WWE: Triple H's 5 Best Summerslam Matches

3. HHH vs Mankind vs Stone Cold Steve Austin - Summerslam 1999

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-SgDmsRZpQ This match took place in the midst of HHH's first push into the Main Event scene. The match was refereed by the then Governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura. Throughout his career as a Wrestler, Manager and Commentator, Ventura aligned himself with the heel characters. Many thought this was HHH's time after winning a Number One Contenders Match against The Rock at the Fully Loaded PPV in a Strap Match the month prior (an event that HHH was actually featured on the Poster for, along with Chyna). However this was not to be, as Mankind won the match and dethroned Stone Cold Steve Austin of his WWF Championship. There were many theories as to why HHH wasn't booked to leave the event as Champion. One that was discussed at the time was that Austin did not want to drop the Championship to HHH as he felt he still wasn't quite at the required level. Internet reports were that Mankind was brought in so Austin could drop the title to him, allowing HHH to be able to take the Championship from Mankind. Another story was that Jesse Ventura did not feel it would do his image as Governor good if he was to be seen raising the hand of a heel at the end of the event. Both theories certainly have points to back them up, however in Mick Foley's (Mankind's) 2001 Autobiography 'Foley is Good', he states the reason for his addition to the match was that Austin had torn a ligament in his knee and the WWF wanted to avoid any further damage whilst still putting on an acceptable quality of match. Whatever the reason, HHH went on to beat Mankind for the Championship the following night on Raw and began his first ever reign as WWF Champion.