Every WWE Gimmick Match And The Wrestlers That Defined Them
24. Three Stages Of Hell - Triple H
Triple H, for best and for worst.
The first match was a spellbinding, epic triumph in which Trips and Austin brutalised one another at length and in very interesting ways. Bloody, harrowing and dramatic, it was distinctive sports entertainment storytelling of the highest quality.
The stipulation degenerated into tedious, self-indulgent melodrama from that point forward, and had it not, WWE may have used it more liberally. Defined by stalling within an already grinding pace, and packed with so many barbaric spots that the effect could only be lessened, it is or was a match that can only ever peak before the finish.
It is a super-serving of content that doesn't really work - a bit like attempting to watch RAW, SmackDown, NXT, 205 Live and NXT UK in the same week.