The Rise Of Triple H | Wrestling Timelines
July 25, 1999 - Time To Play The Game
It was a strange 12 months.
Triple H looked set for bonafide main event stardom after his SummerSlam ‘98 Ladder match against the Rock, but as his opponent pulls ahead, Triple H stagnates and, as a bland heel all over again, is mired in the dismal Corporate Ministry saga. His pay-per-view matches have improved, but his output is still trapped in the tier of “good, not great, a little too long”,
Still, since he’s vastly better than any other emerging heel, he gets the nod to win the big one.
In an expletive-laden rant - even before he marries in, Triple H is afforded certain, elusive privileges - he tells Jim Ross in a Sunday Night Heat (!) sit-down interview: “I am the f*cking Game”.
It’s desperate, and there’s a try-hard quality to his new main event persona, but time will obscure all that.
August 22, 1999 - Rough Demo
Triple H gets his main event push. The fans don’t buy it because Steve Austin, their hero, doesn’t buy it either. At SummerSlam, Austin drops the WWF title to transitional champion Mankind, who loses it to Triple H on Raw the very next night. This transparent act of politicking doesn’t do much for Triple H’s aura, but Triple H himself still isn’t there. He drones in his promos, and is much too insistent that he’s made it. He is playing the top guy without embodying it.
The Game requires a patch to ensure best performance - and it comes in the form of a jaw-dropping physique and the willingness to sell fear for his babyface rivals…