10 Times Triple H Was Actually As Good As He Said He Was

4. W/ Stone Cold Steve Austin Vs Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho - Raw, May 21st 2001

Triple H
WWE

A legendary Raw main event has become remembered mostly for 'The Game' tearing his quad before the finish and taking a Walls Of Jericho on an announce table to ensure the encounter reached its destination. The inclusion of Chris Benoit in the contest has made it easy for WWE to tell an entirely different story that doesn't revolve around 'The Crippler', and rightfully so. But the match itself - maybe Raw's best ever - has lost out on significant plaudits as a result.

Amidst the fury and frenzy of an arena that still had heat featuring heels and babyfaces that were still over as such, this was - Hunter's injury aside - perfect.

The Attitude Era ended at WrestleMania X7 - itself the opposing bookend to where the period began at the same event four years earlier - when Stone Cold Steve Austin shook hands with Vince McMahon to signify the start of an uncertain future for all involved. This match was a one night return, with the appearance that two megastars had been made by iconic figures still at the top of their game. Ahead of Triple H's guile and the crowd-pleasing conclusion, this was unrelenting in physicality and emotion - a rare case of a match that on rewatch that will leave you as breathless as those in the building.

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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