How Good Was Triple H Actually?
4. Moments
It’s difficult not to compare Triple H to some maverick athlete in real sports. This is an admittedly weird analogy for a man who never got in trouble and a performer lacking in true flair and creativity - but when he actually applied himself and did what was expected of him, Triple H really did get it.
A heel is meant to feign bravado, rub your face in how great he is, and sell fear and cowardice when, confronted by the babyface, the mask slips. Triple H is responsible for one of the greatest ever such moments, when Mick Foley promised to unleash his Cactus Jack persona at Royal Rumble 2000.
The problem is that Triple H seemed to go out of his way to do the opposite of this at almost all times. He said John Cena happened to not be a very good wrestler. He told Daniel Bryan, for months on end, that he was a B+ player. He said Booker T was only good for dancing. Amongst the set of fans who hate-watched WWE and drifted away from it altogether - Triple H’s long run being a factor there - the man is infamous for burying his opponents in key chapters of his most memorable storylines. When Cena beat Triple H at ‘Mania 22, it didn’t achieve much. Even his big breakthrough heel promo, beloved in some circles, was very try-hard. Who else got to say the cool, sacred F-word to help them get over?
Little People’s Court. The thumbs-down to Batista. Katie Vick. The fake 2005 babyface reunion with Ric Flair. As ever, it’s mixed. One extreme is worse than the other, in that Triple H is responsible for some of the dirt worst wrestling moments ever.
You could bring up the moment of Triple H’s MSG return as a positive, and as cool as it was in and of itself, how much did it matter…?
4/10