10 Times WWE Failed At Forced Emotion

8. Triple H's Retirement Threat

Triple H Crying
WWE.com

At SummerSlam 2012, Triple H was bested by the Beast, Brock Lesnar, in what was drab fare received with little in the way of crowd heat.

It wasn't an entirely unpredictable result - you can never be sure when The Game's ego was involved - but most saw it coming. Logic would have seen Trips gracefully bow out to allow a young, emerging star the opportunity to work with Lesnar in a stature-enhancing match.

This didn't happen; Trips instead mustered up a few tears and protractedly exited the ring, trying to garner sympathy and intone gravely that this might be "it". He was trying to evoke widespread resistance to this threat.

People were worried - because they spotted a rematch to a bout they were barely enthused for in the first place from a mile away.

Triple H is too naturally detestable, with too much real-life heel credibility, to occupy the babyface role. This was made plain during the inevitable rematch, which is the quietest feature bout in the history of WrestleMania. Only a librarian could love it.

The sought-for reaction was so severely misjudged that, despite the incredible effort Triple H has put forth in developing the NXT beast as it exists today, many cynics wonder if he really does have his finger on the pulse of what fans want.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!