10 Signs Your Favourite Wrestler Was Turning Heel

9. Steve Austin Can't Trust Triple H

Cody heel
WWE

When Triple H received that all-timer of a reaction at Madison Square Garden in 2002, fans and indeed the company were given an all-too-brief glimpse at what could have been had 'The Game' embraced the role two years earlier.

That New York crowd - and every gleeful TV viewer - had yet to see his precipitous decline as a wrestler during his time away, and were giddy at the prospect of Hunter's return being one they were actually permitted to enjoy.

It had been taken away twice before.

Triple H had swerve turned on The Rock the night after WrestleMania X-Seven to form the Two-Man Power Trip with Stone Cold Steve Austin, entering as he had to a thunderous pop before the treacherous hip swivel.

The same had occurred on the November 6th Monday Night Raw. There, he revealed himself as the mastermind behind 'The Rattlesnake's brutal hit-and-run attack a year earlier. He foreshadowed this earlier in the night by dropping a cold and calculated "DTA" on Austin in a backstage vignette, but the clue was missed because he'd gotten so incredibly over as a babyface.

That Triple H was was responsible for the epic January 2002 pop. By then, the present day version simply couldn't live up to the legacy.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett