10 WWE Title Reigns That Never Lived Up To The Victory

Having missed the entire Invasion angle in 2001 due to his torn quad, Triple H returned in January 2002 to one of the biggest pops in wrestling history. Madison Square Garden treated ‘The Game’ like a conquering hero and an inevitable babyface run was in the offing.

That momentum led to a victory at the Royal Rumble and a showdown with Chris Jericho for the Undisputed Championship at WrestleMania X8. As the show closed, the ‘King of Kings’ was holding both titles aloft, and the fans were enthusiastic for a babyface title run for one of the most sinister villains of the Attitude Era.

But that’s as good as it got.

Despite debuting a thoroughly underrated championship belt, Triple H’s reign was dogged down by the needless continuation of the awful storyline with Stephanie McMahon, instead of making Jericho an actual threat, and their 'Mania match itself was undermined by the iconic Rock vs. Hogan clash earlier in the evening.

With the euphoria of his title win diminished, the ‘Cerebral Assassin’s’ run was undermined by nostalgia, as the WWE rode the red and yellow wave that was Hulkamania, and Triple H’s run as the top babyface was undermined by Hogan’s heroic turn.

The company made the ridiculous decision to have Triple H drop the Undisputed Title to Hogan at Backlash a month after winning it, and by the summer of that year 'The Game' was a heel once again.