10 Definitive Levels To The Rock & Triple H's Epic Rivalry
8. Young Heels
Over the summer of 1997, Triple H was being rebuilt with a series of matches with Mick Foley which included becoming the 1997 King Of The Ring. After being paired with his good buddy Shawn Michaels they became the driving force in WWE, replacing The Hart Foundation with their hilarious antics, and lack of respect for authority. Kind of ironic now.
Conversely, The Rock returned to WWE after a knee injury at the end of the summer as a heel, completely reinvented due to fans spurning his outdated babyface nature. Aligning himself with The Nation Of Domination, he used the hate to fuel his heeldom and took steps to become the star he eventually ended up as.
On both sides of the coin, WWE had two young heels with massive potential, once again competing for the same real estate. Over the next year both men would undergo massive changes in character, and profile, as Triple H assumed control of DX, and The Rock usurped Faarooq's leadership in The Nation...ON THE EXACT SAME NIGHT.