8 Things We Learned From Triple H On Stephanie McMahon's WWE Show
7. His First Concept Art Is Amazing
You've got to love these classic WWF concept art images.
Some have already been shown off on Stephanie's Places for timeless characters like The Undertaker, but it's stunning to see how fully-fleshed out Hunter Hearst Helmsley was before debuting in '95. To his credit, Triple H was rather hands on throughout the whole process. He had input on the gimmick's overlook look and the logo bearing his name. "I was always big into that", he added.
Trips can draw and paint, which is something a lot of WWE fans might not know about the guy. The same goes for the fact he actually (briefly) went to college to study graphic design. Some of that came in handy once federation chiefs mapped out how the Helmsley persona would be presented on episodes of Raw and Superstars of the era.
Sorry, but we can't continue without saying something else. Just look at the size of that drawing's body compared to his head. Someone skipped head day! That sketch is actually from February 1996, which is after Triple H had debuted on WWF TV the prior year. Again, he was dialled in to creating fresh looks and tweaks for the gimmick even after kicking things off.
That's impressive. In many ways, Triple H is the ideal dude to go deep in the weeds with today's WWE roster and help them flesh things out. He has lived experience of doing that for himself, and he's been able to rebrand himself through several different eras as well.
Bonus points go to the use of "Hot" at the bottom of the drawing there. Smouldering, one might say.