12 Times WWE Broke Its Own Golden Rules

7. Triple H Retires Mick Foley Cleanly

For many years, WWE was known as a "babyface" promotion - the typical booking formula involved a long-term good guy world champion who would defend the title against a rotating horde of heels. Things didn't change too much when Vincent K. McMahon took over, and even into the Attitude Era, babyfaces typically dominated the competition while heels cheated their way into the wins they would get. For that reason, it was surprising when Triple H beat Cactus Jack at the 2000 Royal Rumble. Sure, it was a hardcore match with weapons involved, but as per the rules of the bout, it was a clean victory. When Cactus demanded a Hell in a Cell rematch at No Way Out - and put his career on the line - it was clear that "The Game" would only come out on top if he took liberties with the rules. In the end, that wasn't the case. The match was just as brutal as the Royal Rumble bout, with both men fighting to the top of the cage and Triple H backdropping Foley through the roof and back to the ring. Foley miraculously got to his feet, but Triple H was right there with a Pedigree and the pin. The win was significant because there was no possible "out" for Foley - as much as fans hated it, he had been retired and Triple H was solely responsible. The win helped make Triple H one of the most dominant - and best drawing - heels that WWE had ever seen.