15 Things You Forgot About Triple H's Rise To Power In WWE

9. He Got Buried And Worked His Way Back

The idea that Hunter was handed a main event spot is nullified by the year he had in 1996. He got the Dolph Ziggler treatment that year, losing time and time again. A big reason for this was the Madison Square Garden Curtain Call, where Hunter broke kayfabe and had a shoot celebration with Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Shawn Michaels. Admitting that the heels and faces were actually friends was a big no-no, so Vince punished Triple H as a result. He was the younger man of the group, hence easier to make the scapegoat. That's kind of what Dolph Ziggler went through this past year in regular losses, much to the chagrin of the fans. The thing is, as Hunter proved, it isn't necessarily a bad thing. You take your lumps, learn from it, keep you head down and keep working your hardest. The Game emerged from the doghouse with more opportunity, because he'd paid his dues and not complained about it. Even before the curtain call though, Hunter was already having to do major jobs and humiliating angles. An example of that was his one minute forty second loss to The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania 12. So to say Hunter didn't pay his dues is wrong. Someone like Brock Lesnar walked straight into main events in 2002, but someone like Triple H went through years of graft to get his main event spell starting in 1999.