1. Triple H Dominating Chris Jericho (WrestleMania X8)
If there was ever an example of Triple Hs selfishness manifesting itself in a WrestleMania match, its this one. Chris Jericho was the Undisputed Champion. He defeated the Rock and Steve Austin in the same night to win the titles at Vengeance 2001. He was, and still is, one of the best wrestlers that WWE ever had. He shouldve been treated like a big deal, especially after beating opponents like the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin to retain his title. And yet, he was treated as a second fiddle to Stephanie McMahon. Maybe this stems from Triple H and Stephanies personal relationship at the time, or maybe its based off of heat that Jericho had from his WWF debut, or maybe it was simply from long-standing mutual dislike between Triple H and Jericho. Whatever the reasoning behind it, Jericho wasnt treated like an Undisputed Champion; he was treated as Stephanies personal lackey, going so far as to hold her dog for her in vignettes. How is such a character supposed to be taken seriously as a competitor? The answer is he isnt. Moreover, the feud seemed to be centered on Triple Hs rivalry with Stephanie more than his desire for the title, with Stephanie even attacking Triple H and vice-versa. Jericho was made to look like such a cowardly champion that he needed Stephs help to defeat Hunter, which only made things worse for him when HHH outsmarted both of them and won the title. In the end, Triple H really damaged Jerichos career with this rivalry and its questionable booking. Jericho wouldnt reach the World title level again until 2008, after taking a hiatus after 2005. If there was ever a reason to think that Triple H likes to have his hand held high at WrestleMania, this match is the best example of that.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
