8 Wrestlers Who Saved Their WWE Careers (By Being Awesome At Something Else)
1. Triple H - Politics
Triple H's career wasn't over, in 1996, but he wasn't destined for greatness.
He was a fairly bland performer, in-ring, and this wasn't entirely the result of a gimmick no performer could transcend. He wasn't a powerhouse, he wasn't technically excellent, he wasn't as good in any area as his New Generation peers, but by the time he retires, he will have earned more money than any of his peers in any of the multiple eras in which he starred because is wrestling's smartest ever politician.
In the mid-'90s, sensing the shifting complexion of the locker room, he aligned with the Kliq to gain influence. That may read as cynical. He returned the favour by bringing Shawn Michaels into the fold, in 2002, so he wasn't ruthless. A lifelong friendship was made, but Trips was teetotal, and his new friends were wild. You can't determine who you get along with...
...and that is paraphrasing words Kevin Nash allegedly said of Trips' involvement with Stephanie McMahon.
Using that fierce intellect to later forge himself as a ring general, he of course applied it to the backstage halls of power. He endeared himself to Vince McMahon by solving a months-long headache by pitching the sabotage of Montreal. Once in the fold, he endeared himself further by chasing weak-stomached Gerald Brisco with Vince's sh*t-caked suit pants.
He once jobbed to Jeff Hardy with a "Welp, every dog has his day" expression. He planted the seeds for his eventual seizure of developmental power by labelling every last John Laurinaitis guy as not worth a 2011 WrestleMania match against the Undertaker. He gets the longest WrestleMania match, every single year, in a vain attempt to become synonymous with its latter success as an event that earns cities millions, much less the company.
He is the Game.