HHH or HBK ?

[LFC till i die]

Building up to Triple H v Undertaker match at WM 28, the whole question of who is better, HHH or HBK ? was bought up.

I like HBK, he is one of my favourite wrestlers of all time, but IMO Triple H is better than Shawn. Trips has won more world titles than Shawn, has achieved more, is better on the mic, is more versatile on the mic, created a new era (McMahon-Helmsley era), was one of the best heels in wrestling if not the best heel in the history of the WWE. And personnaly I think HHH is the better wrestler. He has better mat skills, tecnhical skills, and brawling skills.

So my question to you is. . . out of the two who is better overall, HHH or HBK ?

Discuss . . .

 

[TLK]

Well, for starters, HHH is NOT a better wrestler than HBK. As far as WWE is concerned, HBK is considered THE guy by nearly every other superstar who has ever stepped foot in a Vince McMahon ring.

Wrestling skills: HBK

As for mic skills, that's also a close one. HHH is one of the best heels of all time, particularly during his 99-00 stint, but if you have ever seen HBK's best heel promos, you wouldn't be so quick to give H the nod. HBK's promos on Hogan and Bret in Canada spring to mind. His work during the Jericho feud in 08 was gold too. I always thought HBK was an underrated mic guy simply because his mat work was held in such high regard. His mic skills seemed to get lost in the shuffle.

That being said, I think HHH has the superior delivery, either heel or face.

Mic skills: HHH

The accolades of titles and eras and whatnot is irrelevant because those are predetermined. HHH isn't automcatically better than Taker because he won more world titles. Also, HBK missed 4 years of his prime. Who knows what would've happened during that period with HBK at the helm of DX.

Charisma is pretty close. I'd probably cop out and give it a tie. Overall career I'd probably side with Michaels. I think he has given us more lasting memories and bigtime matches than HHH. My personal favorite, if I were forced to choose, would probably be The Game, but overall I think Michaels is the better performer.

 

[Miz_Mark]

HBK all the way.

First of all, ring skills aren't even vaguely in question, it's HBK by a mile. Not to discredit Trips, who is great, but HBK is phenomenal, a whole different league.

What surprises me is your assessment of mic skills. Because to me, this is HBK in a walk as well. Granted, the gap isn't as extreme as in ring, but on the stick, HBK is one of the best ever, and Trips, while great in his own right, is easily a couple of steps down from the Show Stopper.

 

[#BestInTheWorld]

Pretty good question!

I'll keep it simple, I think wrestling wise, it's HBK, Mr Wrestlemania, The Show Stopper, he's proven time and time again he's one of the best to step into the ring skill wise, and who knows where he'd be if he didn't miss all that time due to his back injury.

Triple H is also a great wrestler for a 'Bigger guy' but he hasn't had many memorable matches to me. He can tell a brilliant story in the ring though. He also seems better on the mic than HBK to me, Shawn has always had an air of comedy to his mic work, but when HHH gets serious, it looks extremely real.

Overall, together, they are the perfect package, great ring work and great mic work, but if I had to pick just one, it'd be HBK for me.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

HHH. Overall Better Professional Wrestler.

HHH is better on the mic and his mat skills are better than HBK. Most of the memorable rivalries include HHH.

HHH became the guy in the Attitude Era in which superstars have to work under pressure because of the competition with WCW whereas HBK became the guy during 95-96 which are considered one of the worst years in the history of WWE.

HHH is also a better heel as compared to HBK. In my opinion HHH is the greatest heel of all time after Ric Flair.

 

[Cabana]

HOF Ballot: Warning, much as in baseball, I skew strongly towards "peak" performance over "career" performance. I'd rather a brief run of excellence than a sustained run of very good. I'll take Sandy Koufax over Don Sutton any day. That's not much of an issue with either of these two, though.

In-ring: HBK, and it's not very close. HHH is absolutely terrific in the ring, and you have to give him kudos for reinventing his style mid-career after the quad injury, but HBK's career is the stuff of legend. Iron Man/Ladder Match/HIAC. Wow.

Mic skills: Same story here. HHH's work was great enough to make him a top face and a top heel. He's ultra, super-duper talented. But he's not Shawn Michaels. HBK was (and is) a master of making a crowd eat out of the palm of his hand. He could turn heel or face with equal aplomb. Just an insanely talented superstar.

Charisma: This is getting repetitive, but with a MAJOR caveat. HBK became much less relateable in his second DX run, and HHH pretty clearly outshone him then. Post-comeback HBK was terrific, but HHH was frankly just as (if not more) compelling during that period. HOWEVER, HHH just can't touch where HBK was in 97-98. The man was an absolute heat machine (lost his smile, DX, Montreal, the Austin feud.) Again, I lean peak and that's why I'll take HBK here.

Intangibles: HHH blows HBK away. Both had injuries, but HHH came back fast and came to work every day. Half of HBK's career is as a TV/PPV guy who didn't work house shows that often. This makes up a lot of the difference for me.

---

All told, I'll take HBK.

 

[H33LTurn]

In terms of in ring ability, charisma, and showmanship I think HBK takes the cake. However, Triple H is visibly better than him on the mic and has been able to reinvent himself character wise to remain relevant. Overall I think HBK is better but he certainly wouldnt have gotten where he is today without Triple H's help.

 

[BIG Jimmy 2115]

Man its Shawn all day bro. HHH got 10000 title reigns, but when shawn had his belts, they meant ALOT more. they actually looked and felt like championships instead this paper champion crap we have been getting for the past few years. Shawn has way more iconic moments and legendary matches than HHH. HHH cant connect w the crowd emotionally like shawn can but he is most def more intesnse. The only reason the gap isnt a mile long is because shawn was out for 4 years. That right there was shawn giving HHH his chance to grab the bull by the horns and make his mark, which he did. Either way, they are best duo to compliment each others style in WWE, besides Taker and Kane. But which one is better? I gotta go w Shawn Micheals, he is most def the OG of DX lol

DX vs Brothers of Destruction WM20

 

[TLK]

Man its Shawn all day bro. HHH got 10000 title reigns, but when shawn had his belts, they meant ALOT more. they actually looked and felt like championships instead this paper champion crap we have been getting for the past few years. Shawn has way more iconic moments and legendary matches than HHH. HHH cant connect w the crowd emotionally like shawn can but he is most def more intesnse. The only reason the gap isnt a mile long is because shawn was out for 4 years. That right there was shawn giving HHH his chance to grab the bull by the horns and make his mark, which he did. Either way, they are best duo to compliment each others style in WWE, besides Taker and Kane. But which one is better? I gotta go w Shawn Micheals, he is most def the OG of DX lol

DX vs Brothers of Destruction WM20

I love HBK as much as the next guy, but in all honesty is title reigns were crap, aside from the first one. He forfeited his second one after like a month, his third one was plagued by the screwjob and back pain, and the 4th one (although it was an emotional win) only lasted a month.

 

[IHW]

I was scanning the non-spam sections looking for a valuable 400th post for me, and this should work.

The Heart Break Kid Shawn Micheals is better than Triple H. Not only this, HBK is the greatest of ALL time. He is better than anyone, not just The Game. Shawn is my favorite all time wrestle and, IMO, the greatest Pro Wrestling Performer ever. He had it all through out his career, and maintained it in his latter years. HBK wins by a landslide.

 

[WCW/WWF Halo 4]

They've both done a LOT for the company, and made their mark.

HBK is the better technical wrestler, but even with that said, HHH is one of the best.

Both know the company inside and out.


Hard to pick a superior here.

HHH, I guess, since Iv'e watched most of his matches.

 

[#Zombienatureboy]

HBK all the way. Is this even up for debate???? HHH could barely talk and he was a good brawler for his size but...c'mon man....Trips is married to Steph = 13x world champion.

Trips has a cool character and cool music and if you put him in the ring with an HBK, he can be dragged to a great match. That's about it.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

HBK all the way. Is this even up for debate???? HHH could barely talk and he was a good brawler for his size but...c'mon man....Trips is married to Steph = 13x world champion.

Trips has a cool character and cool music and if you put him in the ring with an HBK, he can be dragged to a great match. That's about it.

Oh so you are one of those HHH "haters". Triple-H became the WWF/WWE Champion for the first time in 1999 way before he married Steph.

Also explain how is Cena a 12 Time World Champion, Edge a 11 Time World Champion and Randy Orton a 9 Time World Champion ?

 

[#Zombienatureboy]

Oh so you are one of those HHH "haters". Triple-H became the WWF/WWE Champion for the first time in 1999 way before he married Steph.

Also explain how is Cena a 12 Time World Champion, Edge a 11 Time World Champion and Randy Orton a 9 Time World Champion ?

No, I like HHH, I'm just saying he couldn't really talk that well and couldn't really wrestle that well. He was just ok. I don't think 20 years from now we're gonna be talking about HHH.

I didn't say anything about Edge, or Orton, or Cena. I just made the observation that Trips being married to the boss' daughter and having babies with her probably didn't hurt his career.

I can totally see a young Steph going to VKM and saying, "Daddy I love him...help him out." And Vince saying to himself, "Well, if she is gonna marry this dude, he needs to be able to support her."

So, Vince gets some people to work with HHH...because he got MUCH better when he went from being the Blue Blood to The Game. Hit the juice. Put 13 world titles on the guy. Wave the magic wand and you've manufactured a wrestling Legend.

Before that HHH was a jobber to the stars/mid card heel for life after the MSG curtain call incident.

C'mon man

HBK all the way without question or hesitation

 

[PlayTheGame]

Although I'm a big Triple H fan, even I can recognize that HBK's always been "better" than him, which is why when that sentiment was brought up during the storyline, everyone felt that it really meant something and it struck a chord. Sure, Triple H is one of the best of all-time and will go down as such, but HBK's always been a bit better. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that HBK started earlier, and HHH was always seen as his bodyguard/protege. Similar to how I don't think Orton will ever surpass Triple H, as he was seen as his "underling" for years during Evolution, but has since certainly emerged as great in his own right. Sure, Triple H is no longer in HBK's shadow, but unwarranted criticims will always keep him down among the IWC community. As for in-ring skill and promo ability... I'd say HBK is better in the ring and I's say they're equal in terms of delivering a promo. So although I'd give the overall edge to HBK, there is one area that I'd give to Triple H- I honestly think that Triple H loves wrestling more than HBK, like few others have. Not saying HBK doesn't love it, because he does, but HHH loves it to an extent that not many share- in fact, I can think of only a handful. I think the only other guy in the WWE right now that even comes close is John Cena. I wouldn't even say Undertaker is on their level. Triple H has dedicated his life to it, and instead of pursuing other ventures, it looks as if he'll be working in the business until he can't function anymore, similar to Vince. Not many do that. HBK could be involved, but he's enjoying retirement. Undertaker could work a few more matches, but he's enjoying his deserved limited-schedule. Triple H is practically "running the show" now, and he still wrestles on occassion, and just put on arguably the best Wrestlemania match of this year at 42 years of age with other 40+ year olds. So although I'd give Triple H the edge there, overall you gotta give it to HBK.

HBK is just a little higher on the totem pole than Triple H for a variety of reasons and most likely always will be.

 

[123NewChamp]

Plain and simple.

HBK is by far the better wrestler. When it came to the mic both had great mic skills. But for this to be the wrestling business, Triple H was more serious in his promo's than Shawn. That's what gives him the Edge. But when the Undertaker said Shawn was better, he meant Wrestling wise. And Taker told the truth, Shawn is better. Shawn Michaels really made Triple H. They were in the Kliq together. And although HHH had 2 IC championship reigns b4 his time with DX. DX was when Triple H started to come out. And when Shawn Retired because of injuries, Triple H took the group he made and ran with it, to the McManhon Helmsley Era, to Evolution. If Shawn wouldn't of invested in Triple H, Hunter would not have gotten the start he needed to have the successful career he had. And ask Hunter, he'll tell you the same thing too.

Shawn Michaels Hands Down.

 

[GameOver]

HHH is a better talker, better look, better mind for the business and a better ambassador for the title IMO.
HBK is the better performer in ring (not even close) and more charisma and since thats what the business is about "Entertainment" HBK takes the win.

If it was about being reliable, hard working and titles, Triple H would win.

end of story IMO

HBK

 

[enviousdominous]

To each his own. I give Shawn credit for making it despite being smaller than most, to my knowledge he didn't have a high profile friend to the level that HHH had in Shawn when HHH was vying for the top spot.

I have to give it to Shawn only because Shawn has more five star matches than HHH, for what my criteria for five star is worth.

 

[deslok]

Although I think HBK is the better worker, HHH during a nice stretch period during his first title reign, up to the quad injury, was awesome. He didn't fly like HBK, but he could have a brawling match with Mick Foley one day, to a technically sound match with Benoit the next. I remember back then thinking that wwe pay per views were 3 parts..1.the undercard, 2. The championship match, aka Rock match, and 3. the HHH match. How great it is we had both guys, I don't think anyone on the current roster has the charisma or work rate of either of the two.

 

[Ithil]

HBK is by far better. As much as HHH tries to pretend otherwise with reams of wins and titles, HBK is superior on every front, from versatility in the ring, to mic skills, to pure mat wrestling. He's even a better heel than him.

 

[FBomb]

This is a tough question when you're a big fan of both guys.

For me by the smallest of margins i'd say HHH was better out of the 2. HBK has had some of the best matches in WWE/F history but alot of his later career success relied on HHH whether it be as a partner (DX) or an enemy (HHH with Evolution).

HHH during his time with Evolution was one of my favorite viewing periods of WWE. His mic skills, wrestling ability and his revival of Batista and Randy Ortons careers are a testiment to how everything HHH touches generally turns to gold. HBK was fortunate to benefit from a place in the golden era with The Rock, Austin, Bret Hart, Hogan etc which gave him a big step up the ladder before HHH really got his career off the ground.

In a nut shell, HBK is brilliant but only due to HHH being there to highlight it

 

[Peoples_Champ]

It's tough to give HHH credit without pointing out that he's had his hand in the cookie jar backstage. I never really liked HHH all that much anyways, his gimmick never appealed to me (a cerebral assassin is someone that outsmarts others, and he relied on brawling more often than not). HBK on the other hand is something special. He has an artistic talent that appealed to me and I can understand his persona more easily.

HBK for me.

 

[MCMG]

"Who is better?" - it is truly impossible to say. I loved both and they were both great at different things.

Personally I prefer HHH. His match with Taker at mania proved that he was incredible at what he did in the ring, something which people do not give him credit for. He is fantastic heel or face on the mic. Contrast his time with DX and his time as a heel (evolution) his mic skills were different yet still very impressive.
He helped build the careers of Randy Orton, Batista and Sheamus. That is three world champions as well as helping to keep Ric Flair relevant.
This shows that HHH is one of the most important westlers's ever.

 

[Asterix]

I think even Triple H thinks HBK is better.

 

[Texas Tornado]

I give Shawn credit for making it despite being smaller than most, to my knowledge he didn't have a high profile friend to the level that HHH had in Shawn when HHH was vying for the top place. HHH is a better talker, better look, better mind for the business and a better ambassador for the title<<True