10 Things I Hate About Triple H
7. He Can't Bring Himself To Be Hated
“You know, you could de-emphasise your nose if you wore something larger. Like, Wyoming.”
In order to work effectively as a real bad guy, you’ve got to be the villain. People have to hate you, want to pay to see you humbled, or to get your comeuppance. Heels don’t necessarily have to cheat to win, but they have to be obnoxious, despised.
One of Triple H’s most underrated strengths as a performer is the ability to play babyface or heel equally well. During the Attitude Era, as the guy that took on the mantle of top midcard heel, Triple H was loathed.
He surrounded himself with people who helped him get the wins he needed, he cheated, blackmailed and beat up people smaller than him.
Since then, he’s suffered from cool heel syndrome: he might cut heel promos (long, long heel promos), but he enters the ring to giant light shows and a monolithic theme tune performed by his favourite band and written about how cool he is, and he pantomimes the roar of a giant predatory animal in traditional badass-wrestler-fashion.
Then there’s his babyface history with D-Generation X and Shawn Michaels, which he co-opts whenever he feels like getting a pop. Often, this is on the same show as a massive heel promo.
To give two very recent examples: at TLC last year, he was on the receiving end of a beatdown angle from top babyface Roman Reigns that supposedly put him on the shelf for weeks... yet he made a live appearance for NXT as a babyface boss only days later. NXT and RAW do, of course, occur in the same continuity.
In the run-up to WrestleMania, he kicked the crud out of Roman Reigns in retaliation for the TLC beatdown, but worked as a fiery babyface, hitting D-X crotch chops and posing for the cheers of the crowd.
What is it with Triple H’s obsession with appearing to be the toughest, coolest badass in the room?