10 Times WWE Broke Your Heart And Didn’t Even Care
5. Spoiler: Triple H Wins
The hyper-inflated Triple H that returned in January 2002 was sadly not the performer that limped away the prior May.
Pre-quad tear (#1), 'The Game' was beyond even the lofty status of his moniker. The most consistent in-ring worker from the company's year 2000 commercial and creative peak. Hunter's style fused the entertainment-heavy brawling that dominated the day with a level of timing, selling and psychology that spoke to his studious fascination with the intricacies of the industry.
His recovery from the aforementioned industry was admirable but arduous, with his vast insecurities worn on his cotton-and-denim-and-leather sleeves - or bursting out of them at least. His carefully considered in-ring style was replaced with a ponderous 'methodical' one, literally weighed down as he was by the mammoth muscles attached to his frame.
Never truly re-finding his form, Hunter's next trick was to win all the f*cking time. The Royal Rumble was breezed through, as was Chris Jericho at WrestleMania and later Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Kane or anybody else on Monday Night Raw that even threatened to lock-up near his spot. Losses to Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels were as measured as they were cynical - the icons needed the wins as little as Triple H knew they'd ultimately resonate longterm.