12 Times Triple H Put His Ego Aside

3. Losing To Hulk Hogan To Build Up The WWE Championship

Despite returning in 2002 from a lengthy injury to one of the loudest crowd reactions ever, Triple H's 'year' only lasted about three months before he was out of favour to a 48-year old Hulk Hogan. It might have seemed short-sighted of the WWE to award a Royal Rumble victory to a returning Superstar who would go on to win in the main event at the biggest pay-per-view of the year before giving it all away to an aging Hogan, but there actually did seem to be some long-sighted booking in place here. From January-August of 2002, the WWE Championship was held by Chris Jericho, Triple H, Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, and The Rock, meaning that five of the company's biggest stars had held the gold in the space of eight months. Who would end this reign of Championship star power? Brock Lesnar. When looking at the hands that the title belt passed through (given that long-form booking was still commonplace in the early 2000s), it's clear if perhaps a little unfair as to why the WWE had Triple H drop the title so suddenly. None of the next three men to hold the title managed to keep it for more than nine weeks; comparatively short by today's standards. Triple H was merely a stepping stone in making The Beast, Brock Lesnar, look like the indomitable champion that he was.