he was already at the top

Nah. It wasnt until Foley MADE him at Royal Rumble in 2000 did anybody take him seriously. When he returned in 2002 he was a shell of his former self and began booking himself to beat everybody in the roster. Caused everybody to turn the channel.

Triple H was the guy who had to wait for Austin and The Rock to pretty much leave in order for him to so call be the next guy.

@@alexiscardoso778 he was a main eventer with them there. And those were the 2 people to rival and debatably surpassed him. That's like saying people like Macho Man, Ric Flair. Sting etc weren't main event level. And if HHH isn't the people like Bret, Jericho. RVD, ect were glorified med carders

@@alexiscardoso778 Anyone would be. No one has drawn like Austin and Rock outside of Hogan and possibly Flair.

@@histochronos What I try to get correct is this, "the guy" after The Rock left would have to be Brock Lesnar right? Or Kurt Angle?

🤣

😂😂 they would’ve tore him apart

i think this is the right take. i'm not a fan of Helmsley burying guys and playing politics...but he absolutely worked his ass off to get to the top, and most importantly he wasn't satisfied at the top. That's why he created NXT because he wanted to take a risk to make a bigger impact. Big respect to him. The Rock gave that great video paying tribute to Triple H and it is worth nothing those two guys had legitimate backstage heat for a while.

the hate comes from the bottom. the kliq was right to bury the ones that wasn't working. they made vince elevate.

Buttsmooching Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon helped him get to the top too

​@@4LP3E No, no they didn't. They nearly killed the WWF and Triple HGH's politics in the early 2000's turned millions away from the product.

You don't have to respect anybody or anything

Agreed

Karma is to powerful even if it came 19 years later. Never and I mean never underestimate Karma

What NXT news ?

@@SnowWhiteTheU2 vince mcmahon is basically having creative control of nxt

@Charming BillySo vince is selling wwe to hhh or disney?

Respect to you for respecting The Game! 🎮🎮🎮

No it didnt, triple H was with her in 98

​@@geedee1264 no he wasnt lol

Thanks Kliq God Bless Take Care

💯 💯 💯

Another word for buttsmooching

Jbl was killing it on smack down that year

@@TheTitofan1 That was 2004, and I totally agree. Smackdown Six was more 2002-2003.

Neither. That's why the ratings never increased substantially during those times

@@pmfg11 The Attitude Era caught everyone's attention, but the Ruthless Aggression era rewarded people for sticking around.

I cannot recall a single match of HHH that was anything but mediocre

Yeah but during that time he was trying to fuck up rock , kurt and jerichos push lets be real

Yeah by the time he and Stephanie started dating he was already a 4x champ and in a top role. He had already been involving himself in production. I think people just ignore that because it's a more salacious narrative. And in retrospect it would've been a checkers move on his part with that motivation IMO.

@@vampirascoffin870 They all tried to screw up each other's pushes depending on how you view it. People like JR and Bruce have long said it's a selfish business and you almost have to be to succeed. That was some of their surprise with Mick Foley's success because a lot of them pegged him as too nice to really ascend. I also think fans spout this "burying people" or "killing so and so's push" narrative without really putting themselves in the person's shoes. Nobody else is looking out for you. You can sit on the sideline and let someone else be the big star and make the money or you can advocate for yourself to try and get it. I think all of us if presented with the choice to sit back and be meek and be a Midcard wrestler making $500K a year or to "politic" as they say and be a top guy making millions for a long period of time would all likely chase our self interest as well. I think in those circumstances we'd be doing what we could to advance our careers as well, as many of us do in our normal jobs with much smaller compensation packages attached to it.

Yeah, that's the official version. IMO he simply saw he was getting upstaged by The Rock and Austin and he knew no matter how hard he works and how good he gets, he isn't as good as the most talented guys. So he rolled the dice and swung for the fences. The guy was always political, befriending the top guys upon entering the company, etc. Do you really think that at 31 years old, he suddenly fell madly in love with the boss' 22 year old daughter? Not a chance.

@@PiCheZvara lmfao you're saying he married a person he didn't care for and stayed with her for over 20 years just to get a better position in the business and nothing more?? Dude you know nothing about him, marks always think they have that extra info to know the wrestlers, but they don't. They hear some dirtsheet stuff and that's it. The marriage definitely benefitted him, sure, but it's disingenuous and stupid to say a man you don't know started a family with someone else and built a life long relationship just to get higher up in the business. There's a difference between hooking up (which has happened for business clout) and marrying someone.

Everybody was bored of his promos and preferred 3 seconds of Road Dogg

He was basically in creative in the late 90s. Which was before he got with Steph. Even people that don't like him admit that he's intelligent and understands the business. I think his position with Steph helps but he was already moving towards the office before he got with her.

Different time. HHH always had a passion for the business and lives it. Some other guys just wanted to work. HHH was a natural and he was a hell of a worker

@@Enginshim Yep. He doesn't get the credit he deserves. Comes across as a bit of a dick but those that complain about his work are just deluding themselves. Those two matches with Foley in 2000 and the unsanctioned match with HBK at Summerslam are three of my favourite matches ever. He was such a good heel that even the 'smart' fans hate him.

@@jamesedmonds7519 and even Eric Bishoff said he was the one heel he wanted to get from WWF at the time, not Undertaker or Austin. He knew he could bring heat. And Triple H laid down for alot of people he lost more wrestlemanias than he won i think

@@DBBMed That wouldn't surprise me. He helped get three of the biggest stars of the last 20 years over, Batista, Orton and Cena. Could argue that his involvement in the Yes movement benefitted Daniel Bryan, who was the most over guy of his generation.

4x champ by May 2000. It's just easier to say someone that isn't your taste slept their way to the top than to acknowledge he took tons of initiative to get where he was.

Yeah but was major politcitain lets be real

LOL are you joking? Or are you maybe thinking of someone else? You’re not describing Triple G00f at all LMAO

No one with a life actually cares, so probably never.

@@magnol1a_

Plenty of people, some assumably with lives, already do acknowledge it, quite often. I use to be of the opinion that HHH was just doing it out of wanting to advance as far as he could. But as petty as it sounds, my breaking point with Triple H was that absolute BS garbage backstage segment with Triple H, his ass buddy Shawn Michaels, and the way they crapped all over Chris Masters. That was classless, disrespectful and worse of all, it was Triple H abusing his power. Especially considering we all know that Paul Levesque wasn't legit getting drug tested and being forced to get off the juice, yet they humiliate Masters when we all know that Masters legit DID have to go clean for a while there.

@@billybadass3056 what in gods name are you talking about, bud

Never, because he wasn't. Not once did Triple H hold the company he worked for hostage until a match played out exactly how he wanted it to, Hogan sabotaged WCW at Starrcade '97 and several times again over the next two years.

It's great to see Paul himself commenting on this video

MARK, when you are finished blubbering please grab me a Barf bag. Triple Lame sucks.

@@yoholmes273 Smark go back to your wrestling forums

@@badmartian320 Truth difficult for the pure mark. I understand.

Lmfao is this comment irony or sarcasm? You’re joking right? Triple Nose singlehandedly destroyed the Fed. Literally the entire casual audience tuned out in 2003 & never came back. The guy is a dead average mid card jobber nobody lmfao

Lol

@Facetious Universe 18 years and counting. That's about 10 more than average for most.

@@subarashiiashi3894 right that wasn't a smart comment at all he made that comment like they got married last year LMMFAO

@Facetious Universe 🥴🥴🥴

🐐🐐🐐

You mean Big Show, Rock and Foley. Austin wasn't there at the time.

Austin wasn't in that match big show was

Austin wasn’t in the match at wrestlemania 2000 it was rock foley triple h and big show in the fatal 4 way match

@@Speedyreedy1218 one of the goats I wouldn’t say he is the goat

Rode***

Don't forget the Kliq

What are you talking about? He was already in the main event scene well before Stephanie McMahon came into the picture..

Hahahahahahahaaa! Trips said.

@@scottiecraig9768 exactly...people forget. people dont know shit, they just think they do.

You underestimate him. The idea that he's been in a relationship for 20 years purely for his own gain gets more and more stupid with each year that passes.

@@jamesedmonds7519 yup. HHH was a world champion and the top heel of the company before he and Stephanie got together.

Chyna probably still be alive today and married to HHH with kids.

@@aerialhorizonrc7827 Baseless speculation.

@@aerialhorizonrc7827 however chyna didn't want kids.

I could see some caring a little because everyone man wants to be able 2 say I did this.. but not enough to affect his life

The "married to get a push" narrative is stupid, so I bet it was annoying. By the time he started dating her, much less married her, he had already been champ 4x and was involved in production etc. HHH had a history of betting on himself well before Stephanie. Look even to the WCW deal where he declined a multiple year offer for a one year offer and said you'll either want me or you won't. The marriage theory just gets thrown around because it's easier than just admitting that while he might not have been people's favorite, he worked hard to get where he was. The best case of marriage advancement wouldn't be his wrestling career but his now executive career.

To quote Kung pow Enter the fist.... “I’ll have some of what he’s smoking”.

after the fact

Steiner was the best heel of the late 90s/2000-01

@@uncledrosselmeyer6480 😅

GOAT heel. 🎮🎮🎮

SO glad Matt said that! Makes me love him even more, and DESPISE HHH even more!

@@marcusrob02 #HHHatersGonnaHHHate But you do know HHH is good friends with the Hardys and advocated for working with them in 01 during the 2Man Power Trip, 06 at Survivor Series, and in 08.

You gotta think. Him, Shawn, I think even Bret to an extent knew the writers were trash and 97 and pretty much forced there way into doing what they wanted to do and the company caught on fire. That's what he was saying. Even if this shit the writers are given us sucks if you got something you can do or say to get your self over do it and deal with Vince or whoever else's bs later. Vince was mad at the rock Foley and russo for the this is your life segment. When they found out how high the ratings were for that segment they chased him down to talk shit and Vince told them do what you want from now on. Vince was pissed a triple h and Shawn for a lot of what they did in the early dx days, but once he saw the ratings and the response he let them be. They wanted Austin to be the ring master, him going off script changed all that. You can't wait for creative to realize how stupid there shit is sometimes. You have to go do something about. Foley, Austin, Shawn, the outlaws, taker, the rock, are all examples of guys who said fuck that this is stupid and did something about it.

Shilling savewithconrad

@@subarashiiashi3894 fuckin eating what do you think.

meh, more an A-

That's not what irony is, but it is pretty funny.

@maroon_child Can you think of any all-time actually great wrestler that anyone ever "forgot" how good they were? I agree with Cornette. He's the guy who fights the guy you pay to see. Which is genuinely a great position.

@@mightilyoats2729 that's is exactly the way I always saw him. I didn't want to see him, I wanted to see him go up against Rock, Austin, Taker, and Mick, and even Jerico.

@@mightilyoats2729 HHH doesn't get enough credit for what he has done for this company. I've said it before many times already, reason Stone Cold, Rock, and others were great was because they had great heels (like HHH or Vince) to go against. He may have not been biggest star, or biggest draw but this guy is without a doubt one of best/if not the best heel ever. Would Stone Cold be Stone Cold if he had to fight Corbin every week? Would Rock be Rock if he had to fight Drew McIntyre and Elias every week?

Vanity? How so? It's not like he had a flex-off with anyone..oh wait

Triple H era was da best 🚬🐔 🤣 he destroyed everybody so graphic like a bully

No one has HHH'S passion.

I think you can credit HHH's wrestling career to his work ethic and initiative. The guy turned down multiple years for one at WCW. Got involved with production and learned as much as he could. Was a multiple time champ before he ever dated Stephanie. All that said his executive role? That is likely due to family. I think he would've still been in a high level creative role, like a Michael Hayes, but I don't see him being an executive of the company without the family ties. And while I agree Vince usually does what's best for business, he has pushed family into important roles other would be more qualified for. Stephanie was made head of creative in 2002 when she was 4 years out of college. That wouldn't happen for someone non family. She ascended to bring an executive of the company in her mid 30s. I'm not saying she isn't smart of talented, but as a young adult with a 4 years communications degree she wouldn't have been an executive in another company by her mid 30s.

@ljg215 what an evil guy juggling supporting his wife and his billion dollar empire that provides for thousands of employees. I can't believe he isn't perfect like you

If you read his piece in the 02 Flex magazine, most of your take, and what he said in the meeting is consistent. He was asked about how long he saw himself wrestling. He said "If you asked me 18months ago, I would've said easily another 10 years at least." After sustaining the quad injury, "probably five. How grueling this rehab process is for me, the emotional not just physical toll...It shows the fragility of a career, how quick it could end." But "when I retire from the ring, I'm never leaving. I'll work behind the scenes even more. I was always fascinated with that side of running things, just as passionate as I am about the ring." Again, he's not married to Stephanie yet and was speaking that way. He went on to talk about how deeply passionate he is about the business and how disappointed he is when he talks to the Tough enough contestants. He would ask some of them (and I assume either off camera or MTV edited this part from the show) "what are you gonna do if this doesn't work out? When they say 'go back to school or get a job,' I shake my head. That's not the answer I'm looking for. If you wanna be in this business, and be at the top you have to be all in. Be committed. Do whatever it takes. It has to be your life."

The rocks father wasn't a superstar though.

@@brandonwalker3755 doesn't matter connections

Rocky maivvia wasn’t that good either. He got a push because they wanted an ethnic in there as champ & his family was connected, no other reason. Orton is one of the single greatest pro rasslin talents to ever come down the pipeline lol, duh. That kid had everything. Triple Nose & Rocky were pretty average

@@uncledrosselmeyer6480 guess we know who your favorite is

@@jordanflores5687 what’re you talking about..? My “favourite”?

Gotta sting a little bit when he's had a bigger help up than a majority of the talent yet kind of burying people that cant step up to the plate.

HBK was always great.

Boring.

Better than Nash HHH, but also would’ve loved to get these feuds out of the way I’m 2001

He was on Smackdown that episode I think in 1999 or 2000. He was the special ref for Rock vs Triple H match

That's how I felt about HHH. I go where he goes. #TeamRaw til 08.

It's funny because everytime his music hit 2-3 million people change the channel.

How was Evolution stupid? Evolution directly resulted in the creation of two top tier stars that carried the company into the future. It accomplished exactly what it was supposed to do. A lot of guys who went to TNA didn't really go there by choice. Some did but a lot of their WWE hires were guys let go by WWE first. But the appeal of TNA wasn't Triple H related. The appeal of TNA to many who did go there was making a solid living while working a very light schedule in comparison to the schedule of WWE.

RAW was better than SD! from late 2004 through 2005.

Thank Stephanie for that.

I’d take 100 Katie Vicks over today’s wrestling.

Only on Raw, between early 2002 and early 2004 SmackDown was on fire

Gorilla Monsoon has entered the chat

Nope. He’s not stupid. He’s going to play the waiting game and get back in good a few years down the line with Vince like he did with the curtain call.

Who cares about the stipulation. It’s all about entertainment.

Gotta disagree slightly Idk they were both kinda tied when you break it down On one show you had taker brock kurt eddie hogan rock mysterio edge Bikini challenges and all that On raw you had hhh hbk kane rvd booker t jericho eventually austin rock and goldberg Both tied imo both epicly awesome

You’re the only person on earth who feels that way. The Reign of Terror speaks for itself

The Triple H Show wasn't better than the Smackdown Six

@@Redhotshawntexas brock lesnar couldn't cut a promo, undertaker was boring zack gowen stephanie vince week after week Mr america.

@@InvisibleHotdog smackdown 6 was a little overrated they were all good wrestlers but mysterio, benoit and guerrero never were major draws for the company as champions