Thoughts on TNA Genesis
So, as of last Sunday the first of Hulk Hogan’s TNA pay per views is in the books. Before I get to assessing the show itself, however, I’d like to address one of the most baffling decisions TNA has yet made (or, perhaps, been forced to make) regarding their television coverage. Not long ago, people noticed that TNA was actually the most watched professional wrestling promotion in Britain. True, this was because Impact was broadcast on Bravo, a channel that appears in the basic cable and satellite packages available in the UK, while WWE is broadcast only on Sky Sports, which are premium channels. That is not the point. The point is that TNA was reaching more people than WWE. TNA were also broadcasting all of their pay per views on Bravo, meaning that any UK fan who could watch Impact could also watch the pay per views at no extra cost. While that may seem unfair to US fans, who have to pay considerable amounts for shows like Genesis, it is exactly the way that WWE started doing business in the UK. Over time, however, they have gradually introduced additional charges for pay per views, to the point where UK WWE fans actually pay for the majority of WWE pay per views. No one doubts that, eventually, we will end up paying for all of them.
TNA, however, have opted to abandon that business model. Genesis is the first TNA pay per view available exclusively through BT Vision’s sports on demand service. BT Vision is a broadband-enabled television package that currently has 436’000 subscribers. The potential audience for TNA in the UK just shrunk dramatically. Now, Dixie Carter is by all accounts a smart businesswoman, so I am sure that TNA are getting a good deal here. Nevertheless, it would seem to me, from the outside looking in, that a growing wrestling company like TNA needs viewers above all else. After the US, the UK is one of the biggest markets in the world for wrestling. TNA had a genuine shot at supplanting WWE in the UK, simply because more people were watching them. By moving to BT Vision, they have effectively ensured that they will remain a fringe product, in the UK as well as the US. That is, unless of course, BT Vision can begin to take on the likes of Sky and Virgin Media in the UK TV market. Looks like TNA have just got themselves into another little dog versus the big dog situation!
Anyway, on to the show itself. Genesis opened with an impressive video package emphasising how all of TNA’s stars were born to be wrestlers. Sensible stuff, and the fact that the video showed both “legends” and “TNA originals”, as it were, is one small step towards getting the new audience to look at AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and so on the same way that they do Nash, Sting, Flair and Hogan. Once the show started, we were treated to a redesigned Impact Zone, with a four sided-ring and a ramp all the way to ringside, WCW style. Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff made their way to the ring and were almost immediately drowned out by a chant of “WE WANT SIX SIDES!” Granted, it wasn’t as if the entire audience was joining in but a large section of the audience were vociferously making their voices heard. Which brings me to my next point.
TNA are heading for a serious problem with their live crowd and I only see it getting worse before it gets better. The plus side for the company is that they have a loyal, dedicated band of fans who attend lots of shows and care passionately about the company. The bad news is that these fans are extremely loud and outspoken and they do not seem to be on the same page as the company, as regards many of the changes that the new regime is making. I’ll address this more throughout the post and at the end of it, as well.
Hogan managed to get them to stop the chant eventually, via the foolproof expedient of mentioning Vince McMahon. TNA fans are contractually obligated to boo the words Vince McMahon and “sports-entertainment” whenever they hear them. Unfortunately, they’re also bound to boo the words Vince Russo, and he works for TNA. Hogan cut a basic anti-WWE promo in which he contrasted McMahon-style sports-entertainment with wrestling – the kind of promo that people have been cutting ever since Vince bought his father’s company. Whatever happened to all of those guys? Oh yeah, every one of them wound up out of business, working for Vince, or both. Hopefully, this is not an indication of things to come. Anyway, as damage limitation, it allowed Hogan and Bischoff to leave the ring more or less to cheers.
The cheers continued when Brian Kendrick was revealed as the “mystery opponent” of Amazing Red for the X-Division Championship. Kendrick’s release from WWE had disappointed many, as he has proven that he is a gifted athlete and he had seemed on the verge of breaking through during his last Smackdown run. However, this match didn’t really click. Kendrick worked a mat-based submission style, to contrast with the high-flying daredevil style of Red. The idea and story was good, but the execution was not quite there. Hopefully, that was just down to a bit of rust on Kendrick’s part. The finish was delivered beautifully, however, as Amazing Red hit the Code Red “out of nowhere”, allowing him to keep his championship, but leaving Kendrick credible as a major threat who could easily have won the title on another day.
Second match was Sean Morley (formerly Val Venis) versus Daniels and straightaway the teething problems of the new regime were exposed. Morley, a competent wrestler at worst, is still working his old Val Venis schtick, which is a sports-entertainment character if ever there was one. Daniels, by contrast, despite working as a heel most recently, is a very popular TNA original. The sad thing is that, given the wrestling credentials of both men, this is a match that I was looking forward to. However, booking the gimmicky Morley as the baby-face and the serious wrestler Daniels as the heel seemed to run completely counter to the philosophy Hogan had espoused just minutes before. It was doomed to failure, of course. That loud section of fans booed Morley, cheered Daniels (even after he told them not to) and, to be honest, rather spoiled the match for me. This was still okay but could have been so much better if the crowd had worked with it, rather than against it.
After that it was time to bring the Knockouts in, for chapter forty-two of Tara versus ODB. Personally, I don’t mind seeing the same people wrestle multiple times but I’m getting a mite sick of seeing Tara win the belt and then drop it a week later. This match was two out of three falls, which suggests that it might be the feud-ender. The fact that Tara won it by two falls to zero is also pretty final. This was, frankly, as good a match as the two have had, and most of the crowd still seemed to care about Tara’s victory, despite what that has meant in the past.
Yet another title match followed that, as The British Invasion defended their tag titles against the team of Hernandez and Matt Morgan. I could complain here about how Morgan and Hernandez are being wasted and sidelined here, but frankly, that’s obvious to anybody, so I’ll try and dwell on the positives. The upside here is that the team is over with the fans. Also, the fact that Morgan and Hernandez are both huge baby-faces forces them to change the usual dynamic of tag-team wrestling. Heel teams can’t play “isolate the little guy” here, which may mean we get to see some slightly more unusual matches. This match was entertaining without being outstanding and, frankly, it was not surprising when Morgan got the win with the Carbon Footprint. That’s okay, though. Sometimes it’s good to have a match where you just can’t see how one team can be beaten and have them win. When someone finally does knock off SuperMex and Morgan, it will mean something.
Next up was one of the matches of the night, Desmond Wolfe against The Pope D’Angelo Dinero, once upon a time known as Elijah Burke on Smackdown and ECW. I have no criticisms to make here. The Pope oozes charisma in his promo delivery and Wolfe plays the perfect heel. Wolfe debuted a new look and a new valet tonight. Every movement and mannerism of his was perfect. The match was no disappointment, going a decent length of time, with both men using contrasting but complementary styles and telling a good story of the villainous Wolfe using his technical skills to break The Pope down, while the heroic Pope kept feeding off of the crowd and fighting through the pain. One thing I love is to find myself rooting for the baby-face even when I like the heel and think he should win. So it was here. Even though I really wanted Wolfe to get the win back from their bout on the January 4th Impact, I couldn’t help smiling every time The Pope kicked out. Eventually, however, Wolfe got the pin with one of his typically brutal lariats. The great thing is that this sets up a rubber match. These are the kinds of guys that one worries may be lost in the shuffle of the new TNA. Hopefully, Hogan will see their worth and both will be destined for the main-event.
After that it was supposed to be Hall and Nash against Beer Money. However, Sean Waltman, competing as Syxx-Pac, won a game of scissors-paper-stone against Hall to get the spot in the match. For whatever reason, Hall decided that he couldn’t go that night and, it has to be said, he doesn’t look in good shape right now. The match itself was really good. Whatever people say about Waltman, I’ve always felt that he can go in the ring, and he did so here. Again, Nash has many critics but it may be fairer to say that, given that he is fifty, over three hundred pounds and the amount of surgery he has had, it is almost a miracle that he is still as good as he is. Nothing trumps experience. Beer Money are, of course, just a superb tag team. In another age their future would have been assured but, these days, it’s all about singles wrestlers. Another thing that I’d like to see Hulk fix. Beer Money got the win when Hall wandered down to ring-side and attacked a “fan”, forcing Waltman to leave the ring to try and stop him, and leaving Nash to be double-teamed and pinned. This may well be the end of this NWO storyline, as Nash now has a genuine grievance against his former running buddies.
Nearing the end, now, it was time for a match between Lashley and Abyss that Bischoff had laughably referred to as a “co-main-event”. However, Abyss had taken out Lashley earlier in the show, ostensibly to protect Bischoff. Hogan promised Abyss a mystery opponent but requested that Abyss leave the hardcore stuff in the locker room – Hogan wanted a look at Abyss the wrestler. The mystery opponent turned out, of course, to be Ken Anderson, formerly WWE’s Mr Kennedy. Immediately, he proved that he had lost nothing on the mic, giving us an extremely entertaining “Mr Andersoooon” entrance. However, he soon proved that he had also gained nothing in the ring. From a wrestling standpoint, this was the worst match on the card. Sporadic chants of “over-rated” were directed at Anderson and the pace dragged appallingly. To be fair to Anderson, he has not wrestled a great deal recently, and Abyss was probably not the ideal opponent for him. There’s only so much you can do with a 6’8” 350lb behemoth, after all. The fans were also somewhat confused by the question of how to react. Anderson came out to a baby-face pop, but wrestled like a heel. Then he scored the win using brass knucks hidden in his tights but the announcers barely blinked. So excited were Taz and Tenay over Anderson’s debut, they forgot to point out that he had actually cheated to get the win. I know Russo has always been fond of tweeners, and Anderson is actually suited to that but some consistency would be nice. Anyway, Ken Anderson has genuine star quality. I really, really would love to see Hogan take him to the next level.
Finally, the main event, Kurt Angle challenging AJ Styles for the world title, with the stipulation that, should Angle lose, he would not receive another shot against AJ in 2010. Obviously, this match was very good – how could it not be? Ric Flair’s appearance at ring-side seemed to imply something was up, however, and we finally found out what when Angle laid in the Ankle-Lock. As AJ tried to break out, Angle laid in the full, super-duper, leg-grapevine variant of the hold. Moments before AJ tapped out, however, Flair grabbed the ref and pulled him out of the ring. A furious Angle chased Flair around, before being decked by the recovered AJ. Flair tossed the championship belt to AJ, who seemed to wrestle with some doubts before finally listening to Flair’s exhortations and smacking Angle with it. Flair then threw Earl Hebner back into the ring, so that he could make one of his famous half-conscious counts. AJ was still champion, but Flair had recruited him to the dark side. The finish, of course, sets up a nice story of Angle wanting revenge but not being allowed a shot at AJ because of the stipulation.
All in all, this was an enetertaining show, no better than the shows TNA was putting on before Hogan’s arrival but no worse either and with several starting points for new angles. What to do about those fans, though. At the Impact tapings following this show, a TNA producer actually gave the fans a lecture on what they could and could not do at shows! Some of this was common sense – there’s no need for gang signs or foul language from the audience, obviously. However, the fact that these fans were cheering the “wrong guys” is just tough. WWE have never told audiences that they MUST cheer John Cena, have they? Frankly, if the crowd boo Morley and cheer Daniels, maybe the bookers need to think about their presentation, rather than trying to force the crowd to go along with their wishes.
It’s true that TNA is entering a new era. It’s true that the old fans can’t expect that everything be done to suit them when the goal is to dramatically increase viewer-ship. However, TNA cannot simply disregard the opinions of fans who have loyally supported them for years. If the fans want a six-sided ring, or some of them do, maybe it should be put to a vote, as Jeremy Borash suggested? If the Hogan regime has one flaw that has already become apparent, it is an inability to accept criticism. Dissenting voices are dismissed as “negativity” or “jealousy”. No one, absolutely NO ONE wants to see The Nasty Boys back, but they are still on Impact. Awesome Kong punched Hogan’s friend shock-jock and professional jerk-ass Bubba the Love-Sponge for his comments about Haiti and Hogan dismisses this as being to do with Kong’s “time of the month”. Hogan, your friend said “fuck Haiti” (which he couldn’t even spell right)! The whole wrestling world applauded when Kong chinned him, yet she is the one who has given her notice. Not to mention the fact that, at Genesis, Eric Bischoff took Jeremy Borash off TV indefinitely. Now, granted, this was only a storyline but many people remember an Eric Bischoff comment of 2009, before he was affiliated with TNA, in which he was highly critical of Borash, saying that he had no business being on TV. The point is that Borash, whatever Bischoff may think of his abilities, is widely respected for his abilities as a wrestling interviewer/announcer, bleeds TNA and has been with the company since day one and is popular with the fans.
Genesis is, of course, a beginning, and this TNA Genesis is no different. There is plenty to find, both positive and negative, here and where it will all lead is impossible to say just yet. One thing I do know, however, is that Bischoff and Hogan will have to be open to dissenting opinions if they wish to succeed. We all know that Vince McMahon, during the Attitude Era, pushed guys and story-lines that he didn’t think were any good – DX for example – simply because others did and he needed something. This was the most successful period of his company. If Hogan really wants to hit the heights, he’d better be willing to do the same.
The Monday Night Skirmish – Raw is Bret vs Hogan’s Impact
Now that the dust has settled and the results are in, it’s time to examine the events of Monday, January the 3rd, the most hotly anticipated day of pro wrestling that I can remember in quite some time. Ladies and gentlemen, in the corner to my right, weighing in at almost fifty years of impressive and frequently revised history, the undisputed champion of pro wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment! And, in the corner to my left, the challenger, the little federation that could, Total Non-stop Action! Who would win this Monday night showdown, the first that wrestling had seen since WCW was bought out in 2001? Both sides had, of course, wheeled out their big guns, with Hulk Hogan finally making the TNA debut he originally promised back in 2003, and Bret Hart making his first live appearance on WWE programming since 1997 when something or other happened, I forget the details.
To be honest, the aftermath of these shows is proving almost as fascinating as the build-up was. The two wrestling promotions demonstrated very different approaches on Monday and, perhaps unsurprisingly, fans are thoroughly divided on who was more successful. In terms of TV ratings, initially it seems that both companies have reasons to be cheerful. TNA are already reporting record ratings of over 2 million viewers, while it seems that Raw also enjoyed its most successful rating for some time. TNA achieved their success with a broadcast short on wrestling but long on star power, shocks and unpredictability. WWE went for a show that emphasized internal consistency and ongoing storylines but was arguably more predictable and “tame” than TNA’s offering. Both shows put considerable emphasis on the “historic” nature of the events unfolding. TNA made constant references to the competition, while WWE made no reference whatever to TNA, unless one counts Jericho’s mockery of Hulk Hogan’s poses during his match with DX.
Some time ago, I predicted that, as fans grow more used to the WWE’s PG content, the rift between TNA and WWE fans would begin to widen. I think that we are beginning to see the results of that now. Everywhere I look I see a clear division between fans over which of Monday night’s shows was better. It is not simply that people have their favourites; many people seem convinced that, not only was their favourite show better than the other, it was, in fact, no contest at all. Many of those who enjoyed Impact felt that Raw was just awful and vice versa. Personally, it is hard for me to give any definitive judgement, since Impact has yet to be shown in the UK and, even when it is, will not be aired in its entirety. Therefore, I have had to make do with written reports and a few clips that I have managed to see thanks to the miracle of the internet.
As far as Raw is concerned, I found it the most enjoyable Raw I have watched in some time; that, in itself, is hardly saying a great deal, however, as Raw has consistently been the weakest element of WWE programming at least since Backlash last year. My usual pattern of watching is to watch Smackdown every week without fail, catch ECW and Superstars if I can and ignore Raw. Then, I watch the WWE’s pay per view and usually watch the Raw the next night to see what fall-out there is from the matches I watched on ppv. However, generally this merely reminds me of why I don’t watch Raw and I immediately revert to ignoring it…until the next ppv. This Raw did not have that effect on me. I will watch again next week, which is, surely, the most important goal of episodic programming. We had some good wrestling, some genuine drama and, most shockingly, almost everything on this show made some kind of sense! I don’t expect that to last but here’s hoping.
Obviously, Bret’s interaction with Shawn Michaels at the top of the show was, by far, the most compelling aspect of the show for any long-time wrestling fan. WWE have done a good job of getting Bret, and his past issues, over with the younger elements of their audience, which was illustrated by the strength of the pop that Bret received. Granted, their hug may not have looked terribly sincere but I don’t really care. If this finally lays Montreal to rest, then I think it’s great. Elsewhere, we saw the, possibly unprecedented, sight of Vince McMahon remembering his past storylines and acting based on them. Kofi Kingston had a good match with Randy Orton, DX had a good match with JeriShow and Sheamus had a moderately entertaining match with Evan Bourne. Just on a side note, has ANYONE in history ever hit a more beautiful shooting star press than Bourne?
On the downside, we only saw Bret in three segments, although I did find all three entertaining. The Divas match between Maryse and Bella No1 was appalling. To be honest, though, that was all that I really found poor on the show. The four way for a shot at the US title was perfectly acceptable and set up a match going forward. I always, ALWAYS prefer that wrestlers earn shots at titles rather than just get them awarded. The tribute to Doctor Death was very nice, although it does raise the question as to why WWE could not give a similar tribute to Umaga. All in all, we got an entertaining show with one historic moment, a couple of nice matches and a couple of angles set up for future shows. Characters showed consistency and acted sensibly. That’s good enough for me.
So, as to Impact. Perhaps the biggest shock on this show was the appearance of Jeff Hardy. TNA are taking a hell of a chance on this one, given that Jeff’s drug charges remain unresolved and he will, indeed, face prosecution. Obviously, I hope that he is innocent and beats the rap but we will have to wait and see. What is perhaps more surprising, given that Jeff is now a three-time world champion, is that TNA, having taken the risk of signing him, have opted to use him in a relatively low-profile feud with Homicide. The appearance of The Nasty Boys will have pleased no one but The Nasty Boys while Scott Hall looks terrible these days. Does an NWO reunion really have anything to offer at this stage? As far as I can gather, TNA put together a show that challenged the viewer to keep up, delivered at least one really solid wrestling match (Styles/Angle) and attempted to offer many reasons for the viewer to keep watching. Who is the mystery assailant? What did Ric Flair want with AJ Styles? Will the NWO reform (even though they can’t use that name anymore)? And so on and so forth.
On the downside, the worries of many that Hogan’s arrival would simply lead to renewed pushes for older former WWE and WCW talents at the further expense of TNA’s existing talent roster have in no way been dispelled. The Nasty Boys vs Team 3D? Seriously? Hall gets more screen time than Daniels? Hell, Val Venis, gets more screen time than Daniels! Orlando Jones? The guy is competent, sure, but he was a never-was in WWE – making him a somebody in TNA merely underlines their clear inferiority complex. Ultimately, it’s as you were at TNA. Shows are messy and illogical but also unpredictable. The level of violence and “adult content” is much higher than that on WWE, so which show one prefers will largely depend on what one’s priorities are. TNA have to hope that a good chunk of Monday’s 2 million-odd viewers prize unpredictability and “adult content”. If they do, then they will be tuning in again which, hopefully, will allow talents like Styles, Joe, Daniels, Matt Morgan and Eric Young to take advantage of previously unprecedented levels of publicity.
So, finally, this Monday Night Skirmish is probably not going to re-ignite the Monday Night Wars. I’m not even sure it should. TNA should focus on being a successful show in their own right, not on going head to head with the WWE. What we have seen is proof that there is a potentially much bigger audience for wrestling out there than the two shows are currently attracting. The arrival of Bret and Hulk gives both companies an opportunity to revitalize wrestling in the US. Let’s hope that one or, preferably, both take advantage of it.
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 