The Rise Of Triple H | Wrestling Timelines
December 12, 2014 - Fruit Basket
They say “never say never” in wrestling, so it shouldn’t come as too seismic a surprise - but the most inconceivable thing that might ever happen is posted to the social media website formerly known as Twitter on December 12, 2014.
The denizens of subreddit r/SquaredCircle are so enthused with NXT TakeOver: R Evolution, and Paul Levesque’s vision for WWE’s future, that various members band together and gift the multi-millionaire a fruit basket.
Levesque responds to his adoring faithful, tweeting his appreciation for the gesture while palming it off to one of his staff.
It is no exaggeration to state that Triple H was once the most reviled man in wrestling. He was considered as unlikeable and as creatively barren as Vince McMahon, a decade prior, only significantly worse, since he was crushingly boring - an accusation one could never level at his father-in-law.
Now, however, Triple H completes his babyface turn, the most shocking in wrestling history. His NXT show is a consistent, well-booked bit of business that highlights state-of-the-art action - in WWE! - but also delights jaded fans with its babyface triumphs and feel-good factor. It is, in almost every way, a joy.
Levesque is not merely a babyface.
The chasm between NXT and the WWE main roster - which will only widen in the years to come - is so vast that he is received as a messiah figure.
What’s strange, about this love-in, is that Triple H still draws the ire of hardcore fans. There are two Levesques: the saviour of WWE, and the guy who buries Daniel Bryan well beyond the parameters of his onscreen heel persona.