Rate The Gimmick: Triple H - The Game

[Ferbian]

It's time for another installment in the series. I apologize for the time you had to wait if you're a loyal follower and wanted yet another one.

This week we will look into a gimmick, that hasn't really changed for the better time of his whole career. It has really been implemented on top of the Connecticut Blue Blood gimmick that he had. It turned into a rebellious guy. And this brings me to the one we will rate in this week.

Yeah not the greatest picture. But there truly aren't any great pictures of Triple H holding a championship, at least not as a part of Evolution, would've liked that though.

Anyway. Triple H's gimmick turned into The Game in early 2000. After an interview with Jim Ross where he partially performed a shoot interview. It was epic. Such a shame I can't seem to find a video of it. I will rep the person who finds a video and contributes to the thread with it (While keeping it non-spam).

Under the gimmick The Game, Triple H has accomplished everything needed to become a shoe-in for a Hall of Fame induction. Triple H has won 12 of his 13 world titles while dubbing himself The Game. He has wrestled in numerous feuds. Numerous Wrestlemania's and many other events and memorable moments.

Triple H has been an absolute great heel under this gimmick. He has put over numerous talents. And he managed to become one of the most hated wrestlers because of this gimmick.

So I leave it to you - Rate this gimmick. And tell the world why you think it rates this high, or this low.

 

[Unsold Bacon]

This gimmick is great and doesn't not need to be changed or shifted it fits the game perfectly. Triple H can put over young workers and still look good. Look at the people he put over. People like John Cena and Batista and Randy Orton. When you work with Triple H you career skyrockets to new heights. Because he is that damn good.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Honestly I wasn't aware that ''The Game'' was a gimmick. I simply thought it was just a nickname and nothing more.

I've never seen it as a nickname that actually describes him or his character. I just thought it was something that could be put on shirts and another name for him to be called.

 

[Ferbian]

You're probably right Jake. But I truly don't know what else to call Triple H's gimmick. So I think this fits for this round.

Anyway I would really give this gimmick a 7 / 10. Mostly due to the fact that it kinda fades when he's a face. He's not as exciting unless he's in a brutal feud. A feud like the one against Randy Orton, I loved Triple H in that one. But I don't necessarily care for his gimmick during the time where he was feuding with Legacy. Or for the most of the time where he's a face. Just because of the fact that it's more of a great entrance contribution during that period of time.

But he's great as a heel when he's The Game. And therefore it drags up heavily to me. I would've rated it one of the better gimmicks if it wasn't for the face period.

 

[mister_b1LL]

The Game gimmick during Evolution and before: 9/10
The Game gimmick post Evolution: 6/10

I give the gimmick overall a 7.5/10. Triple H is cool no matter what, but the thing is his gimmick just is so much cooler as a heel. I mean, what face do you know besides Hunter carries a sledgehammer all the time and bludgeons people with it whenever he gets the chance? What other face do you know has a weapon synonymous with his name?

 

[Judah's Lion]

Honestly I wasn't aware that ''The Game'' was a gimmick. I simply thought it was just a nickname and nothing more.

I've never seen it as a nickname that actually describes him or his character. I just thought it was something that could be put on shirts and another name for him to be called.

i guess i'd categorize "the Game" as a gimmick if only because it compares rather drastically with his other gimmicks.

he entered the WWF as the American Blue Blood, a fancy and snobby heel, hence the finishing move's name of "Pedigree". it's amazing to me that the name of his finisher has stuck for so long considering how long it's been since he's played this gimmick, but i guess that conversation is for another thread.

then after the Blue Blood gimmick was DX and the prankster, rebellious degenerate (obviously, given the stable name of "degeneration X").

so after those very distinct gimmicks and changes, you'd have to say that this one that we've seen for the better part of a decade is definately its own gimmick. the Game, i'm guessing, would have been born right around SummerSlam of 99, when Triple H wrestled the triple threat match with Austin and Foley with Governor Jesse "the Body" Ventura as the special referee. after losing the match, Triple H broke JR's arm the next night on Raw to coax Foley into a title shot and won his first title that night.

from there, he feuded with Austin, Rock, Foley, Angle and the list goes on and on.

i'm gonna stick close to Ferb's rating but go just a bit higher and give this one an 8/10. i actually like Triple H as a face and really enjoyed the initial DX reunion in their feud against the McMahons and Rated RKO. the stuff with Hornswaggle was just silly and for entertainment, which i get, but that kind of face stuff doesn't do much to help your gimmick rating. but their initial reunion was actually pretty bloody and brutal and i loved it!

for that, i'll go one more point above Ferb and say that this has been a gimmick that was well suited for Trips and well played.

maybe this is another thread idea, but i wonder how this gimmick would have worked on its original intended recipient, Owen Hart...

 

[Judah's Lion]

The Game gimmick during Evolution and before: 9/10
The Game gimmick post Evolution: 6/10

I give the gimmick overall a 7.5/10. Triple H is cool no matter what, but the thing is his gimmick just is so much cooler as a heel. I mean, what face do you know besides Hunter carries a sledgehammer all the time and bludgeons people with it whenever he gets the chance? What other face do you know has a weapon synonymous with his name?

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan.
Big Boss Man, as a face, carried his nightstick. He did so as a heel too, but as a face he still pounded people with an illegal weapon.
La Parka and his steel chair. wasn't his nickname even "the chairman of WCW". pretty corny, but he was a heel that brought an illegal weapon with him to the ring.
you could maybe even throw in Eddie Guerrero here because he was a face that used to "Lie, Cheat & Steal" to win.

best example though is always gonna be Hacksaw.

btw, this post was not to be argumentative. you actually do bring up a good point. it's hard to be a face and bludgeon opponents with such an illegal weapon.

and i did like how you split up the vote with pre and post Evolution, basically splitting the vote between his time as a heel and a face. wish i had thought of that first.

 

[Liquid Smallz]

I wouldn't call his character The Game. To name his character though I'd say "The Cerebral Assassin" yes that is also a nickname but it sounds perfect to call his character. From his entrance and how he gets ruthless especially with his trademark sledgehammer I'd call it "The Cerebral Assassin". But then again when HHH is not in a revenge state or pissed the hell off, his character is just "Hunter" lol I don't know what else to call it because he acts like a regular person. When he's Hunter he makes funny jokes and whatever and hes just himself.

And that's exactly one of the reasons people like him as a heel more. The whole Cerebral Assassin thing can be played at anytime he can attack whoever he wants and be brutal and whatever time. Overall 8/10, not matter what gimmick anybody has though it's about how the wrestler carries that gimmick and HHH carries his gimmick 10/10.

And on a side note MOST great wrestlers are always better as heel just saying.

 

[SpoodBeest]

I will give Triple H props for somehow making this "Game" gimmick work for as long as he has. It's only been since 2000 that he sported that Motorhead theme and became the Triple H that is so well known today. I think for soul factor that he has made a crowd care for him while remaining practically the same for the better part of a decade has to be admired.

The reason his character (or gimmick) works better as a heel is because that is when Triple H is allowed to show his destructive mean streak, as well as physically dissect wrestlers in a fashion that we so rarely see from other wrestlers. He is also so calculating when it comes to what he does. He outsmarts you and knows it and that got under everyone's skin. He also got under the skin of people when he talked, because he downright insulted or humiliated whoever was in his face, and if necessary he would end the confrontation with a malicious beating of that individual

As a face it just doesn't come off the same, although as i've said he makes it work to the point where the crowd is behind him. He does uses some of these techniques to go after the heels with, but again since he is a face he is pretty limited and can't do everything a heel can and the gimmick isn't set to its full potential. But the man is still very good at putting on a show no matter the role he is in.

I will give Triple H a 7/10 for his gimmick, since he has made it work for over a decade and still seems to make the crowd care. He may be a better heel as his gimmick is suited for that but he also pulls off a good face and the crowd is always into The Game so it definitely works.

 

[mrbrownstone]

Well when you look at what Triple H has done while using this gimmick then there is no way ot can be a bad gimmick 12 world title reigns 6 wrestlemania main events (16,18,20,21,22 and 25). The leader of one of the top factions of all time Evolution which created two of the biggest stars of this era and he has put over numerous other stars (Sheamus). I would have to say based on those accomplishments that this Gimmick deserves a 9.5/10 there is really not much else he could have done.

 

[Morpheus101]

I rate it 10/10. It's a gimmick (if you want to call it that) that has survived the test of time, going back over a decade. His entrance music is the best in WWE (in my opinion) and it has never got old. He can play heel or face perfectly and is a living legend.

That's my opinion.

 

[jslovie420]

one of my favorite characters of all time. triple h always put his gimmick over the right way. whether he was face or a heel you know he is that damn good.

 

[tRKOj]

Hey i've been lookin 4 that interview everywhere on the internet and i cant find it anywhere but i hav always liked The Game gimmick as a heel not so much as a face but its still good just not great. I personally liked Triple H best when he was with Stephanie mainly cuz i've always had a crush on her so iwould Triple H 2 see Stephanie but i ended up liking the Triple H character and i liked him all the way through Evolution but then he turned face and i didnt like it as much the "ruthless aggretion" wasnt there anymore which i think made The Game gimmick so great. now i'll them pre evolution and post evolution like another person before me did:

Pre Evolution:10/10
Post Evolution:7.5/10

 

[mister_b1LL]

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan.
Big Boss Man, as a face, carried his nightstick. He did so as a heel too, but as a face he still pounded people with an illegal weapon.
La Parka and his steel chair. wasn't his nickname even "the chairman of WCW". pretty corny, but he was a heel that brought an illegal weapon with him to the ring.
you could maybe even throw in Eddie Guerrero here because he was a face that used to "Lie, Cheat & Steal" to win.

best example though is always gonna be Hacksaw.

btw, this post was not to be argumentative. you actually do bring up a good point. it's hard to be a face and bludgeon opponents with such an illegal weapon.

and i did like how you split up the vote with pre and post Evolution, basically splitting the vote between his time as a heel and a face. wish i had thought of that first.

I'm gonna hit you with a big beautiful "Touché" on that one when you brought up Hacksaw.

And SpoodBeest brings up another good point. The Game gimmick has been out there for an exceptionally long time. True there have been many variations of it in the years it's been around (Gamevolution, D-Gameration X) but the main premise is still the same: Triple H is the Game, he's That Damn Good, and if you don't believe him, prepare to meet Mr. Sledgehammer. It's this point that make me rethink my rating of the gimmick.

Evolution and prior: 9.5/10
Post Evo: 7/10
Overall: 8.5/10

 

[The Whole F'N Show]

I'd go with an 8. As a heel it's a 9, but as a face it's a 7. When a face, his gimmick isn't as good as when he is a heel. The heel HHH was gold, the face HHH is only good when it's a personal feud (Orton, McMahon-Hemsley, etc.) otherwise it seems to be too watered down.

 

[newc868]

Personally as a heel I rate the gimmick a 9.5 but when he's a face it drops considerably to 7. He was amazing with it in Evolution and I loved when he gave Orton the thumbs down while he was on Batista'a shoulders.

 

[TheHammerMan]

I'll give heel a 10. Heel HHH is by far one of the best heels you'll ever see. Every time I would watch raw I'd hate seeing him, he did his job right. He became the best bad guy. Now for face HHH post evo I'll give him a 6. I like him but he just needs to be a heel.

 

[LascoX]

The Game suits HHH perfectly, he is a true student of the Game (Wrestling). HHH knows how to work the ring , the mic , and the backstage politics better then anyone in recent history. He moves from face to heel effortlessly and lives and breaths wrestling. I never really thought of The Game as a gimmick , more of an apt title for his overall abilitiys in the industry. 9/10 because it discribes him so well in my view.

 

[Stone_Cold_Randy_Orton]

Gimmick: The Game

Rating: 5/10

Its been years since HHH changed gimmicks....once back in "1990 something"....when he went from Hunter Hearst Hemsley to HHH, the Game. Ever since then I can't doubt that he's been interesting and kinda hardcore, but recently its getting old and he's getting old and its kinda been too long since he's changed his game up. DX is always interesting and serves to keep him fresh but now that its gone and no longer an option(ever) he needs to start focusing on his end career time. He needs to figure out what he wants to do before he retires. And I don't mean he's gonna retire anytime soon but he needs to figure out what he can still do and what he won't be able to do come retirement. If he wants to relive his glory days, now is the time. So I think he should change up his gimmick.


My advice would be to keep with Cerebral Assassin gimmick and use it as a sort of heel persona where he screws people and takes advantage of them. He's been wanting to go heel for quite some time and this would be a cool way of doing it. He could do what Jericho did for his character by making it the most hated its ever been. Its not just a Jericho being a heel, its an entire persona. It hasn't affected his career in that people don't hate him to death(like they do Cena), but it does make his final years very memorable and caps off an awesome career that will surely be remembered. HHH needs to do something like that now. It would cement his legacy in our memories for as long as we are wrestling fans.

I give it a 5/10 because its half complete. He's used his gimmick to the fullest as a face. But being that his gimmick, in nature, is rebellious and extreme, he needs to now fulfill it by turning it full swing heel and break the walls down. (lol)