In 2002, Triple H returned from his first career threatening injury to win the Royal Rumble and face the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho. Despite being one of the biggest heels ever from 1999 to 2001, Triple H was welcomed with open arms, as he set his eyes on not only the man who was champion, but the man who was being manipulated by his wife Stephanie. Triple H defeated Jericho in a solid match that neither man puts on their own best of list. The Rock and Hulk Hogan outdid Triple H on the undercard through no fault of his own, something that would later transpire at WrestleMania 25. Triple H and Chris Jericho shared a long history, but unlike before the roles were completely reversed and never quite clicked. Previously, Chris Jericho was the beloved rocker/frat boy athletic babyface, who would tear Triple H and Stephanie to shreds on the microphone. Naturally, that led to numerous clashes. The most memorable, being a contest in State College, PA on Monday Night Raw where Jericho baited Triple H into defending the WWE Championship in defense of Stephanies honor. Subsequently, Chris Jericho pinned Triple H and held the title for a whopping 45 minutes as Earl Hebner reversed his decision due to a fast count. They also had a Last Man Standing match later that year, which HHH won by 1 second. HHH vs Jericho worked better when HHH was a bad guy, its as simple as that.