12 Wrestling Rivalries That Were Too Real To Be Fake

WWE's peak popularity came during the Attitude Era, and the single most profitable year for the entire company was 2000. The promotion's main focus that year was the feud between The Rock and Triple H, so suffice to say that they were a successful combination.

There was always friction between the two men, though, and most of it was on Triple H's part. In 1997, Shawn Michaels was protecting HHH and grooming him to become WWE's next star, but Michaels's hated rival Bret Hart saw more potential in Rocky Maivia.

Hunter and Rocky found themselves on opposite sides of a war, and the fact that The Rock hit superstardom first undoubtedly didn't sit well with Triple H.

Both men flourished from 1999 to 2002, and there wasn't much need for jealousy when HHH was making millions. When Rock left the company to pursue a career as a movie star, though, Triple H felt insecure again.

In 2003, HHH and Stephanie McMahon reportedly shopped "The Game" around Hollywood, looking for roles that would make him a star. The best they could do was Blade: Trinity. D'oh!

Still, Triple H was in charge of wrestling, so he could exert authority that way. The Rock's last full-time program was with Bill Goldberg, whom he put over to kick "Da Man's" WWE career off on the right foot.

Months later, Triple H halted Goldberg's momentum by subtly putting himself over at the star's expense during their feud. The Rock was reportedly not too happy about it.