10. Triple H Returns At Madison Square Garden (2002)
When Triple H ripped his quadriceps muscle clean off the bone in May, 2001, he was portrayed as a vicious, uncaring heel. Aligned with Steve Austin, the pair were collectively known as the 'Two-Man Power Trip'. Triple H had been a heel since 1999, and a highly effective one. It was as a villain that 'The Game' shot up the card, deservedly becoming a headliner. Missing the entire 'Invasion' storyline which dominated the rest of 2001, Triple H was left dejected on the injury list. It took an awful lot of rehab to ready him for a return, and his comeback was pushed back from an original December, 2001 date. The man was used to help promote the Vengeance pay-per-view, but his subsequent appearance was canned when it was revealed he wasn't quite ready. On January 7, 2002, Triple H walked out in front of the fans in Madison Square Garden. There was no chance he'd be a heel, people embraced him like a returning hero. The massive response to his comeback wouldn't last through to WrestleMania, but the reaction which greeted him in New York was simply huge. People were ready to cheer Triple H as a genuine babyface, aided by tremendous hype videos played to U2's 'Beautiful Day' song.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
