10 Most Despised Men In Wrestling History

4. Triple H

JBL Snarl
WWE.com

Triple H is possibly the savviest and shadiest political operator in all of wrestling. That's some feat.

He showed an incipient ruthless streak when he was the second man to suggest the Montreal Screwjob to Vince McMahon. The first was Jim Cornette, but that was born out of sheer exasperation. Triple H's motives were calculated; he saw a spot, even a few years out, and he took it.

His subsequent relationship and eventual marriage to Stephanie McMahon afforded him the power he had wished to yield the second he underwent training. It's not unfair to state that he utilised that power for his own ends. His oft-cited reign of terror between 2003 and 2004 is the stuff of legend; he buried all and sundry to solidify his grip over a shifting, post-Attitude Era landscape.

More egregious than his almost standard acts of career preservation were his sideswipes at the likes of Chris Masters and Kofi Kingston. He poked fun at their Wellness Policy suspensions and character repackages, respectively, even when they weren't threats to his main event dominance. He laughed at their plight for nothing more than his own amusement. His defensive acts of sabotage made enemies from undercard acts who felt their careers suffered as a result of his political machinations. Paul London is particularly outspoken of him.

But his influence was so toxic that he alienated proper stars, like Goldberg, CM Punk and Rob Van Dam. It's often easier to dismiss claims of sabotage by men who never reached their potential as stemming from bitterness - but Trips was so self-serving at his peak that his ego knew no bounds whatsoever.

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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!