1. Triple H Could Be Called A Second-Rate Shane Douglas Clone
Okay. The year is 2000, and Triple H is preparing to ascend to the top of WWE as the #1 heel opposing "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Having transformed from Greenwich blue-blood to one-time cock joke-telling flunky, into a tough guy bad-ass heading D-Generation X, Hunter's final move was to morph his physique yet again, almost perpetually wear his hair in a ponytail, have a female valet who cheered him on and would do anything to assure his victory and wear baggy track pants or blue jeans with security boots or wrestling boots at all times. Sans telling the sound guy to "cut the f**king music," does this sound familiar? Of course it does. By 1996, Shane Douglas had just returned from WWE after leaving ECW in 1995 for an ill-fated run in the then-WWF as "Dean Douglas," an evil English professor, using Douglas' real-life background as an English teacher as a gimmick. Douglas was an unquestionably great wrestler, and considered by many insiders and pundits to be the best wrestler in the world. Back in ECW in 1996, he quickly became the TV champion, then by the end of 1996, defeated Sabu and Terry Funk in a three-way dance at Heatwave 1996. Champion for the better part of two years (save a brief dethroning at the hands of Bam Bam Bigelow), the oftentimes ponytail-wearing Douglas cut harangue-like promos (sound familiar fans of the "Game-uhhhh?") while yes, wearing baggy track pants, blue jeans and security boots while being flanked by Francine, the "head cheerleader" for the "Franchise." "The Game?" "The Franchise?" Exactly. Triple H may need to bow down to the true king, "The Franchise" Shane Douglas.