HHH tops the PWI 500 List.

[My$terio_Fan]

It's been announced that HHH was ranked #1 on the PWI top 500 wrestlers this year. This is the 2nd time HHH has won(he won it in 2000 also). With all the bashing the IWC does on HHH, I was shocked that he was #1. From my understanding he was shit and boring, but maybe he's not.

Anyways, what's your thoughts on HHH being #1. Does he deserve it? If not who should be in his place?

I don't really watch Raw anymore(except the divas)so I don't know who else should be ahead. I guess HHH is better than some people give him credit for? Or does the PWI just want to kiss his ass?

 

[Phoenix]

Personally, I think the honour should have been Chris Jericho's, who was placed second behind The Game. I mean what more can you say except two excellent feuds with HBK and Mysterio. He saved the Legends match at Wrestlemania from being a total dosh and he's been brilliant on the mike and has had some match of the year candidates as well as getting the World Title twice!

Compare that to Triple H, one long World Title reign and picking up a second title in the Elimination Chamber shortly after, wins the Wrestlemania Main Event which lots of people found it to be one of the worst endings to Wrestlemania. Having a lacklustre feud with Randy Orton, forced to return early cause of Batista being injured and still having a lacklustre feud.

I think that aside from the title reign, only which only lasted because he refused to job to Hardy, I think Triple H has done nothing memorable in this past year to earn him the spot. I think personally, I would put him at least after Cena, possibly equal to Orton, but he didn't deserve number one.

Chris Jericho deserved that because he's done nothing more than provide entertainment in any feud he's been in and is versatile, having competed in the World, Midcard and Tag Divisions all in the same year. If you can prove to me how Triple H beat Jericho over being the better wrestler in the past 12 months, I certainly like to see it!

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

The only time PWI actually got a 500 list right was when they did the "PWI Years." Randy Orton was #1 last year, but Edge was most certainly WWE's top performer during the period the list covered.

People can bitch and moan about the IWC not being in tune with what the fans want, but HHH is a definite exception. I wouldn't be surprised if WWE had a controlling share in the magazine. No one gives a shit about HHH anymore, and I'll be bitching just like I always do when he has the WWE Championship again later on this year.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Id say it should be Chris Jericho, but Trips is a serviceable pick. Wa sinvolved in every high profile thing there was to be involved in, carried Khali to a good match, put over Jeffy Hardy to be a true legit ME contender, and put on good preformances for the most part (except for that whole...WM25 thing...)

To say "no one gives a shit about Triple H" sounds fairly biased and blind (well, deaf). Watch the programs, he routinely gets top 3, if not THE biggest pop of the night, every night out. Ive been to the arenas, those reactions certainley arent canned. Id say Jericho is the best the buisness has at the moment, but a very legit case can be made for Triple H being the overall top guy.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Id say it should be Chris Jericho, but Trips is a serviceable pick. Wa sinvolved in every high profile thing there was to be involved in, carried Khali to a good match, put over Jeffy Hardy to be a true legit ME contender, and put on good preformances for the most part (except for that whole...WM25 thing...)

To say "no one gives a shit about Triple H" sounds fairly biased and blind (well, deaf). Watch the programs, he routinely gets top 3, if not THE biggest pop of the night, every night out. Ive been to the arenas, those reactions certainley arent canned. Id say Jericho is the best the buisness has at the moment, but a very legit case can be made for Triple H being the overall top guy.

When pops can be exchanged for dollars, let me know. You are a poster that firmly believes that a wrestler's credibility depends heavily on his ability to make money, so where's the proof that this man's a draw? There really is none. I'll admit that people probably aren't against the idea of seeing HHH at a show, but I'll be damned if he's the primary reason why people attend events/watch WWE programming.

Simply put, HHH is where he is right now because WWE can afford to have him there. If they faced stiffer competition, or if the market for wrestling as sports entertainment shrunk, he'd have a meeting with his father-in-law where he'd be encouraged to retire early.

 

["Cool Guy" Jensen]

Well, I don't think that Triple H has had the best year of 2009, so I really don't understand why he's first. I do agree that the #1 spot should have gone to either Chris Jericho or Randy Orton.

Look at Triple H. He started the year making fun of Vickie for her nude photos and then became the final man eliminated from the Royal Rumble for the second year in a row. At No Way Out, he won the WWE Championship and successfully defended it against Randy Orton at Wrestlemania. Then he loses the WWE Championship at Backlash and isn't seen for a little over a month. Challenges for the WWE Championship three times since then and comes off short each time. And he is now in a fued with Legacy... not really what I would call a ''monumental year'' for Triple H.

Chris Jericho. Begins 2009 in the World Heavyweight Championship hunt, but comes up soher. Around that same time he starts to badmouth all legends, and later beats three Hall of Famers at Wrestlemania in "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Jimmy ''Superfly'' Snuka, and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. Impressive! Then he gets drafted to Smackdown, where he fueds with Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship at three consecutive ppvs, winning the title for the unprecedented 9th time. And now he is one-half of the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions! Much better year than Triple H.

And Randy Orton. He also started off the year in the World Heavyweight Championship hunt, also coming off short. Then he starts a fued with the McMahon family, after kicking Vince in the head. He won the 2009 Royal Rumble, and defeated Shane McMahon at No Way Out. He couldn't win the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania, but makes up for it at Backlash. He takes out Triple H, and retains the WWE Championship against Batista at Judgment Day, before dropping the title to him in a "Steel Cage match" at Extreme Rules. He takes out Batista again, and regains the WWE Championship. He successfully defends it at The Bash and Night of Champions, and likely at Summerslam.

But, instead PWI picks Triple H as the #1 spot. I guess the PWI doesn't measure the #1 spot based on success. Or else Orton or Jericho would have gotten it.

 

[RageBattle]

I wouldn't say it was the best year for him, but that just begs the question of was everyone else's year below his?

He always deserves a top spot though, I just haven't seen exactly what would place him at number one.

 

[TheBestThereNevaWas]

I really thought Orton or Jericho was #1. I kept blinking thinking maybe my vision had gone bad when I saw HHH. Has PWI issued a statement (an honest 1) on how they came up with that ridiculous decision? HHH should be in the top 10, but not #1. Whatever credibility I gave that mag is definately shot now.

 

[johnnyblaze3:16]

is that the top of the boaring repetitive list? one of these me need to go heel cena sells to much merch so i would say batista have him join legacy like he was offerd and take on dx

 

[Southwind]

I'm stunned this is the year Trips had a rough go of it so far he's been punked by Orton in his feud maybe it's a lifetime achievement award ? Otherwise it makes no sense it should be Jericho with Orton as a close second.

 

[MisterRob]

When pops can be exchanged for dollars, let me know. You are a poster that firmly believes that a wrestler's credibility depends heavily on his ability to make money, so where's the proof that this man's a draw? There really is none. I'll admit that people probably aren't against the idea of seeing HHH at a show, but I'll be damned if he's the primary reason why people attend events/watch WWE programming.

Simply put, HHH is where he is right now because WWE can afford to have him there. If they faced stiffer competition, or if the market for wrestling as sports entertainment shrunk, he'd have a meeting with his father-in-law where he'd be encouraged to retire early.

Where's your proof Triple H ISN'T one of the primary draws or the primary reason people buy tickets to see WWE or watch it on television? "When pops can be exchanged for dollars, let me know" is one of the most asinine things I've heard on these boards in a while. What exactly do you think is exchanged for the dollars people spend coming to WWE events, attending their shows, or buying WWE on ppv, if it isn't the pop that reflects the fans affection and interest in a wrestler, and therefore who they come to see? Triple H gets arguably the biggest pops in the WWE, therefore all those people screaming and cheering for him WANT to see him, and therefore they come to the event TO see him. You're talking about what ifs and make believe scenarios instead of the actual reality of the world we live in, which is silly. Do the research and prove Triple H isn't the biggest draw the WWE has when he's main eventing ppvs or headlining cards, do the research and find out what the majority of wrestling fans (which is not the internet tools on boards like these) feel when it comes to Triple H, because only then can you have a valid argument to state Triple H isn't a draw, or isn't the primary reason people are watching.

There are very few REAL draws in wrestling right now, if any, but throughout wrestling as a whole, Triple H is certainly at the top of the food chain of popularity and reasons people watch WWE programming. Saying otherwise is just silly, and I am by no means a Triple H mark, merely a guy whose able to accept reality for what it is which you seem unable to do.

On that note, I wouldn't have put Triple H on the top of the list. I think Chris Jericho for one deserves to be there above Triple H, but I can still see the reasoning for Triple H being there at number 1.

 

[Christian Battlez]

Why Triple H? Why? I'll tell you why. Triple H held the WWE Championship for the majority of 2008. He regained it in the Elimination Chamber after being screwed out of the gold by Edge at Survivor Series. Retained the title against a red hot Randy Orton at Wrestlemania before dropping the gold at Backlash and being storyline "injured". Thats a pretty strong case but I can make a stronger one.

Randy Orton...the man of destiny. He returned and immediately took out CM Punk costing him his World title in the process. Then takes out Batista at Survivor Series and Armageddon. Wins the 2009 Royal Rumble and goes onto main event Wrestlemania. Fails but comes back strong at Mania after eliminating every member of the McMahon family except Triple H. Takes out the Game at Backlash and holds the title till Extreme Rules. Drops it to Batista at Extreme Rules but quickly gets it back on the second Raw after the pay per view. Is the current champion and a dominant force in the WWE. Quit possibly the most dominant force...if only this man wasn't in the picture.

Chris Jericho...This man had two terrific feuds with Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio and a decent one with John Cena. He has won the World Heavyweight Championship twice, the Intercontinental Championship, and the Unified Tag Team Championship. He has beaten Shawn Michaels in a Ladder Match, Batista in a Cage Match, and defeated three WWE Hall of Famers at Wrestlemania. If this man hasn't been the top superstar in the sport I don't know who has.

So vote Triple H...maybe vote Randy Orton he is a great choice...but if you really know your stuff vote Chris Jericho!

 

[Sasori]

I say it should have been Jericho or Orton.

Orton: He dominated this year! He lead his team to victory at Survivor Series for like what the 3rd time now? He took out Batista (kayfabe). He took out the Mcmahon family (again kayfabe lol). He took out HHH (kayfabe), and also Flair, which is pretty much every one in Evolution other than him xD. He's the leader of the most elite group in the WWE right now, and he is the current WWE champ and it seems it's gonna be like that for months to come! No one can touch that! Other than Jericho ofcourse lol.

Jericho: Let's see, he had a classic and one of the all time best feuds with Shawn Michaels IMO, he had another one of those with Rey. He gave the IC title it's prestige back, won it 2 more times to break his own record, TWICE! He also became the world champ twice, was voted best wrestler of 2008 by the WWE universe, and is probably one of the best heels of all time! I'd say he's even in the league of the Million Dollar Man. 'Nuff said.

 

[SavageTaker]

Does anyone actually care who they think should be number one? I know I don’t. If they think he should be number one then good for them. But I think otherwise.

Like some people have already said, Chris Jericho should be number one and he is on my list. He has put on great matches throughout the entire year with different people on both pay per views and on TV. I would nominate him for TV match of the year with Rey Mysterio. They put on a fantastic pay per view and TV match and they’ve had a very entertaining feud. Not only has he had good matches with Mysterio but he’s also had some other pretty entertaining matches for example against John Morrison. Lastly, he actually made The Big Show interesting again in my opinion. He teaming up with Show has actually made me want to see Show after last Monday’s Raw. He has definitely been the most or one of the most entertaining wrestlers in the WWE throughout the whole year and I don’t see how someone couldn’t put him as number on in their list. I like Triple H but this just hasn’t been a good year for him, it’s been Jericho’s year and that’s why I would put him at the top of my list.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Where's your proof Triple H ISN'T one of the primary draws or the primary reason people buy tickets to see WWE or watch it on television?

How many times has this man come back from injuries? How many times has this man gotten a new championship reign? And, how many times have buyrates or ratings been affected when any of the aforementioned things have happened? None that I can honestly think of.

Do you want me to break out a regression analysis for you? I'll gladly do it if you're willing to do the same.

"When pops can be exchanged for dollars, let me know" is one of the most asinine things I've heard on these boards in a while. What exactly do you think is exchanged for the dollars people spend coming to WWE events, attending their shows, or buying WWE on ppv, if it isn't the pop that reflects the fans affection and interest in a wrestler, and therefore who they come to see? Triple H gets arguably the biggest pops in the WWE, therefore all those people screaming and cheering for him WANT to see him, and therefore they come to the event TO see him.

I remember Shawn Michaels, Brutus Beefcake and Men On A Mission getting pops similar in size to HHH's. I can't really attest to the drawing abilities of the latter two acts, but I can assure you that pops mean jack shit in terms of dollars if Shawn Michaels' time on top in the mid-1990s is taken in as evidence.

Also, you're the one here asking for evidence, yet you try to say that HHH gets the loudest pops, therefore he must be the man that fans come to see? Hey, Shaq got the biggest pops all night on RAW last week, but he wasn't announced as the guest host until Washingtonians had already bought their tickets way in advance. By your logic then, these people are clairvoyant.

You're talking about what ifs and make believe scenarios instead of the actual reality of the world we live in, which is silly. Do the research and prove Triple H isn't the biggest draw the WWE has when he's main eventing ppvs or headlining cards, do the research and find out what the majority of wrestling fans (which is not the internet tools on boards like these) feel when it comes to Triple H, because only then can you have a valid argument to state Triple H isn't a draw, or isn't the primary reason people are watching.

Man, you sure do talk a big game. But, honestly, all I ever do is see you throw around words like tool, smark, silly, and asinine. As I said before, I'll gladly do my research. But, when it's done, I know to expect jack shit from you except a response akin to "But, you're dumb smark, therefore you're not qualified to comment on these matters."

There are very few REAL draws in wrestling right now, if any, but throughout wrestling as a whole, Triple H is certainly at the top of the food chain of popularity and reasons people watch WWE programming. Saying otherwise is just silly, and I am by no means a Triple H mark, merely a guy whose able to accept reality for what it is which you seem unable to do.

Holy shit...I live in the DC area, and I have you down to a tee, but I didn't even read this portion of your post until now! Do you think I'm a clairvoyant as well? Is it a virus/disease that is communicable through the air? You seem to know everything (including what millions of WWE fans like), so, I thought it only right to ask you.

 

[jrumpi]

HHH is #1 ? W8 a sec HHH is # 1? .

How the hell is he #1 . Man now I under stand why many people do not take that mag. seriously .
But honestly HHH was the most stale talent in wwe this year and how are they ranking it by what by title wins ? by title runs? by year achievements ?
if any of that is considerd then these guys are marks lol , I thought wrestling was scripted so if i was cena or hogan or vince then I can put the title on me the whole time and I will be #1 ?

Seriously WTH Y2J or EDGE or ANGEL OR RKO should be #1 for all over performance in the ring and at story telling and at how good they did there job .
seriously if it was about the longest title run then ROH nigel macgunis should have won it lol he held the title for 22 months .

P.S: SMURF YOU HHH , YOU MOTHER SMURFER .

 

[yoshi_doce2006]

Love Trips. He is one of my favorites in the business and has been for over a decade. One of the top three men in the business along with Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle in my opinion. However I have to give this to Jericho. Jericho had a year that was unbelievable and in my opinion is the best heel in the business. He should have won it hands down in my opinion. I mean the feud he had with Mysterio had me tuning in every episode to see, it was amazing, every match. He should have won it.

In a second place finish I would have had Kurt Angle. Kurt had a great year in TNA feuding with some great workers and showed why he is the top guy in the business.

Trips would have finished third for me. He had a pretty good title reign and had a couple stellar matches including the Last Man Standing with Orton. I just didn't see it as enough to garner a #1 ranking or even a top 2 though.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

When pops can be exchanged for dollars, let me know. You are a poster that firmly believes that a wrestler's credibility depends heavily on his ability to make money, so where's the proof that this man's a draw? There really is none. I'll admit that people probably aren't against the idea of seeing HHH at a show, but I'll be damned if he's the primary reason why people attend events/watch WWE programming.

Simply put, HHH is where he is right now because WWE can afford to have him there. If they faced stiffer competition, or if the market for wrestling as sports entertainment shrunk, he'd have a meeting with his father-in-law where he'd be encouraged to retire early.

OR possibly 2001, the WWE highest grossing year in its history up until at least 2006, which was a year when the entire show was totally centered around Triple H, that Austin and The Rock spent a very large portion of injured.

 

[X]

OR possibly 2001, the WWE highest grossing year in its history up until at least 2006, which was a year when the entire show was totally centered around Triple H, that Austin and The Rock spent a very large portion of injured.

...2001 Norcal? Sure you don't mean 2000? Because 2001 was hardly centered around Triple H considering he tore his quad in May and was out for the rest of the year. It was centered around the Invasion angle and Austin, with a bit of Angle thrown in.

Triple H headlining the PWI...can't say I agree with it. John Cena is pretty clearly the superior choice. I'm not a big Cena fan myself, but the guy is clearly above Triple H in the pro wrestling food chain right now. For god's sake Trips just jobbed to fucking Legacy on Monday.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

2000, yea, the Mcmahon-Helmsley thing. Im an idiot. I was doing a lot of drugs at the time, forgive me.


And yea, as said. Its kind of a group effort these days. There are plenty of folks who show up to WWE shows just to see Triple H, just as much as anyone else. Anyone else. Couple that with the match quality, promo quality, and overall week in and week out, a perfectly logical case could be made for the guy being the number 1 guy in the buisness.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

I think #1 should have probably gone to Orton for this year, as he has accomplished the most by becoming Raw's Top Heel. I firmly believe they completely ruined his character after they had him admit that the IED angle was a lie, though. Obviously, that decision certainly wasn't his fault, though. Had they not gone in that direction and if they would have kept him psychotic, he would unquestionably be the hottest thing in wrestling today, bar none. Obviously, he still is at the top of the WWE ladder, but it would have been a lot more obvious if he were still portraying that character, which earned him enormous praise by leaps and bounds. Leave it to Fucking WWE Creative to screw another major angle up. I swear I just want to physically knock some sense into the whole Creative team, including Vince, sometimes.

 

[attila]

Triple H topping the list is a joke. The year clearly belongs to Chris Jericho and don't even get me started on Austin Aries and Tyler Black who have had incredible showings over the last 12 months. I would throw CM Punk into that short list too but let's face it, prior to winning the title they didn't give him anything to work with. If we were talking strictly the last 3 months he would definitely be my personal selection to top the list.

Triple H has been involved in a single long and boring program with Randy Orton, has done nothing of any significant note, has been involved in only two matches which could be considered to be worthy of any note whatsoever (not to say that they were actually any good) and is one of the worst babyfaces in the business. I can understand a heel Triple H making the PWI top 20-30.... but Hunter Kent, Hul-al, Super-Aich, whatever the fuck you want to call the babyface Kryptonian superpower of professional wrestling who rips through the entire WWE roster without breaking a sweat doesn't belong anywhere near the number one spot.

This isn't 1987 and this Hulkamania bullshit is not fooling nobody - not even the 12 year olds. Don't know about you guys, but my 12 year old nephews are fucking bad-asses... I don't think Vince realizes how vile and violent the mind of a 12 year old is in the age of Zack Snyder (most famously the visionary behind 300 and Watchmen) and GTA.

He has done nothing of note (in the ring or on the mic), he is not even close to being as over as a large number of his peers, despite getting 10 times the amount of fkn air time, and has contributed nothing for the benefit and betterment of the industry.

The only justification for this selection is that the guys at PWI obviously think that wrestling is fkn real, and that Superman really did pimp-slap the entire roster without once stopping for another shot of HGH (human growth hormone) to maintain his roid inspired masculinity. Someone wake me up from this nightmare... where something as respected and revered as the PWI 500 has been reduced to yet another vehicle for Vince to voice his socialist propaganda for an audience of one, and to propagate his agenda for the destruction of professional wrestling.

Thank-god for Dana White and Scott Coker.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

I am one that takes a lot of stock in what the PWI has to say. They've been the magazine of the neutral wrestling fan for many years. I'm shocked to see that HHH is number one. This wasn't his best year by no means. This was Jericho's year to be number one. He single handedly changed his entire character and become one of the best heels in wrestling today. HOW does that not get rewarded. Orton is about where he should be. Kurt Angle should be higher on the list and STING is 9th!? Sting. I'm a huuuuge Sting mark, but he's not the 9th best wrestler in the world today. I don't care what you say.

It's a little off topic, but I found out Stan Hansen was 16th on the PWI 500 best wrestlers during the PWI years. That's pretty damn awesome. Ranked ahead of VADER, LUGER, and Steve Austin. So choke on that, folks! But yea, HHH is top 5, but not number one. And Cena should NOT be in the top 10. What's he done this year?

 

[Y 2 Jake]

It's a kayfabe magazine, so it was going to be Triple H or Randy Orton. I guess the outcome of the WrestleMania main event decided it.

Can't be Cena, I don't think poor feuds with Big Show or The Miz qualify you for a top spot. It's not Jericho, struggling to be legends and holding mid card titles doesn't make you worthy of the top spot either.

Edit: Oh, so it's from last year! Still Triple H though, innit.

 

[666_The_Game_666]

How did HHH get it dont get me wrong im a HHH fan but to top the PWI 500 for doing what exactly. He held the WWE Championship for most of 2008 before droping to Edge at Surviour Serries and failed to regain it against Edge at Armagedon were Hardy won. Spent Janurary pocking fun at Vickie and having to fight for his rumble spot. He gets in the rumble only to loose right at the end for the second year in a row. Que NWO wins the elimination chamber match to win the WWE Championship the next night he basicly begins his feud with Orton in the lead up to Wrestlemania. Retains the title at Wrestlemania and drops it 3 weeks later to Orton at Backlash only to miss 6 weeks. Comes back and is given a title shot right away and for 3 straight PPVs fails to recapture the gold now is in a feud with Legacy and looking for a DX reunion. But look at what Orton and Jericho did in the past year. Jericho was WHC and did a killer feud with HBK in 2008. Took on 3 WWE Legends at WM and won. Goes to Smackdown and feuds with Rey then at Extreme Rules captures the Unified Tag Titles and also won the 2008 Superstar of the year at the Slammys. Orton won the 2009 Rumble took on the Mcmahon's has began another lengthy title run beat HHH at 4 PPVs this year and took him out to win the Rumble. How did PWI go past Jericho and Orton