Time to Play the Game
Of all the superstars of wrestling, few attract more controversy than Triple H. For years he has been held up by his supporters as being one of the best, if not the best wrestlers in WWE. His detractors have claimed that he only owes his position to his marriage, that he uses his power to hold down other wrestlers and even that he has killed the business. He has, for much of his career, been involved in skits and angles that expose the business, or use insider terms and yet he is known to be a student of the business with a thorough understanding and appreciation of what has gone before him. In short, everyone in wrestling, whether promoter, wrestler or fan, has an opinion on Triple H and those opinions cover every imaginable base. What then, is the truth about the man who is arguably the most powerful and influential wrestler in the business today? The controversy with Triple H really starts with his arrival in the then World Wrestling Federation. Soon after joining the company in 1995 he became close friends with Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels, Sean Waltman and Scott Hall, better known as The Kliq. By joining this group, Triple H was setting himself up for criticism and suspicion but also gaining opportunities. Depending on who you ask, The Kliq were either a shadowy group of opportunists, manipulating Vince McMahon in order to benefit themselves and harm their rivals, or a group of friends whose enthusiasm for the business had given them a good relationship with Vince. That The Kliq had Vince’s ear was unquestionable. To what extent, whether they were the only ones and how they used and benefited from this are the questions. The other question that Triple H’s critics pose is this: did Triple H deliberately target The Kliq as the group to join in order to further one’s career? After all, they were notorious party animals, famous for their excessive lifestyle, while Triple H himself was a bodybuilder for years and just did not seem the type to get carried away in that manner. So, was it really just a shared love of wrestling that made them friends, or was the young Triple H smart and devious enough to deliberately worm his way into the most influential group on the roster? Given the fact that the friendship between these men has endured for many years, despite all kinds of ups and downs, it seems unkind to try and suggest that their bond was anything other than sincere. Whatever the case, the fact is that they did become friends and Triple H was, therefore, in an influential position. Moreover, isn’t it only natural that a young wrestler entering the company is going to naturally gravitate towards more established and experienced wrestlers? Of course, there was a downside to being the junior member of such a group, one illustrated in the now infamous “curtain call” incident in 1996. By this point, Nash and Hall were about to go WCW and, in their last match they faced Shawn and Hunter at Madison Square Garden in a non-televised show. After the match the four friends embraced, thereby breaking character and “exposing the business” to the live audience. As Shawn and Hunter have told this story, this was intended to be nothing more than a fond goodbye between friends. They had, apparently, cleared it with Vince beforehand and, as far as exposing the business went, well, this was 1996 not 1984 after all. Afterwards, however, some unknown other people got in Vince’s ear and persuaded Vince that what The Kliq had done was disgraceful and that they should be punished. Since Nash and Hall had now gone, and Shawn was the WWF Champion, that basically meant that Hunter was going to be punished. According to Hunter, Vince told him that he was “going to have to eat sh*t and learn to like the taste of it” for some indefinite period. Hunter’s response was that he would endure whatever he had to, as long as Vince assured him that, once his punishment was over, the issue was done with. It wouldn’t be brought up again and Hunter wouldn’t find himself dogged by this time and time again. Vince assured him that, so far as he was concerned, the matter was already done with and thus, a planned push for Triple H was put on hold for about a year. For example, Triple H had been scheduled to win the 1996 King of the Ring, but that honour now went to Steve Austin (clearing the way for “Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass” and therefore possibly saving the company from extinction) and Hunter would have to bide his time. In later years, Triple H has often referred to this as a blessing in disguise, insisting that, at that stage of his career he was not ready to be featured that strongly, and that this “punishment” actually ensured he was ready when his turn came around. I would have to agree with him, particularly as this supposed “punishment” was hardly as serious as one might imagine. For most of the following year Hunter was still featured prominently on television, briefly gained the services of Mr Perfect as manager (before Perfect left for WCW) and even won the Intercontinental Title in October of 1996. To me, therefore, it seems more that Hunter’s push was slowed rather than stopped. Besides which, wrestling is a fluid business. It’s all very well for Vince to say “I’m punishing this guy” but if said guy is getting over with crowd then he’s getting over and you may as well go with it. The next major stage of Hunter’s career was, of course, the formation of Degeneration X with Shawn Michaels and Chyna (and, briefly, Rick Rude as Shawn’s “insurance policy”), which was another of the pivotal factors in the arrival of the “Attitude Era”. DX have often been compared to WCW’s NWO and, given that two of The Kliq formed DX, Nash and Hall were two of the founders of the NWO and Sean Waltman was the only man, prior to WWE’s takeover of WCW, to work in both groups, it is hardly surprising. In point of fact, there are as many differences as similarities between the two groups but one definite connection that both groups had was a willingness to blur the lines between story and reality and, therefore, to frequently run the risk of exposing the business. Now, this was, of course, the late nineties and it was already years since Vince McMahon had taken the decision to “break kayfabe” and publicly admit that professional wrestling was a worked sport. Nevertheless, at that time the business still had not, and many would argue still has not, come to terms with exactly what that meant and how far one should now go in this new era. The Kliq were, though perhaps they did not realise it at the time, in the vanguard of a new group that also included, for example, Vince Russo, who wanted to test the boundaries of the new freedoms and restrictions that breaking kayfabe had instituted. In that sense, they were either iconoclasts or visionaries (or both) but, either way, they got right up the noses of a lot of more old-school people within the business. Regardless of what people thought of DX, and Vince himself was often appalled by their antics, they were a massive hit with the audience. Triple H himself has often said that, at that time, they were “the hottest thing in the business not named Steve Austin” and it is certainly true that, along with the Rattlesnake, along with The New Hart Foundation’s war with America and along with the macabre soap opera that saw Kane introduced to the Undertaker’s back story, they were one of the crucial building blocks of the era of Attitude. It was inevitable, in this era of shifting fan loyalties that DX would come to be popular even as they were supposed to be booed. It only made sense when, after Shawn Michaels’ apparent retirement after Wrestlemania 14, a new Degeneration X became babyfaces. Another important change had taken place, too. Triple H was now a leader. By now, Hunter was a former European and Intercontinental Champion, as well as King of the Ring. His rise had been steady and showed no signs of abating. Critics often say that he was “shoved down the fans’ throats” but, really, this is hardly a justifiable accusation. Triple H joined WWE in 1995, the same year as Steve Austin. By Wrestlemania 14 Austin was champion but he is regarded as a man who earned his spot while Triple H was forced on the fans. Even if one accepts what appears to be a double standard here, on the grounds that Austin had more experience in the business overall, what of The Rock? He joined WWE after Triple H, with less experience, and was made Intercontinental Champion almost immediately. If ever a man was “forced on the fans” it was The Rock. Yet, by the vast majority, he is now rightly regarded as an all-time great and, if people reference his difficult early years at all, it is merely to point out the skill and charisma he displayed in turning heel. In point of fact, all three of these men, along with several others, rose quickly during these years for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because WWE was in a life or death struggle with WCW and the company were therefore willing to try new ideas and new people. Secondly, and very simply, because they were over with the fans! If you don’t believe me, get some tapes or DVDs and watch them back. Triple H was getting a great response from the crowd back in 1998 as a bayface and an even better response in 1999 as a heel. It seems to me that, ultimately, Triple H has been judged harshly for not being as over as Austin and The Rock, two of the three biggest stars in the company’s history, along with Hogan at his peak, rather than receiving the praise he deserves for being as popular as he was in his own right. Since then, of course, it is his marriage to Stephanie McMahon that has cast the biggest shadow over his career. According to his detractors, all of his success since can be attributed directly to this relationship, this despite the fact that he was already a main-event wrestler before said relationship began. Furthermore, he is accused of using his influence to sabotage the career of anyone who might threaten his own spot on the roster, to the great detriment of the company he works for. Triple H himself has always maintained that he would happily give up any creative power he may have if it were for the good of the company, and that he will step away from the limelight whenever his father-in-law, the man who wields the real power, tells him to. However, he also maintains that now is not the time for that, as the company does not have the star power to sustain such a loss. So, what is the truth? It is certainly true that, for the last decade or so Triple H has enjoyed a vast run of success at the top, winning no less than thirteen world championships. It is also true that in the early part of this century the WWE lost a lot of star power, with Steve Austin and Mick Foley more or less retiring and The Rock leaving for Hollywood. It is also true that these men have not been adequately replaced, partly due to the deaths of Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit, plus the defection of Kurt Angle to TNA. The idea that Triple H will not put people over is an arguable point. One can point to Triple H’s feud with Batista, some of his matches with Jeff Hardy, his Wrestlemania submissions to Benoit and Cena, even the recent DX-Legacy feud and say, sure, of course Triple H puts people over. Or, one could look at feuds with, say, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Scott Steiner and Hunter’s first feud with Randy Orton as evidence that Triple H does nothing but squash people and make them look bad. It should surely be obvious that to go entirely one way or the other is to present a jaundiced view. The real key, of course, is who makes these decisions. Hunter’s critics assert that he is the one deciding to hold down talent and that any examples to the contrary are merely rare examples of times he was over-ruled. Without being part of the creative meetings, how can we possibly know? All we know for certain is this – the WWE is Vince McMahon’s company and the buck for every decision stops with him. If Hunter uses his influence to maximise his own position, why then he’s only doing what countless other wrestlers have done in the past. Moreover, Triple H managed to carve out a main-event spot for himself in an era when Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock were at the height of their popularity. I sincerely doubt that he is at all worried that anyone might ever threaten his spot in this day and age. The other factor that needs to be remembered is that, these days, the WWE is unwilling to take chances. As a company, their inclination is to stick with a safe bet, a proven draw like Triple H, rather than gamble on an unknown commodity. The spur of desperation once provided by the threat of Ted Turner’s millions is no longer present and so WWE will not take desperate gambles. It is not just Triple H’s role but WWE’s entire main-event picture, especially on Raw, that has become static and unchanging. It’s interesting to note that John Cena and The Undertaker, perhaps the only men booked even stronger than Hunter these days, are rarely, if ever, accused of refusing to put people over. In their case, the blame is almost always put on Vince and creative for not using them to elevate new talent. The mere fact that they’re not married to a McMahon does not mean, however, that they have no influence over Vince. What we see hear is a double standard in operation, something that I hope I have shown is nothing new in Hunter’s career. Finally, does Triple H deserve his success? Well, as I’ve said before, it’s difficult to provide a fair, objective view when one is writing about such a subjective issue. There are, and always have been, some fans who consider Triple H a dull competitor and/or a dull speaker. These are entirely valid assertions. Triple H’s ring style is not spectacular enough for the tastes of some, too repetitive for others. His speaking style is realistic, rather than caricatured promo style of many of wrestling’s great speakers. Personally, I have always found his work to be extremely entertaining. Many of my favourite WWE matches have involved Triple H and I have found him to be convincing as both a hero and a villain, believable both when intense and when humorous. For the most part, the crowd have always been into him and his fellow wrestlers tend to speak highly of his work. For my part and, I would guess the majority of fans, yes, Triple H does deserve his success. Maybe we might quibble over the precise number of title reigns but, by and large, I think most would agree that Triple H is a bone fide main event player.
Marshall Law 