10 Fascinating WWE Backstage Facts About Triple H
4. Protecting His Image
A man of indomitable vanity, Triple H has always been conscious of how his onscreen character is perceived by the audience, with this tale providing one of the most over the top examples.
During the promotional run ahead of the SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 video game release, publishers THQ were given a strict directive on how certain wrestlers should be presented. With regards to Triple H, they were forbidden from using any footage or stills that depicted 'The Game' getting beaten up, or in any other kind of weakened state, taking the idea of protecting a top star to ridiculous extremes.
Granted, Hunter was WWE Champion are the time, but the move reeks of insecurity. It's so extra, it makes you wonder whether or not the company legitimately understand that what happens in a PlayStation game isn't canon.
The story appears to be legitimate, too, as it was reported by several UK wrestling magazines at the time, who were themselves told not to show Triple H in such states, though WWE choosing this issue to be so zealous over painted a worse picture than any pixelated beatdown ever could.