How Good is Triple H?

[Travaje]

First of all, the 13 World Titles doesn't mean very much. Your legacy isn't cemented by how many World Titles you've won. HBK only won 4, but he's gonna go down as one of the top 5 ever.

When HHH first started/during the attitude era, I was not a fan, I couldn't stand him. And DX does nothing for me. But I really do believe he cares a lot about the business, lives and breathes it, and wants to do what's right for business. As he's gotten older, and I've gotten older, I respect him a lot more today than I did.

How good is he? Not on that very elite top tier that guys like Flair and HBK are on, but on the tier below it that many of the best workers also belong on.

 

[Morpheus101]

I think Triple H is one of the all-time greats. He has pulled off some AMAZING matches in his already relatively long career, he has worked as both a top face and a top heel (not many can do this) and he's carried some of the greatest feuds in WWE history. He has wrestled pretty much every type of match there is. He has put his body through hell, come back from potentially career-threatening injuries (and come back better and stronger) and at 40 years old, he still looks like he has a long way to go.

People often hate him because of his marriage to Stephanie, which is why he's so successful. This is not true; he was already successful BEFORE he married Stephanie. The man has definitely earned his corn in the wrestling business and if he's calling some of the shots backstage, it's because he knows the business very well.

Look at it this way, the HHH/Rock feud was probably my favorite wrestling feud in history. We can credit Rock's humor and charisma with 50% of that, but Triple H also carried that feud too for such a long time, being an amazing heel. Triple H actually helped make the Rock as popular as he became. Triple H also has the ability to make you hate his guts, or cheer for him. Few can actually do this, Flair being another example.

So yes, I give Triple H my thumbs up. I'm glad that the DX gimmick is finally over too, so that he can go back to singles wrestling, whether a face or heel.

 

[Drunken Aviator]

imo i think he would be succesful just not 13 time world champion succesful he knows how to tell a story in the ring and he's not bad on the mic either

 

[Morpheus101]

imo i think he would be succesful just not 13 time world champion succesful he knows how to tell a story in the ring and he's not bad on the mic either

Is 13 world championships really that excessive in this day and age anyway? Triple H has been in WWE for 14 years, so it's not excessive. John Cena has only been in WWE for 8 years, but he he 7 world championships.

 

[spinningtorturerack]

HHH is a great wrestler who has a great charisma and always brings it to the ring in whatever he's doing. 13 championships might not prove it, but the fact he has been one of the top men for,hmmm, at least ten years, coming into his stride as a world champ in 2000. Sure that is the start of the McMahon-helmsley faction, but then the way he played such a great heel champ secured his place in 2000, then his major return in 02 just sealed his face side.

Sure Steph might help but if he wasn't as good as he is I think vince would have eventually eased up a bit on his exposure.

I just think its a shame that he is so over exposed as the top guy, but then what else do you expect i guess from a top guy?

 

[Cookie14]

HHH would always have been a huge star in WWE. He has the look, the ability and the charisma. His WWE career was only really starting out when he married Steph, but the career he had to that point was already very successful.
Steph is not the reason HHH is where he is. If she'd married my accountant, and he became multiple time WWE champ, then I would say it's because of her. HHH is just a different class

 

[LascoX]

HHH is one of the best in the business today and has earned his position in the WWE. Granted, being married to Stephanie doesnt hurt his stature within the WWE organization. HHH can work a mic with the best of them, he has sound in ring skills and is a skilled backstage political player. HHH is a true student of the game, he lives and breaths wrestling. He has true heart as demonstrated by the 2001 quad injury. It took true guts to finish that match like he did. He not only did it for himself , but for the industry he loves. He works well as a face or heel and is a complete package. He has definatly earned his postion into the HOF and has what it takes to carry the strap and represent the company.

 

[tripleh013]

i have to say this is my first time doing this forum thing and hhh is my favorite wrestler of all time and ppl say ''oh the only reason he is where he is is bcuz he is married to the bosses daughter'' if anyone read his book he strictly said that the reason they started going out is becuz he liked her and ect. triple h is the best plain and simple hes beaten them all and he held every title he is the 2nd grand slam winner he is the 97 king of the ring winner he is the 02 royal rumble winner he held the world title 13 diff. times he knos how to tell a story i still say to this day the best rivalery he ever had was against hbk and ive been wanting this for years and that is hhh vs hbk wrestlemania main event one on one for the world/wwe champion give me ur opinion

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I have thought about this question many times. I think he is great, but how great?

Is he on the level of Hogan, Austin, Rock, Bret Hart or Flair? No. How about Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Randy Savage, Andre The Giant or Bruno Sammartino? I don't know.

When I think of the greatest of all time (which is where Triple H places himself, without a doubt), four names come up: Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, Ric Flair, and Bret Hart. Then I usually think of second-tier guys like Shawn Michaels, The Rock, Bruno Sammartino, Andre The Giant, The Undertaker, Sting, and Randy Savage. I guess I would probably put Triple H into that second tier.

My only problem with judging Triple H and his place among the greatest of all time is the fact that I believe he honestly thinks he is the GREATEST of all time. He really does. I think he puts himself into a category where he doesn't neccessarily belong. I really think he believes he is right up there with Hogan, Flair, and Austin...and he's not.

Don't ge me wrong, I think he is very, very good. I think he is great, actually. Probably top ten of all time, if not, close to it. But he's not AS great as he thinks he is. I mean the guy tells the audience to bow to him in his introduction while he's on the middle turnbuckle. I think he is arrogant and self serving, but I really don't care about that. I like watching him wrestle. I like watching him run an angle or storyline with a lot of other wrestlers out there.

So do I think he is great? Yes. Do I think he has a bit of a dillusional,heightened sense of self-importance? Absolutely. So, the real answer is probably somewhere in the middle.

 

[Davi323]

Is he on the level of Hogan, Austin, Rock, Bret Hart or Flair? No.

My only problem with judging Triple H and his place among the greatest of all time is the fact that I believe he honestly thinks he is the GREATEST of all time. He really does. I think he puts himself into a category where he doesn't neccessarily belong. I really think he believes he is right up there with Hogan, Flair, and Austin...and he's not.

But he's not AS great as he thinks he is. I mean the guy tells the audience to bow to him in his introduction while he's on the middle turnbuckle.

Do I think he has a bit of a dillusional,heightened sense of self-importance? Absolutely.

How is that any different than Bret Hart? His catchphrase is "the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be". If that doesn't indicate an incredibly developed ego, I don't know what does. If you are going to knock Triple H down to the second tier because he thinks he is better than he actually is, you need to apply the same set of rules to the Hitman. I am not just picking on Bret Hart, just pointing out what seems to be a double standard.

I would dispute Triple H being second tier though, at least if you are going to insist that Austin, Hart and the Rock are true first tier wrestlers. When I think of the very best, the absolute cream of the crop, I only have three names. Hogan, Flair, Andre. They are without a doubt, the three biggest names in the history of the business, at least in my 34 years of living. After them, comes everyone else. Steve Austin doesn't match up, the Rock doesn't match up, neither do Triple H, Bret Hart, HBK, or the Undertaker. Those three, Hogan, Flair and Andre, aren't legends, they are a step beyond legend.

On that next tier though, I think is where Triple H belongs. Along with Austin, the Rock, Hart, HBK, Taker and Sting. When you look at Triple H's career as a whole, what is the justification for saying he hasn't done as much as those guys? I guess, if you are going to state that he isn't as good as those guys, what separates them?

 

[vforvnth]

I cant believe this is being discussed here....Trips is one of the best in the business and the fact that he's 13 time champion has nothing to with it. Its always a treat to watch him in action or with d mic.

 

[mister630]

I can deal with HHH in the ring. He's not as good as Michaels, but he's not horrible either. He's pretty solid. What I can't deal with, however, is his entrance. Yeah I had a lot of fun spitting water out of my mouth while in the shower, when I was like 14. It seems absolutely pointless for me to do something like that in front of people at my age (20). Why does HHH do it?

On an interesting side note (well I find it interesting anyway), I was thinking of wrestlers names for my cat and he doesn't look like an Undertaker, and I certainly hope he doesn't turn into a Benoit, so I ended up naming him Hunter.

 

[Stallion123]

i know i've seen this alot lately, but IMPO, i think that HHH is without a doubt, the best storyteller out there in the business right now... 13 time WWE/WH champion, but i personally like some of his rivalries, where there wasn't a title involved (Big Show in '06, Jericho in '02, and this past year with Legacy) Hunter knows how to tell a story in the ring, no matter with who he's up against... again, IMPO, he is a bonafide 1st ballot HOFer... one of the best that ever laced up boots

HHH really isn't that great an actor, he's improved since 7 years ago, but is a terrible heel.

When he was completely on top his promos can be summed up as "I am the game, no one can beat me" and if not the champ "I am the game, where is my title shot".

I respect the guy, he's a decent worker. But I'm in the camp he wouldn't be as big if he didn't marry the boss's daughter. defantly a future hall of famer but I wouldn't call him the greatest of storytellers.

 

[airvar]

I will say this, the guy is obviously extremly dedicated to the WWE as a company, and to the wrestling buisness in general and that dedication has shown .


There is little doubt he would have been a World Champion without marrying the boss's daughter. He probably would have been a multiple time world champion.

I think people overestimate what his marriage to stephine is. I think that happened because it happened. I don't think it had anything to do with backstage politics.

I think HIS backstage poltics with shawn, and the Kilique has affected his career and world title reigns much more than his marriage to stephanie. I personally think his relationship with other wrestlers and political influence has helped him much more than marrying stephanie ever did or ever will. Sure it might have helped a little bit, but i think the backlash it brings (everyone thinks you get what you get because you are "part of the family" ) out-weighed the poltical benifts of marrying stephine.

I am not saying he isn't heavily influencing and participating in backstage politics amoung wrestlers, or that he dosen't throw around his standing in the company, I just don't think his marriage to stephanie has as much to do with his backstage politics as everyone assumes. I think his backstage politcs, and influence would have been used the same way weather he married her or not. I also think HHH, for as dedicated a worker he is , is the type of guy who would find a way to get what he wants no matter what happened. He would have figured out a way to get into that position without stephine.

 

[STL]

I think I have more of a mixed reaction on Triple H than most people do. I feel like even though he is a good storyteller, I feel that his matches are just garbage. They are always the same. He gets beat up and pulls a Spinebuster and Pedigree out of nowhere. I hate how people always rip Cena's moveset. I am pretty sure that Cena has more moves than HHH. I like how Triple H is tough though, he works through injuries just like he's working through a couple of them right now. Don't get me wrong, I think Triple H is good but I also think he's a bit over-rated

On a side note, I think that Triple H is really good at putting people over. I think that when he put over Jeff Hardy a year or 2 ago, It really worked well.
Your thoughts?

 

[Regg69]

Trips is one of the all time best at what he does.I luv him as a heel,he's had some great moments as a heel.Hopefully he will go back to being a heel.I think it doesn't hurt being married to the bosses daughter.If he wasnt I think he still would have a great career.HOF bound he is

 

[justtxyank]

On ring work alone, HHH is definitely NOT that good. He's good enough to be sure, but he was never an elite performer. His "good" matches have always relied on another worker to be better than him. It's hard to say someone who was never the best worker in a great match is really a great worker.

That said, while HHH isn't elite in the ring, he had something else that a better worker like HBK didn't have. He has the ability to genuinely make you hate him. And it wasn't just because he was booked that way or because we know about the bosses daughter. HHH has the ability to get heat from the crowd better than anyone in the last decade. Even as a beloved face, you always feel that HHH could switch back to being a badass heel at any point and be the biggest heel in the company. That is a trait that is impossible to replicate. HBK had the ability to be a heel and cut great heel promos, but he could never generate the kind of hatred that HHH can (outside of the Montreal situation.)

So, even though HHH isn't a great worker, I absolutely think he is a great professional wrestler. If you think back over the last decade, the WWF/E needed HHH as their top heel because programs with him as the heel almost always worked. When you are the face feuding with a heel HHH, it just made sense. So I think he would have been successful even without Steph and would have gotten the title reigns he has gotten. He's done good business for the E, been loyal, gotten over, gotten heat...he's a modern day Harley Race.

Edit: As for defining moments, his feud with Foley is definitely a defining moment. The street fight at Royal Rumble was one of the best matches of the decade.

 

[kmed5486]

HHH is probably one of my all time favorites, so i am a little bit biased when i say that i think he is one of the best ever. He has always been entertaining to me even when he started with the blue blood gimmick. He has been getting alot worse in the ring the last couple of years but what do u excpect from a guy wrestling as long as him with the injurys he has had. The first few years that he wrestled in wcw and the wwf he was pretty damn good up till the first blown quad. But he has always been gold on the stick.

The steph thing is a pretty lame excuse to hate because he was on top well before her and he was a booker man before bret hart even left.

But if he was really that bad would vince have even have let him be apart of that if he didnt have a great wrestling mind and wasnt 24 7 the biz, hell no

for me his defining moments were the foley HHH feud, i thought all those matches were awesome, and i think trips is one of the best bleeders of all time. He can do hardcore stuff, he used to be able to do the technical stuff, but he can sure still brawl. Hes a hall of famer for sure, in any wrestling hall of fame

 

[Stallion123]

Trips is one of the all time best at what he does.I luv him as a heel,he's had some great moments as a heel.Hopefully he will go back to being a heel.I think it doesn't hurt being married to the bosses daughter.If he wasnt I think he still would have a great career.HOF bound he is

I hope he never goes back to being a complete heel. I already described the diolague that entails.

I think people overestimate what his marriage to stephine is. I think that happened because it happened. I don't think it had anything to do with backstage politics.

Actually I'd argue it has alot to do with his standing. Waltmen and Hall are in the clique and they really never made it huge in the wwe.

I remember reading when HHH was on smackdown and champ ratings and ppv buys were taking a hit and he wasn't depushed or anything. BUt I'm sure another talent in that situation would have been blammed for the lower buys/ratings even though they may not be part of the reason. (For back then, I don't think HHH himself was the sole reason for that).

I respect him, but I can't see him being as dominate or pushed as much if he didn't have clout with the boss by being married to his daughter.