That Time Triple H Buried ECW In Philadelphia

by Michael Hamflett

As Tazz sarcastically posited in the aforementioned interview; "They had to make sure I did the job there as ECW Champion to galvanise him as a top guy."

'The Game' was everything he'd begged to be before he was deployed not only to squash the current ECW Champion but to drive a stake through the heart of the organisation too. In Philadelphia. In 5:51. He looked no better for his win, but every other person on screen looked exponentially worse for the burial.

The match was an insulting mess that seemed like circle-jerk entirely by design. WWE were on top of the wrestling world by then, as Triple H was WWE. A Champion Vs Champion match was a tantalising prospect, but engineering the little guys to look miniscule seemed counter-productive in the - pun very much intended - extreme.

After assuming control for most of the short squash, Hunter faced minimal peril before Tommy Dreamer completely blew a run-in. Hammering 'The Human Suplex Machine' with a steel chair, 'The Innovator Of Violence' was flattened with a Pedigree before 'The King Of Kings' comfortably despatched his foe.

Vince McMahon himself expressed regret over the booking in the critically acclaimed 'Rise And Fall Of ECW' documentary. He'll have had to be reminded he even did it of course - the man has a lot on his plate - but he likely forgot just who suggested it. Then, now and forever, it's all about 'The Game'.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett