Who REALLY Carried WWE Every Year (1985-2026)
27. 2000 (Triple H)
Triple H was an absolute workhorse throughout 2000. Even the biggest Hunter hater has to admit that he dominated the WWF that year. Trips kicked off the new millennium by beating Big Show for the WWF Title, then he worked back to back epics vs. Mick Foley at Royal Rumble and No Way Out.
Other bouts of note? Oh, just a couple! Scraps vs. The Rock, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, the f'n Brooklyn Brawler, Taka Michinoku and more were high quality. Yes, Taka. That surprisingly competitive clash happened on the 10 April episode of Raw, and it really is must see. It was like 'The Game' was on a one man mission to prove those claiming he didn't sell were full of it.
Newsflash: They were.
Sure, the storyline that saw him poach heat from Rikishi for running over Steve Austin sucked, but Hunter had one hell of a year overall. Out of the ring, his McMahon-Helmsley Regime was the biggest heel faction around, and he'd finally been able to break free of the daunting shadow Shawn Michaels had cast whilst both worked together in D-Generation X. Finally, Hunter Hearst Hemsley was his own man, not just a sidekick or bit part player.
He was genuinely over as a villain, aided by Jim Ross coining the 'Cerebral Assassin' nickname to describe his "hellacious" antics. Wrestling fans would come to look at HHH's matches/segments the same way Stephanie McMahon was staring lovingly at him in the pic attached above.
What a 12 months he lived.