Even before the aforementioned 'Curtain Call' hug, which broke kayfabe and infuriated Vince McMahon, Triple H still wasn't quite there yet as a top liner. Never was this more evident than at WrestleMania XII, when Hunter was pinned in quick fashion by the returning Ultimate Warrior. It's obvious just by watching this bout that McMahon saw Warrior as the cure to the ills of the WWF, a company which was running pretty dry on good ideas. Exploring how the ship could be turned around and headed in a positive direction, Vince turned to one of his old stars. Attendances, Pay-Per-View buyrates and TV ratings were down across the board in 1996, and Warrior was viewed as the saving grace. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v-SG8Icslw No-selling Triple H's finishing move, the Pedigree, Warrior jumped right up to his feet and promptly crushed the future multi-time World Champion. This was a first appearance at 'Mania for 'The Game', and it's likely one he wants to forget. All in all, the entire clash only lasted a few minutes, a far cry from some of the other epic battles on this list Triple H would have on the grand stage of WrestleMania. To his credit, HHH hasn't shied away from questions about the match, rightly stating that it was just where he was at that time in his career, and he didn't get too dis-heartened by it all.
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.
