Criticizing my Personal Favorites: Triple H

[#hamler]

Dammit, how did I forget this guy.

LAST PART of my "Criticizing my Personal Favorites" series. In the past threads, I gave you my top favorite Superstars currently in the WWE. Rules- No matter how perfect the said Superstar is, criticize him. Now's your chance. Feel free to rip posts apart piece by piece. I want a dicussion here. In this thread, you have a chance to criticize one of the greatest in ring performers of our time...

Triple H​

The Cerebral Assassin, The King of Kings, The Game, Triple H. Triple H arrived in the WWF in 1997 as a sophisticated, rich snob known as Hunter Hearst Helmsley. After joining DX he changed his image and began to build up muscel and finally won several titles in the WWF. He married the boss' daughter and gained more gold. He would go on to form the stable of the decade in Evolution that helped put over two of the best WWE wrestlers in the history of the WWE, Batista and Randy Orton. He's headlined numerous Wrestlemanias and put several World Champions over like Batista, Randy Orton, The Rock, John Cena, and most notably, Jeff "Freakin'" Hardy.

Triple H is a 13 time World Champion. Having held the WWE Championship a total of 8 times as well as the World Heavyweight Championship 5 times. He's also WWE's first World Heavyweight Champion which he was awarded in September 2002. He won WWF's King of the Ring in 1997 and the Royal Rumble in 2002. He's the second Grand Slam champion and WWE's seventh Triple Crown Champion. Triple H is a very sucessful Superstar and is someone every wrestler admires and wants to be like. Triple H may be the perfect and total package as far as a wrestler goes. He draws millions, phenomenal mic and ring ability, and has a stunning look. So what is it that makes Triple H not perfect? Discussion questions;


What is one flaw you see in Triple H?

Would fixing this flaw make Triple H any better than he already is?


If you see no flaw in Triple H, state why. And please don't fuck up my thread with spam. Explain. Feel free to rip posts apart piece by piece, I want a discussion here.

Discuss this shit

 

[Matisyahu]

I totally lost interest in HHH a long time ago because there for awhile it got to the point that he would lose the title and you knew it was a matter of a few days, a week or even a month before he was champion again. He won and lost the big prize more in a short period of time than any other wrestler ever! I mean I dont remember when each win or loss took place but to me it just seemed like he was always in the title hunt to the point that it got old really fast!
I used to really like HHH back when DX was feuding with The Rock's Nation of Domination because he was really starting to come into his own and The Rock was starting to break through as well and I believe at that time they were feuding over the IC title. And when he won the WWE title the first couple of times I was really glad but then it got to the point to were it was too predictable whereas The Undertaker has been champ what like 5 or 6 times and he's been with the company as a main event staple since he walked into the place! HHH is a 14 time world champ which is bullshit considering he won at least 8 or 9 of those in what seemed like a two year span.

I'll be the very last to knock the guy for marrying into the family or say that it is the reason for his successes and I know that when he was reinvented as the Cerebral Assassin he was probably one of the top 4 or 5 guys in the business at that time but to me there is only so much anyone can take of the same damned thing before they tune out or just dont care anymore.

HHH at one time was one of my favorite superstars more so as a heel than a face because as a heel he seemed like a dangerous and unstable person who would stop at nothing to maim and cripple his opponent to be THE top dog. But as a face he was limited to dumb ass promos and he seemed far less dangerous but instead looked like a dumb ass!

Thankfully he is reportedly doing something now behind the scenes rather than hogging up the spotlight with 20-30 minute childish dick and fart promos

 

[Arkham Noir]

What is one flaw you see in Triple H?

Would fixing this flaw make Triple H any better than he already is?

As far as in-ring performing goes, Triple H is flawless. The speed at which he performs, the moves he uses, even the conviction in which he executes each action, he is very good. His moveset may not be the most flashy, but Triple H is 260 lbs. and looks like a brick wall, so I wouldn't believe him hitting top rope elbow drops or Frankeinsteiners. It might not be to everyones taste, but it is very believable and works well.

The only issue I have with Triple H is that he doesn't really have any big moves except the Pedigree. Undertaker has his chokeslam and Last ride, HBK had his moonsault , and Orton has his punt. Those are moves that add that extra something special to a match (like Wrestlemania), and he doesn't really have any moves like that.

Even than, though, that is trivial. He is that damn good (and I'm not even a Triple H fan)

 

[Tequila Dave]

Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and John Cena. These four individiauls have each been the face of WWE, and their names will forever be associated with wrestling. Despite all of Triple H’s past achievements, his contributions to the business, and skill, he has never (and will never) reach the status of these four men; he will never be the face of the WWE.

He has the charisma and in ring ability, that’s for sure. He’s had an incredible career, and more championships than most. The only thing I can really think of that he lacks that Hogan, Austin, The Rock and Cena had/have is that a “larger than life” character.

He’s the King of Kings, the Game, the Cerebral assassin; but what does that really mean? He doesn’t have a particularly unique character; though he has a unique and unparalleled history, his character is somewhat generic.

Now I don’t know if people think this too, but I believe this is Triple H’s only ‘flaw.’ In fact, it’s debateable if it’s even a flaw as he’s consistently been great and entertaining despite not being WWE’s face. Plus, at this stage of his career and with the current state of WWE, it's doubtful that Triple H will ever attain the image Hogan, Austin and The Rock had and Cena has.

Oh, and I’m guessing a lot of people are gonna bring up his backstage politicking and his burial of talent, but that’s bullshit. It’s stupid to hate on a guy simply because he knows how to get what he wants (most of the bigger superstars have a lot of influence backstage); and Triple H has put a lot of people over, even making superstars almost singlehandedly.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

Very few performers have been as controversial as this man. You can't say the wrong thing about him without rubbing some people the wrong way. The Game, Mr. That damn good.The King of Kings. The Cerebral Assassin. Give me a break.

Triple H has been the business for a very long time. He has worked his way up from the lower ranks to the top of the wrestling world. Here's what's indisputable: He is good in the ring. He's a solid entertainer on the mike, and can be effective as a heel or face, even though I prefer him as a heel. He can fill arenas, guarantee high ppv buyouts and can sell merchandise. He has had a career that most people would kill for. He has influence in storylines and is a creative consultant to the chairman himself.

Here are the probelms with him. He is good, but he isn't the best worker that ever worked for the company or even in the business today. Angle, Bret Hart, Benoit (RIP), Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Edge, Owen Hart, Ricky Steamboat, are as good if not better than he is in the ring. He isn't the biggest star to fill arenas, or sell merchandise. Hogan, Austin, the Rock and Cena surpass him there. He isn't the leader of a an era as Sammartino, Hogan, Bret, Austin and Cena are.

So what is his flaw: His ego. He needs to stop forcing himself down the audience's throat. You can't make the audience like you just because you want them to. 13 title reigns is self-indulgent. Monopolizing Raw television for 20- 30 minutes talking about nothing of any real interest to your audience or with your pal HBK for Little People's court is irritating. It turns people off more than anything else. It isn't entertaining, it's nauseating. Triple H must be willing to accept he can be a great part of the company working to make others better without feeling threatened by them. He can have the occasional reigns, but nowhere as many or as long he might like.

 

[Pointzero]

The only issue I have with Triple H is that he doesn't really have any big moves except the Pedigree. Undertaker has his chokeslam and Last ride, HBK had his moonsault , and Orton has his punt. Those are moves that add that extra something special to a match (like Wrestlemania), and he doesn't really have any moves like that.

Honestly, I would disagree. When I think of Triple H and moves, I think of the Pedigree, of course, but I also think of the AA Spinebuster he uses and his Facebuster where he pushes a wrestler's face into his knee. They were moves that came out of nowhere and set up for the Pedigree. Plus, if you look back into most of his matches, you'll see those moves show up

 

[Ferbian]

The only major flaw that I can think of in Triple H is his age, the years he spend in the business and all that mixed with the injuries he has suffered throughout his years.

He's getting older obviously, he's 41, and he's not getting any younger. He's had injuries on both his quad riceps as well as recently suffered the biceps injury. All of these things won't just be tearing on his in-ring movement ability, which obviously has suffered just a liiittle bit over the past couple of years. But it also tears on the potential for his career to continue much longer. I'm a big Triple H fan, and he's my favorite non-retired wrestler right now, second favorite of all time. And I would absolutely love to see Triple H come back and continue actively for at least a year or two extra. But I just do not see it considering his injuries, and his age.

And I think it's a shame. Because Triple H is one of the best things WWE had to offer the past 10 years, as an incredibly hated top heel, to an incredibly loved face in numerous interesting and exciting storylines.

It's not a flaw that can be fixed obviously. But I just hope that he can return and go the remaining of his WWE career uninjured and continue to have good matches and interesting storylines.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I have never really bought Triple H as a face. Face characters are supposed to evoke sympathy. Tell me why should I sympathize with Triple H? He has won thirteen world titles and is married to the daughter of his super rich boss. As a heel he is perfect but as a face he wasn't that good.

Early in his career he was a face in the post HBK DX but that worked mostly due to his ability to make sex jokes and the fact that he was not related to Stephanie at that point. When he came back from injury as a face in 2002, the first few months were surreal and he was even outpopping the likes of Austin and Rock. But then slowly he started to get boring mostly due to the lack of good feuds and turned heel by turning on a returning HBK. Then he once again turned face in 2006 and has been that way ever since.

From 2006 till his injury in 2007 he was a part of DX. They feuded with the Mcmahons and with Rated RKO. Both did produce good moments but I really feel that the Mcmahon feud dragged on for too long. Really though I never related to this because again it does not really make sense for a 40 year old man to act like a degenerate.

When he returned from injury he was once again just a badass and while I did like his feud with Orton, the rest of his stuff was forgettable and really not relatable at all.

The question that I want to ask is why should Triple H even be a badass? With Austin it made sense because rednecks are like that and to an extent it also makes sense with Orton because you could say that because HHH had screwed over him so many times, something snapped within. Now Triple H has always had the rub of the green his way and as far as I know nothing in his background suggests that he should be a badass. Now against Orton his reaction was justifiable but against the rest I'd say he has been a badass only for the sake of being a badass.

As for how you can rectify the flaw, I know it sounds cliched but he is really so much better as a heel performer. So, keeping with the tradition of the IWC, I would say the best option would be to turn HHH heel.

 

[Arkham Noir]

Honestly, I would disagree. When I think of Triple H and moves, I think of the Pedigree, of course, but I also think of the AA Spinebuster he uses and his Facebuster where he pushes a wrestler's face into his knee. They were moves that came out of nowhere and set up for the Pedigree. Plus, if you look back into most of his matches, you'll see those moves show up

Fair enough. I didn't forget about those moves when I wrote that, they just always seemed to be more of counters opposed to actual moves. I guess what I should have said was that he doesn't really have any trademark big spots. I don't mean a moonsault or something of that nature, but something like the aforementioned chokeslam/last ride that the Undertaker has. Just more trademark moves.

But like I said, it's no big deal. Most guys wish that was their only flaw.

 

[Kidd]

The only major flaw that I can think of in Triple H is his age, the years he spend in the business and all that mixed with the injuries he has suffered throughout his years.

He's getting older obviously, he's 41, and he's not getting any younger. He's had injuries on both his quad riceps as well as recently suffered the biceps injury. All of these things won't just be tearing on his in-ring movement ability, which obviously has suffered just a liiittle bit over the past couple of years. But it also tears on the potential for his career to continue much longer. I'm a big Triple H fan, and he's my favorite non-retired wrestler right now, second favorite of all time. And I would absolutely love to see Triple H come back and continue actively for at least a year or two extra. But I just do not see it considering his injuries, and his age.

And I think it's a shame. Because Triple H is one of the best things WWE had to offer the past 10 years, as an incredibly hated top heel, to an incredibly loved face in numerous interesting and exciting storylines.

It's not a flaw that can be fixed obviously. But I just hope that he can return and go the remaining of his WWE career uninjured and continue to have good matches and interesting storylines.

This is the only flaw I can find in HHH as well... his age.

Someone mentioned how HHH was never the face of the company and I have to disagree depending on what that poster meant when he said "face of the company."

If by "face of the company", you're talking about the guy who evryone cheers for every week and carries the company as a baby face, then you may have a point.

My definition of "face of the company" is a little different. I feel that it is the guy who everyone tune in to watch every week whether thhe superstar is a face or a heel. HHH is the only guy I can remember who carried this company on his back as a heel.

When Austin was hurt, HHH stepped up to the plate. Everyone was tuning in to watch the feuds of HHH whether they were with the Rock or Mankind. This was a heel putting asses in the seats. HHH was kinda like the Dallas Cowboys or NY Yankees of professional wrestling. People wanted to tune in to see him lose and he drew ratings and ticket sales as a result.

When he was injured, only then did people realize what he brought to the business. Why else would he get such a huge ovation as he did when he returned to RAW at MSG? This was a guy who was a dastardly heel when he went out but when he came back, everyone was damn happy to see him because his time away made them miss what he brought night in and night out.

Another thing that makes me such a mark for HHH is his ability to transition from a face to a heel with ease. A lot of superstars have trouble doing this. They are limited in the heel role if they are mainly faces and vice versa. Even Austin has said that he had a hard time being a heel because the fans just didn't want to hate him. This has never been a problem for the game, IMO. Fans are just as ready to hate him as they are to love him.

And as far as the whole "HHH holds down talent" theory, that is crap as well. He has put over many superstars, Jeff Hardy and possibly Shameus being the most recent. When he was fueding with Mick Foley, Foley even wrote in his book that he would have never gotten over if HHH hadn't sold some of Foley's tactics like shedding the Mankind persona in favor of Cactus Jack. Foley wrote that it would have never worked had HHH not sold genuine fear of Cactus Jack.

So in closing, I have a hard time finding a single flaw in HHH other than his age as Ferbian mentioned.

 

[kazfan401]

One flaw with Triple H? Well its of course gotta be his nose, No I'm kidding.
I really don't see much of a flaw in HHH, He's amazing in the ring and his mic skills have always been great, but He's just become pretty bland In my honest opinion I haven't been proper interested in Triple H since around 2006 when he was in DX I feel its just pretty much the same thing almost everytime he goes out the ring.

 

[Chris Jericho Markaholic]

Flaw For The Game? Haha Is There One?

The Game Has Worked His Way Up From The Bottom To Top He's An Amazing Talent But Him Being Face Isn't Clicking For Me The Game Has Always Been Better As A Heel

Hopefully He Returns As A Heel Its Natural For Him

 

[nerd4life]

If i had to say one flaw, is that he just wasnt that exciting. He was good at everything, but not amazing. he was no where near as good on the mic as rock jericho cena and theres been lots of better in ring wreslters as listed earlier.

HHH= one of the best of our time but not a icon like austin or rock or hogan

 

[LSN80]

The only flaw I see in Triple H is a large one that I see in Randy Orton. He fails to be able to work around his opponents weaknesses to carry them to a great match.

When I watch a HHH match, i see him wrestle the same style of match every time. and in some cases, thats a very good thing. We recognize our favorite superstars by what they do in the ring. If we dont see their signature moves, we're disapointed. When I see a HHH match, I want to see the Spinebuster, the Harley Race knee, and the Pedigree. Those are "vintage" HHH moves, and I look forward to them.

But there are certain wrestlers that are less talented within the ring that HHH fails to get a good match out of. The best wrestlers adapt to their opponents weaknesses and work to their strengths in order to get the very best match possible out of them. But matches like HHH and Vladimir Kozlov at Survivor Series come to mind, where HHH just couldn't work with Kozlov whatsoever. The pacing to the match was off, as was HHH's selling for Kozlov's offense. If this was a one case scenario I could chalk it up to being a bad night, but its not. His match at Summerslam 2008 with Khali was very much the same way, as was his match with JBL on Raw in 2008. The pacing was to HHH's style, even if it didn't fit his opponent's.

Other then that, HHH is virtually flawless. He's one of the best talkers in the business, both as a heel and a face. Nobody works the WWE main event style of match better then he does. He can draw as a heel or a face because people want to see him kick ass, or get his ass kicked, depending on the role that he's playing. He's been the lauching pad for several superstar's career's, including Batista and Jeff Hardy. John Cena's biggest win at the time was against HHH at WM 22. The theory that he doesn't put over talent is just that: a theory. Most recently, he made Rhodes and DiBiase more relevant then they had any right to be, and he put Seamus over in a large way.

So other then HHH's inability to adapt his style and match pacing to some superstars, its hard for me to find flaw in him. Here's hoping he can return and remain injury free for the rest of his career, because he's certainly missed.

 

[Xemmy]

Triple H's flaws are hard to spot. As an actual wrestler I think he's been a little injury prone over the years. And his age is starting to catch up with him.
I'd say that the rumors of him being an asshole, and kicking a lot of guys off the ladder are flaws, but they're not flaws to HIS career, so I won't bother.
He's also got a problem working with inexperienced opponents. Khali, and Kozlov come to mind.
I remember Taker worked with both of them, and made them look ok. I dare say he even made Kozlov look good.
Triple H's matches with those two were terrible. It's not his fault that they're not that great, but as the vet, he's got some responsibility to live up to.

That's pretty much the gist of it. He's a great in-ring worker, great on the mic, completely believable and over, and he's good as a face and spectacular as a heel.

Triple H is, what he says he is. He is That Damn Good.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I find it very hard to find a flaw in Triple H.

The guy was, and is, one of the best wrestlers in the world. He has been in god knows how many great matches over the years against legends such as Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley, The Rock, Stone Cold and others

He has always been fantastic on the mic, both as a face and as a heel, which is the persona I personally prefer by far. To me, HHH is a natural heel, his facial expressions, style of talking and look just suit a heel better in my opinion.

I cant knock his in ring work either. He may not be as good as Kurt Angle or Bret Hart but he is better than 90% of the talent the WWE has had over the last couple of decades. He is not spectacular but makes everything he does count, and can tell a great story in the ring, like all great wrestlers can.

I could criticise him from using his power to keep himself on top at the expense of guys such as RVD and Booker T, and to book himself to win in scenarios where he shouldnt have got the victory- matches against Goldberg and Kane spring to mind where they could have benefitted far more by keeping the title than HHH did by winning, and taking the belt off Orton just 1 month after he won it is another I can immediately recall.

However, if he held those guys back, especially Booker and RVD, then I put forward the argument of the stars he helped to make, such as Batista, Orton and Sheamus. Without their feud with The Game, they would not have received the push when they did, and it helped to make them who they are today. Triple H has a very poor record at WM for those who wonder, I am not sure of the figures but I remember him losing to Undertaker, Benoit, Batista and others on the grandest stage of them all. These are not the actions of someone who is just out for himself all the time.

I am going to have to agree with the other posters and say his only flaw is how prone he is to injury these days. His quads can go at any time and I only hope that HHH can stay heathy to compete for as long as he wants to, he deserves it for how much he has put into the business over the years.

It isnt really a criticism as it is something he cannot help, but rather a minor flaw. As a performer there isnt much you can say is bad about the guy.

Oh, and maybe the "Vince likes cock" jokes...they were just awful...come on HHH, you are better than that man

 

[Undertaker the 5th]

My flaws with HHH would be that he is injury prone. He gets injured a lot and his injuries last for along time. Most of his injuries really cause him to stay out for a long time. If he didn't get injured as much, then I think his flaw would also be that he doesn't have that many memorable moves in the ring. Sure the spinebuster looks like it hurts, but the way he uses it, it doesn't make you think that it could end a match. It just looks like a set up for the pedigree which gets botched half of the time.
Over all I like him though and I don't think his injury prone thing can not be fixed. He trains really hard, but injuries are something some people can't stay away from.
As for his moveset I think it could be fixed, but at this stage in his career it is too late. His matches are entertaining(to me) and that's is what matters most, and his promos. A little cheesy sometimes, but it's HHH, so whatever.

 

[merce07]

I really hate how HHH constantly switches from the Ceribral Assasin to the DX phrat boy. It just doesnt work for me. Also I dont think he should win the world or WWE championship that much anymore. His role should just be to get over talent (same with the Undertaker).

 

[jacdnwarrior]

I love it how people want to have it both ways, they'll admit Triple H is political but they don't want to admit, it might not be good for the company or hold him accountable for it when it is bad for the company. Oh he puts over tons of people. Of course he does, the people that Vince presses him to put over John Cena, Benjamin, Benoit, a few people during a tag title match, big deal. I'm not saying Vince doesn't put his foot down from time to time, but he listens a great deal to Triple H now. H is now the creative advisor to him, which gives him a lot more of Vince's ear than most performers. It's a tit for tat game for these two. Vince wants me to do this, I'll do it and maybe I can get this guy put over this time. If Sheamus, Orton and Batista are friends of his and don't have any business being there in the first place, isn't that bad for business ? Isn't that a sign that this guy doesn't get it ? And people talk about these three like they were a Godsend for the fans. Batista had a great fan acceptance because Triple had developed a lot of heat.

Batista - He would have been champion any way more than likely because he has the best body a pharmacist can prescribe (which is what Vince likes). More than likely Triple H helped him get to that point. That being said, he can't talk on the mike, he's not good in the ring. The reason his reigns were so good (if at all ) is because he went against performers who carry gather the heat as villains (e.g. Booker T, JBL, Triple H). He also faced Taker, who every one wanted to see extend his streak and wouldn't have cared if it was a damn muppet in the ring against him.

Orton - Good in the ring, not great on the mike, better as a heel than a face. Third generation star (which Vince likes) might have been champ but not that soon without some intervention and he shouldn't have beaten Benoit for it. Passed to him only so he can get less than a month later, nice one Trip.

Sheamus - a possible champ, but not in his first year on Raw let alone twice, and not after John Cena. He has improved but not a main eventer now.

You compare these guys to any of the people he never put over, Booker, RVD, Edge Jericho, and you see a huge problem there. That is a fault I have with Triple H. He can't be the champ all the time because people don't want to see that all the time. Not every performer he's suggested has been the complete package. He needs to be willing to help develop those performers who the fans want to see as champs. The fans might be wrong and it might not work, but at least you make the attempt, and if the company wins every body's happy.