One MIND-BLOWING Secret From EVERY WWE WrestleMania

11. WrestleMania 31 | A Hellish Rematch Was Planned

Royal Rumble 2002 Triple H Steve Austin
WWE

It feels grimy putting Vince McMahon over in 2026, but the fact is that he was monumentally more effective than Triple H when playing the corporate overlord top heel. 

Triple H never had a Steve Austin-level star or entertainer to work with, true, but Mr. McMahon knew that he had to routinely make a fool of himself to make the wish fulfilment fantasy work. Throughout the Attitude Era, McMahon took bedpans to the skull and helplessly swam around in beer to put Steve Austin over as a working class hero worth believing in. In contrast, Triple H could barely go a week without trying to get heat. The oppressive drudgery of the Authority made for punishing television, and on the odd occasion that Triple H did actually sell for the babyfaces, he was crap. He didn’t make anybody laugh with his terrified body language. All Triple H did was wear a quasi-miserable facial expression and put his hands on his head. That wasn’t entertaining. 

According to the November 10, 2014 Observer, this take was almost tested at WrestleMania 31. 

With Vince McMahon resurfacing on TV in late 2014, as the Authority continued to dominate programming, the apparent idea was for the “old” boss to turn to his former nemesis, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and ask him to save the company that he had built. In what seems very optimistic, the Rock was second choice for this babyface saviour role. You can’t imagine the Rock happily filling in as back-up, even if he did end up appearing at ‘Mania itself. So, Triple H Vs. Stone Cold almost happened. 

Would Triple H have pissed his pants to put it over?

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!