10 Wrestlers WWE Protected In The WORST Way Possible

2. Triple H Can’t Look Weak In Video Games!

So, this was absolutely ludicrous and a classic example of ego gone wild.

The gaming press of 2008 couldn't wait to get their mitts on preview copies of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 for PS3, Xbox 360 etc. THQ's latest game allowed outlets to play test it and snag some handy screenshots for use in their preview articles, but there were restrictions. The subheading above gives it away.

As reported by Bleacher Report at the time, anyone lucky enough to sit down and fiddle around with the game had to avoid screens of wrestlers all bloodied up, and they definitely weren't allowed to show Triple H "losing or in a defenceless or vulnerable position". You're reading that correctly. This is not a drill.

It wasn't long before word spread that this was the edict, and that led to mass ridicule from wrestling fans and the gaming media alike. Nobody was quite sure who this directive had come from. Was it Vince McMahon? Hunter himself? Someone from THQ? It's most likely that Trips was in Vince's ear, and that things grew arms and legs from there.

How ridiculous is that?! 'The Game' didn't want anybody seeing him being pinned or even taking a move in promotional materials for the new video game hitting stores. Gamers couldn't quite believe what they were reading/hearing. It seemed like a rib, because surely no-one would be so protective of any wrestler to the extent they couldn't be hammered in digital form.

Well, it happened back in '08. What a time to be alive.