The BEST Wrestling Moment Every Year (1989 - 2026)

Triple H was a fantastic pro wrestling heel when he wanted to be; the issue is that he was often too thin-skinned and or full of himself to show a little ass. The great shame is that the man was incredible at it. 

In late 1999, Triple H still hadn’t found himself as a main-event level heel. He swore a bit more and basically just said that he was over now, which wasn’t the same thing as being over. He needed something else. 

Throughout the Attitude Era, continuity mattered little. The swerve turn was in vogue, even when it made no sense at all. Entire storylines often made no sense in retrospect when such a turn happened - the Higher Power, most notably - but the shock was far more important than logic. In a weird way, this approach made the few things that made sense feel all the more momentous. 

Triple H ran into Mick Foley very early into 2000. Foley wasn’t floundering, but the latest go of his Mankind persona had lost its lustre. Triple H had already pinned him in the summer - but historically, September 22, 1997 to be exact, he could not handle Cactus Jack. Foley reverted to that persona in the build to their WWF title match at Royal Rumble 2000. This was a masterstroke. Mankind was a loveable underdog, the guy who never knew when he was beat but almost always was in the end. Cactus was the more aggressive badass, and when he revealed which Face of Foley Triple H would meet - in Madison Square Garden once again - he suffered a bone-chilling flashback. 

Foley was great teasing out the reveal: his “I think you know the guy…” line was incredible because he embodied a completely different person in that moment, a far scarier and more serious proposition than the weirdly jovial Mankind. 

But this was Triple H’s moment in Triple H’s year. His facial expression was superb. He didn’t just instantly recall September 22; he knew at that moment that his empire might well fall just as soon as he’d finally built it.