10 Wrestlers Who Improved At Something They Were Terrible At

8. Triple H - Self-Owning

Roman Reigns
WWE

Triple H owns the western wrestling world. Since he once ritually owned himself, this is quite the shocking development.

He once put himself in the firing line in the immediate aftermath of the Curtain Call incident. Vince McMahon couldn't punish the WCW-bound Diesel or Razor Ramon, nor his WWF Heavyweight Champion, but the not-over Hunter Hearst Helmsley was hardly in a position requiring protection. Known as one of the chief beneficiaries of the Attitude Era, Trips tripped himself up throughout it before he reinvented himself as an imposing physical specimen, smart in-ring storyteller, and Machiavellian politician - for much of which he owes an immense debt to Mick Foley. Grasping all this, he then underwent a years-long burial spree designed to discredit Foley's role in his legacy.

When Bret Hart surmised that the 'H' in HBK and HHH stood for a homosexual slur, Triple H offered a witless, defensive, and borderline homophobic response.

He also infamously said that he was "bi a lot of things, but lingual ain't one of them". It seemed for a time that he was destined to live in the shadow of both Shawn Michaels' talent and his political nous.

And then, forging a bond with the audience and a certain familial connection, Triple H became adept at owing everything else: Independent promotions spanning oceans, the integrity of midcard talents, and the feature slot of approximately 52% of all WrestleMania events.

Contributor
Contributor

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!

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.