10 DUMB WWE Booking Decisions (We Didn't Want To Admit Were GENIUS!)
5. Eric Bischoff Hands Triple H A World Title
By 2000, many fans had already decided that Triple H was only at the top of cards because of his ties to the McMahon family. That general consensus would only heighten over the next few years, then heighten again when Trips was literally handed a brand new World Heavyweight Championship without lifting a finger to earn it.
Eric Bischoff giving Hunter the belt on Raw in September 2002 angered the critics. Their cries of nepotism got louder, but WWE didn't care. They knew that'd only put instant heat on Triple H as champion. In promos, he played up to that feedback. OK, so the title reign was largely garbage inside the ring, but it was clever to lean on pre-existing complaints.
Triple H grinned back at the haters.
Fans who already detested the man couldn't wait to see the likes of Rob Van Dam, Shawn Michaels, Scott Steiner, Booker T and Goldberg rip the strap from his grubby mitts. If only Hunter had been half the worker he'd been in 2000. This could've been a sudden title reign for the ages.