11 Things We Learned From Triple H On Cody Rhodes' Podcast
10. When He Knew ‘The Game’ Clicked
Cody asked about Triple H's iconic sit-down chat with Jim Ross on the 25 July 1999 edition of Sunday Night Heat. That's when the ex-Hunter Hearst Helmsley started digging into something new. He knew he needed to make changes before that segment with JR, but wasn’t sure what that’d entail.
On camera, he actually called himself “the f***ing game”, but producers said it was fine and they’d shoot around that/film from behind so people didn’t see him swear. That was done to soften any criticism from TV networks unhappy with the language. Mid-flow, Hunter and Ross kept going despite those remarks.
Trips only knew he was onto something when he walked out on stage for “the next TV” and saw 5-6 signs saying ‘The Game’ on them. It dawned on him that he had to run with the gimmick and say it “all the time”. Basically, he had to lean into it, and he also credits JR for putting it over repeatedly on commentary.
Chipping in, Rhodes said that Jim is more closely associated with Steve Austin for obvious reasons (they're friends away from the ring, mainly), but that Ross did a ton of legwork to put over how despicable and cerebral Triple H was as a heel. Agreeing, Hunter added that “it made me feel different than everybody else”.
He couldn't be as immediately dangerous as 'Stone Cold' or as cool as The Rock, so he had to concentrate on cultivating his own persona. Ultimately, that was a mix of cruelty and intelligence that separated him from the pack. It was so cool to hear this discussed.