That Time Triple H Got His Hand Caught In The Cookie Jar

That is a spin on the Rock’s classic burial. It was an unforgettable character assassination of a promo, and because of it, we can only remember the pre-Game loading screen with that one noise-uh—a noise a very sheepish Trips abandoned in the immediate aftermath. It was a steeling experience for the ‘Game’; almost embarrassed by The Rock in the summer, and definitively embarrassed by Austin, Triple H ascended to their rank as the year drew to a close. Backed by Stephanie McMahon onscreen as part of their fiendish and inspired Regime storyline, something, and we’re not certain of what, allowed Triple H to maraud backstage with the utmost confidence.

Assisted in the ring by Foley, who on this basis is the greatest transitional WWF/E Champion in history, it is here that the faint praise ends. It is here, in the year 2000, that Triple H became the undisputed best pro wrestler on the planet. In the year 2000, Triple H—the man who would drop his trousers only with the intention of cracking a joke at somebody else’s expense—truly showed ass. He had started to follow his own advice, advice that set into motion the events of the Montreal Screwjob: he was doing business.

In the year 2000, most of it, Triple H was at his best because he was at his most secure.

Having utilised the selflessness and artistry of Foley as a blood-splattered canvas with which to paint himself as a warrior, Triple H entered full ring general maturity. He was on incredible form, and not merely opposite those who bled for the cause. He was secure enough to give Taka Michinoku a competitive match—a minor TV classic—one framed as an easy out for the WWF Champion, but performed as something quite brilliant. Viewed through the WWF’s lens, Taka Michinoku, while deeply talented, was antithetical to the idealised WWF Champion. He was a short and very skinny Japanese undercard comedy character, and yet, Triple H gave him a shockingly close near-fall.

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