up (and she remained fine up until she started poppin' out the kids), and she's an awesome insurance policy to have. If I was a pro wrestler and she dug me, I'd do all that I could to seal the deal with her, too, and I'm sure anyone would. So, him being married to Steph isn't the problem in my eyes. The problem is his work ethic, his selfishness, his views on the business, and the wrestler he has become.

If we're lucky, we get 2 or 3 really good HHH matches a year, and that's a fucking shame, because the guy could give us much more than that. But he doesn't, and yet.... he remains the most dominant wrestler in WWE. He might not have a belt, but the guy still hardly ever loses. Shit, whenever DX loses, who's the one taking the pinfall or tapping out? HBK, that's who. And singles matches... when was the last time HHH lost cleanly? Been a long fucking time. Hell, he beat Cena, the WWE Champion, clean just a month or so ago. It's shit like that that riles me up about the guy. Not his marriage, but the fact he continues to push himself even though he's not entertaining in the least bit. And you know what? His drawing power proves that I'm not alone in this thinking.

 

[smalltownfan]

I have been a big fan of HHH for a long time now both as a fan favorite and as a heel. Me personally, it's a coin flip as to which HHH is better...the dominant, nasty heel or the comedic personality of DX. You gotta admit that he has some great one-liners for people when he's joking around, but I expect that within a year or so, he will go back to being a heel. His character is getting a little stagnant but nobody knows this better than HHH. He is truly a student of the game and has been taught well by Flair and others. Yes, marrying the boss's daughter has people questioning just how much stroke he gets, but the bottom line is that he puts butts in the seats and has been and always will be a great draw. At the same time, though, time to infuse some new life on RAW.

 

[UseYourBrain]

In all fairness, JMT225, HHH has lost cleanly to Orton, Cena, and HBK over the last couple years. Those are the top guys. I'm not a huge HHH fan, but I'm not one of those fans who thinks main eventers need to be losing to mid-carders to "make them". That's not how they get made.

Also - to whoever said Orton was gonna be huge one way or another, I completely disagree. He had the tools, but there's no way of knowing he'd have refined them as well without Ric Flair and Triple H standing by his side for a couple years. Hell, HHH might still be a snobby tea-party gimmick if not for HBK and DX's help.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is IrishCanadian25. And today, I am taking on Tenta. Think of me as Triple H. I fought my way to the top of the Wrestlezone forums and I have no intention of leaving unless someone kicks me off the mountain. Think of Tenta as a random mid-carder. Maybe after this altercation with me, you'll all know him even better. Or maybe I'll bury him. Let's see.

I'd like to start with some of Tenta's own words here:

Instead, what typically happened is that Triple H has a feud, the person he's feuding with gets buried, and returns back down to the mid card. That's why I personally find Triple H vastly overrated.

Okay, fair enough. Flash forward 10 seconds...

Wrestlemania 18: Triple H is in the main event, fighting for the WWE Title.
Wrestlemania XIX: World Title. Defending against Booker T.
Wrestlemania XX: World Title. Fighting Benoit and HBK.
Wrestlemania XXI: World Title. Fighting Batista
Wrestlemania XXII: World Title. Cena.

Wrestlemania 18 - defeating Chris Jericho and ending his feud with Stephanie.
Wrestlemania 19 - defending against Booker T in the "undercard" title match.
Wrestlemania 20 - putting Chris Benoit over via submission
Wrestlemania 21 - putting Batista over
Wrestlemania 22 - putting Cena over via submission

So Triple H, the man who buries people, has 2 wins and 3 losses in these 5 Wrestlemania title matches. TWO of them, he lost by tapping out, quitting. There is no finer way to put another man over than to give up the World Title to him in the main event at Wrestlemania.

No one wants to see the same face at the main event five years in a row.

The match against Booker T wasn't the Main Event. Lesnar / Angle was.

The match with Jericho was a result of Triple H returning from major surgery, and being one of the most over guys on the roster. You could even argue that Triple H / Jericho had the main event stolen from them by Rock vs Hogan.

The three matches here in which he was the clear main eventer, he lost.

Benoit was never seen as the guy with the belt. You know what took up the main event scene while Benoit was champion? Fucking Eugene and Triple H. That was your fucking main event.

That is because Benoit was stale with the title, and people were more enticed by Triple H. So, the feud with Eugene got more pops than Benoit vs Kane did. BY FAR.

The fact is, Triple H earned his spot. He was originally being punished / buried by Vince because of the MSG incident. He lost to Henry O. Godwin in a hog pen match. He lost to Mick Foley in a cage match at Summer Slam. He was decimated by the returning Ultimate Warrior. But he kept his head up and his mouth shut, and went on to be co-founder of one of the most influential factions in wrestling history in DX.

There's a major factor people are failing to bring up. LOYALTY. Triple H was a WCW upstart who came to WWF and stayed in the WWF. He was a loyal company guy, he did what was asked of him, and he performed. He was an Intercontinental Champion tearing down the house at Summerslam against the Rock in a ladder match LONG before he was involved with Stephanie. He has learned the business from men like Flair. He is oft compared to Harley Race in terms of in-ring psychology and ability. In the end, he's been loyal to the WWF - much the way Shawn Michaels and Undertaker have been - and as a result, in these later stages of his career, Vince looks to him as a leader.

Shawn and Undertaker didn't marry one of Vince's daughters. But they are looked on with the same reverence by upper management as Triple H is. But nobody takes issue with that?

Seamus is being trained by Triple H. He's damn sure probably taking some lessons from him and learning his tricks of the trade. And you know what? It's working. Do you think Triple H would work out with Seamus if H's thought Seamus was lazy, or didn't care? If Seamus didn't have the "It" factor. Same with Drew McIntyre being one of Shawn Michaels' boys.

Hunter, Shawn, and Taker are respected by upper management because of their experience and knowledge. Triple H's relationships with Stephanie and Vince are truly just footnotes. They are tertiary to Hunter's talent and loyalty.

 

[rekon59]

So does Triple H deserve all the crap he gets? Yes and no. On the no side, I think it's been covered pretty well that Triple H has been one of the top wrestlers in the company, and indeed worked his ass off to get to being the top guy. When Vince had to worry about keeping Hogan, Austin, and some of the other WCW guys happy, and worrying about Rock leaving him for Hollywood, Triple H was always there to keep the show going. There is no mistake that Triple H is dedicated to this business, and gives everything he has to it. I need no further proof of his dedication than how he finished both matches where he blew out his quads. And neither of these was at a time when he needed to prove himself to anybody, he did it because it mattered to him to finish the show. Triple H has been that one consistent star Vince could put out there during a time when alot of other top draws were coming and going.

Marrying the boss's daughter certainly is a nice insurance policy to have, but does anyone think if they had never gotten together, that Triple H would be gone? Hell, I think the only way the guy was ever getting married is if it was someone who traveled with the show all the time, someone who gets the life, and Stephanie certainly would be the girl who gets it. That said, do I think it's helped him keep himself over? Sure. I mean, you've heard far too many shoot interviews from guys gone from WWE talk about his control to say its all just sour grapes on their part, and I'd agree that there were plenty of times it made sense for him to put people over, and he didn't. I think one of the most compeling quotes from a fired guy came from Kennedy's recent interview, where he said 'you can't compete with Sunday brunch'. Now, I don't take all of what Kennedy says to the bank, but Triple H is family now, and we see how much Vince put himself, Steph, and Shane over in the company(all won titles at some point), what would you expect? Not that it justifies it, but this practice is far from new. In the old days, plenty of promoters/owners pushed themselves and any family members that were there as well.

In other ancient history, when has there not been a guy who seemed to have a strangle hold on a company's booking? Austin didn't want to put Triple H over initially, and with him there was early HBK, Hart, Hogan, Flair, half of WCW at the end, Jarrett, Gagne, Zybysko.....there's always that guy who comes into power. Orton looks like he's well on his way to being the next one, hell he's already had input on getting at least one guy canned. Some were more receptive to putting people over than others, but at one point, every guy I mentioned didn't want to put someone over. Not saying it's right, I'm saying that's how it is. And, in my opinion, Triple H has put over more people than most.

So at the end of the day, does he deserve some of the hate he gets? Sure, just like every guy that's been in control before him. But that doesn't change that he didn't earn the spot he has in the WWE.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

The issue with HHH is his ties with the WWE and his relationship with Stephanie. My main gripe with HHH is that he's in the meetings with Vince and the other writers. He basically isn't one of the boys anymore, he's Dusty Rhodes. Booker/wrestler. That's why DX/Jerishow is headlining the PPV and not Cena/Sheamus or Taker/Batista. That irritates me about him.

HOWEVER, as far as a wrestler's concerned, he's still one of the top wrestlers in the business. HHH has been through a LOT of injuries. Tearing two quad muscles and having knee surgery is enough to have many athletes call it a career, but HHH still wrestles a full schedule. That is something I admire. Despite his politics backstage and him being someone who's not who he used to be, HHH is still one of the best wrestlers in the business.

And during the 2002 WWE Title run, yes, he was annoying, out of shape, and nowhere near able to wrestle like he should have been. He was injured and not able to work out like he used to. Which meant he was out of shape and not able to do the things he used to. I was aggravated at his stubbornness to drop the belt, but once he started putting people over, HHH won a lot of respect. Benoit, and Cena were all put over by HHH cleanly and with submissions. And Orton even pinned him clean just two years ago. HHH has changed drastically and is one to put someone over if warranted, unlike he was back in 2002.

Yes, I was tired of HHH in 2000-2002, but you can't blame HHH for wanting to be number one and in the spotlight as long as they would have him there.

 

[UseYourBrain]

Oh and the Cena hating thing? Please get over it, Cena hating is SO 4 years ago.

Yeah, well maybe he's sucked for longer than just 4 years. I don't dislike anything because it's popular to dislike it. I dislike things that I don't feel are in any way LIKEABLE or good.

By your logic, isn't HHH hating "like, so 8 years ago"?

 

[XgringolocoX]

While I'm not HHH's biggest fan, I'm not a hater either. Take a look at Hunter's matches. The guy bumps his ass off.
Do I think he used the oppertunities available to him to get and stay on top? Sure. Is that any different than a the next guy, no. So don't hate him for it. He's one of the best wrestlers we've ever seen and from what I've heard he truely loves this business.
You'll never agree with what he, or anyone else, does 100% so don't worry about it.
I love the comment about how we complain til we get something we want, then complain that it's happening. Sheamus is a good thing. He's forming up to be a great adversary for Supercena. Just because his relationship with HHH got him in the door doesn't mean you should be hatin on him for it. Relax and enjoy the show.

 

[stop-it-jamaican-me-crazy]

Is Triple H a talented wrestler? Yes. Would he have been champion even if he wasn't married to Steph? Yes. But enough is enough. He was almost always in the title picture on RAW from 2002-2005. I wouldn't have had a problem with if we would've actually put over some talent in the process. But how much young talent did he really put over? The only first time champions that we saw were Benoit, Orton, and Batista. No new superstars really became credible during this time.

 

[litpdwi16]

The issue with HHH is his ties with the WWE and his relationship with Stephanie. My main gripe with HHH is that he's in the meetings with Vince and the other writers. He basically isn't one of the boys anymore, he's Dusty Rhodes. Booker/wrestler. That's why DX/Jerishow is headlining the PPV and not Cena/Sheamus or Taker/Batista. That irritates me about him.

Would you really put Cena/Sheamus as the main event? Only reason I say that is because that's just a Tables match. Taker/Batista is a Chairs Match. Shelton/Christian is a Ladder Match. DX/Jerishow is a TLC match. Hmm, which one would you rather have main eventing your Pay Per View?

I'll eliminate Cena/Sheamus and then the other three are a toss-up.

 

[Blade]

People don't like a wrestler in the main event spot for a long time. It's human nature, we don't have great attention spans like we used to. So if one wrestler stays as champion for a long time, especially if it's because of his connections, then it pisses people off. Many people think that Triple H was one of those wrestlers. People's critisism turned out to be justified too when Trips made ratings plummet after a while yet he continued to be the champion.

And then a string of hot faces came his way who were way more over than he was. But he still didn't drop the title. Kane made his return and the fans were begging for Kane to be given the title cause he was on fire (no pun intended). But no, he jobbed to Triple H repeatedly and was pushed back down to the midcard for the mistake that was him removing his mask. Booker T was red hot too around Wrestlemania XIX. The angle leading up to pretty much guarenteed that Booker was going to win, with WWE using Booker T's difficult upbringing and how people said he could never make it to the top... Well, those people aren't supposed to be right. And yes, he dropped the title to Goldberg. But for what, like, two months? That's nothing.

So you see, people have every reason to hate Triple H. We all know he's talented and a great all-round performer. But Raw was the Triple H show from 2002-2005, so we just got sick of him.

 

[burnout4200]

How is the WWE supposed to win? I mean, people want new talent pushed but as soon as HHH as a say in it does that make the person not worthy?

When was the last time someone became a main eventer without Shawn Micheals or Triple H giving them the nod? They pick who climbs up the card. The creative team doesn't even seem to have that power. Compare that to any other work place including your own. If the bosses son in law picks who gets all the promotions when he himself is just an employee you're gonna get pissed off. If you're not willing to kiss his ass then enjoy your desk job and don't expect a job title with any importance. Who the fans cheer doesn't matter. Bourne and Santino get squashed weekly yet the fans absolutely love those guys. WWE is going to stay in its funk until Triple H, Shawn Micheals, and The Undertaker hang up their boots. It almost seems like if one of those guys say "I don't like him" then Vince goes all parrot on their asses and says "I don't like him either". It's led to nothing but stagnation as those guys do anything they can to protect their spot even though it doesn't need protecting anymore. They're always going to be main eventers for the rest of their careers. This isn't the 90's anymore and they have no reason to still be holding everyone else back.