To say HHH never had a great match is a flat out lie. He's had some memorable matches in his career, like it or not. That being said, everything else Bret said or implied is right. HHH's greatness is kinda overrated in general.
The thing about HHH is his longevity granted him one of the best senses of in-ring psychology in the business. However, that's the only real positive. He's good in the ring, but he's not a real masterpiece like the other notable names in the business. He isn't innovative like a Rey Mysterio, he doesn't have an extensive moveset like a CM Punk, he doesn't really have an eccentricity or a distinctive charisma with it like a Booker T, he isn't a master seller like HBK, I could go on here. He could carry the match along, that's it. And if you notice, this kind of ties in with what Bret is saying: HHH has had a couple classics, yes, but HHH's best matches always depend on his opponent. HBK could make a match with anyone look worth watching, Taker made a feud with Mark Henry when he was at his worst and made it work, The Rock made a feud with the Hurrican of all people worth remembering, Hogan couldn't wrestle worth a shit but hyped the crowd like crazy to get them on their feet. My point being, the best wrestlers can have a good match at any time. Look at HHH's best matches: vs. Taker, vs. HBK, vs. Shelton Benjamin, vs. The Rock, vs. Jericho; all these matches had a great competitor. HHH is incapable of carrying a match, as evidenced by some of his worst main-event matches: vs. Vladimir Kozlov, vs. Cena, vs. Scott Steiner, vs. Kevin Nash, etc. Hell, he couldn't even have a good WM main event with a prime Viper version of Orton, which is kinda sad.
HHH has always seemed like the placeholder of legends. He's never done anything where I can say "Damn, only HHH." When Austin went and flipped off Mike Tyson and brawled with him, it was like "Wow, no one else could have pulled that off." When The Rock went and put the whole city of Sacramento on blast with The 1st Rock concert, "No one else." When CM Punk had the pipebomb, "No one else." When Hardy Swantoned off the scaffolding, "No one else." Hell, even Shane McMahon with his crazy Leap of Faith elbow that makes us cringe when he misses, "No one else." HHH never had that. HHH has never done anything that WWE couldn't have plugged someone else in to do. A heel Jericho or Angle could have just as effectively done an Evolution, a brawler like Batista could have made the Orton home invasion spot look just as badass, his only purpose for being in DX was because Shawn loves him; there is nothing he has ever done that made him as a character stick out. Anyone could have been HHH with the right push.
Bret makes a lot of sense here. The only reason his argument seems flawed is because of the common knowledge that he can't stand anyone in the Kliq.
The thing about HHH is his longevity granted him one of the best senses of in-ring psychology in the business. However, that's the only real positive. He's good in the ring, but he's not a real masterpiece like the other notable names in the business. He isn't innovative like a Rey Mysterio, he doesn't have an extensive moveset like a CM Punk, he doesn't really have an eccentricity or a distinctive charisma with it like a Booker T, he isn't a master seller like HBK, I could go on here. He could carry the match along, that's it. And if you notice, this kind of ties in with what Bret is saying: HHH has had a couple classics, yes, but HHH's best matches always depend on his opponent. HBK could make a match with anyone look worth watching, Taker made a feud with Mark Henry when he was at his worst and made it work, The Rock made a feud with the Hurrican of all people worth remembering, Hogan couldn't wrestle worth a shit but hyped the crowd like crazy to get them on their feet. My point being, the best wrestlers can have a good match at any time. Look at HHH's best matches: vs. Taker, vs. HBK, vs. Shelton Benjamin, vs. The Rock, vs. Jericho; all these matches had a great competitor. HHH is incapable of carrying a match, as evidenced by some of his worst main-event matches: vs. Vladimir Kozlov, vs. Cena, vs. Scott Steiner, vs. Kevin Nash, etc. Hell, he couldn't even have a good WM main event with a prime Viper version of Orton, which is kinda sad.
HHH has always seemed like the placeholder of legends. He's never done anything where I can say "Damn, only HHH." When Austin went and flipped off Mike Tyson and brawled with him, it was like "Wow, no one else could have pulled that off." When The Rock went and put the whole city of Sacramento on blast with The 1st Rock concert, "No one else." When CM Punk had the pipebomb, "No one else." When Hardy Swantoned off the scaffolding, "No one else." Hell, even Shane McMahon with his crazy Leap of Faith elbow that makes us cringe when he misses, "No one else." HHH never had that. HHH has never done anything that WWE couldn't have plugged someone else in to do. A heel Jericho or Angle could have just as effectively done an Evolution, a brawler like Batista could have made the Orton home invasion spot look just as badass, his only purpose for being in DX was because Shawn loves him; there is nothing he has ever done that made him as a character stick out. Anyone could have been HHH with the right push.
Bret makes a lot of sense here. The only reason his argument seems flawed is because of the common knowledge that he can't stand anyone in the Kliq.