10 Monumental Decisions That Changed The Course Of Wrestling History

8. Burying Triple H Instead Of Making Him King

At the King Of The Ring Pay-Per-View in 1996, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin started his ascent up the ladder towards main event status. Winning the tournament and delivering a visceral promo afterwards, Austin coined his 'Austin 3:16' catchphrase, something which would make him millions of dollars once a t-shirt was released bearing the slogan later. Incredibly, Austin wasn't originally the WWF's choice to win the King Of The Ring that year, it was Triple H. As Hunter Hearst Helmsley, the man had been struggling somewhat to get over, and it was theorised that making him 'King' would help elevate him in the eyes of the fans. Of course, the King Of The Ring needed someone strong to win, after Mabel had shockingly won the thing the year prior. 'The Game', as Hunter would eventually become known, had the honour stripped from him by Vince McMahon, who was furious over his involvement in the infamous 'Curtain Call' incident at Madison Square Garden. Embracing Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, who were departing for WCW, along with Shawn Michaels, the quartet broke kayfabe, and Triple H was subsequently punished.