10 Great WWE Moments We Came Agonisingly Close To

2. The Two Man Power Split

Steve Austin Triple H Royal Rumble 2002
WWE

Steve Austin and Triple H forged an intriguing dynamic, in the pre-Invasion scene of 2001, as the ‘Two Man Power Trip’. A duo united in domination, they had the potential to become an awesome inverse to the Mega Powers—with just as seismic a split.

Maybe that’s optimistic; that split, prior to Triple H’s quad tear, would have seen Triple H adopt the babyface role. Austin was still intent on a heel run that, no matter which route the WWF travelled, would have arrived at the same dead-end. But the WWF fandom wanted Trips in the face role, even if they didn’t want Austin in the heel role. Whatever transpired would have been fascinating. Triple H and Stone Cold crafted something amazing and epic (and vicious) at No Way Out’s Three Stages Of Hell. Imagine an escalation of that.

If nothing else, were Triple H not struck down, the complexion of the Invasion angle changes entirely. That’s not a bad thing…that’s a good thing.

It might have spared us from DDP trying to get over by saying “That’s not a bad thing…that’s a good thing.”

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!