Behold Tha King Of Kings

As I sat earlier browsing the internet, I stumbled upon one of the new SummerSlam promotional posters, and it featured none other than Triple H. That poster was in Spanish while the new one in English features Umaga alone.

The Triple H poster, the Triple H vignettes, and the Triple H "Terminator" WWE magazine cover have got me thinking...

Is Triple H worthy of all his pull? Is Triple H the MOST recognizable face in wrestling? Is Triple H the best wrestler today? Did Triple H deserve the flack he caught in the office for the Madison Square Garden incident? Hopefully this article will help all the O-sters formulate their opinions, as well as define my stance on a man I'm not shy about bashing regularly.

Do not however think that I have NO respect for the man, or his abilities, but as I said, this article will clarify most of that. So here it goes, Tha Notorious D.J.B's stance on the man, the myth, the legend, the nose...Paul Levesque/Terra Ryzin/Hunter Hearst Helmsley/The Crock/Triple H.

According to Paul Levesque himself, he knew from a very early age, around four or five years old that wrestling was IT. He was trained by Killer Kowalski, and didn't always have the best gimmicks to operate with, (ie. Terra Ryzin). He was a blue-blood, and even served a sentence in WCW. He later made his way to his future home, and HIS future home: WWE.

He immediately befriended the Klique, that of course consisted of Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Sean "X/6/Syxx PAC" Waltman. That was a good move, and a move any up and coming wrestlers with ambition would have done, and for that I definitely give him credit. He made a name for himself, he did several things, and he lost to The Ultimate Warrior: Real name, Warrior Warrior at WrestleMania.

A little later when Scott Hall, then Razor Ramon, and Kevin Nash, then Big Daddy Cool, Diesel were going over to rival promotion WCW. After a cage match at Madison Square Garden, the five men decided that they would all get in the ring and say their goodbyes in front of the loyal MSG crowd. BAD MOVE. Hall and Nash had no fear because they were leaving.

Michaels was THE golden boy, so he didn't have much to fear, but a younger HHH, and Sean Waltman really made a bad move that night when they joined their mega-star friends for the going away party. Well as we all know, that footage was leaked and the thermostat was set to hell for HHH. He has said that Vinnie Mac himself called him into his office and told him that if Hunter were anyone else, he'd fire him.

Triple H went from being the guy who was going to WIN the 1996 King of the Ring, to jobbing out in the first round, YIKES! While that punishment wasn't incredibly terrible, he went from most likely winning the WWE Championship in late 1996 or somewhere in 1997 to getting his first taste of the gold in 1999. Three years is a long time to wait for something you really want, and something you practically had your hands on.

So, honestly, I hate that it happened to him in a sense, but on the other hand, had he won the 1996 King of the Ring, the Attitude Era would have either been drastically different, or it would have never even happened. Steve Austin won that year's King of the Ring, and after he pinned Jake "The Snake" Roberts to claim the crown, he dropped a bomb on the world that forever changed the face of wrestling, and especially the E. We all know that bomb was, "Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass."

That phrase skyrocketed Stone Cold Steve Austin to the forefront, and if not for Owen Hart's Franked Up piledriver at Survivor Series, Austin would have ascended the throne even quicker, but nonetheless Austin ignited that movement.

Some can disregaurd fate and destiny, but there is no denying that the MSG incident did indeed happen for a completely unintentional reason. Triple H did his time, and he did it like a professional, a lesser man may have quit or blasted the company for everything it was worth, and take his ball and go elsewhere.

But what golden gem fell into his hand due to all this? D-Generation X! It wasn't the NWO, it wasn't the Four Horsemen, it was D mother f....n X. They showed that the censors sucked, they got more adolescent applause because they told people to suck it, and they said that "Viewer Discretion is advised, but completely fuckin ignored." Fate my friends, fate.

Trips became the E's top mid-card star other than The Rock, and the two had such memorable matches, and promos in their feud. Hunter also showed how versatile he was. He could cut a serious promo on The Rock for his attacks on H and on Chyna, he showed that he could be on of the funniest men in the business with the Nation parodies, that included Tha O Show's Jason Sensation.

Triple H in the Hawaiian shirt, and dark make-up with The Rock wig and his European Championship with I-C taped over it were some of the best comedic promos this business has ever seen. It also made for one of the better one-on-one ladder matches of the Attitude Era, Triple H VS. The Rock for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam 1998: Highway to Hell. So...the MSG incident didn't end up panning out to bad for The Game now did it?

Fast forward a little while, H quit wearing the tights, and went to trunks, adopted an Iron Cross logo and joined the Corporation along with his manager/valet/bodyguard Chyna. Ladies and Gentlemen, this move may be the move that further established HHH as a future top heel. He won his first WWE Championship on August 23, 1999, which is arguably about three years after a probable first win. This was in the prime of the Attitude era, so reigns were much shorter during this time, due to needed ratings, and SUPERSTARS.

Not only did he win his first WWE Championship on "Raw", he lost it less than a month later on September 16, to Vince McMahon, yes, I said Vince McMahon. However he did nearly immediately win it back in Charlotte on the 26th of September at Unforgiven in a Six Pack Challenge and held on to it until November when the E decided The Big Show was over enough to defend it against the Big Boss Man on PPV.

So basically in a span three months Hunter won and lost the WWE Championship twice, and was a legit contender and threat to the title at all times. He also became the guy that if you won it from him, it went back to him. He won the six pack challenge, he lost it to Show, he won it back from Show, he lost it to The Rock, he won it back from Rock, he lost it to Rock. So by June of the next year, in less than a full calendar year, Triple H was a four time WWE Champion, and a member of The Two Man Power Trip with Stone Cold Steve Austin, where he held the WWE Intercontinental Championship twice with a loss to a young Jeff Hardy.

This was also the time when he first tore a quadraceps muscle. After being sidelined for nine months he came back strong and defeated Chris Jericho at 'Mania to win the Undisputed Championship, and claiming Championship win numero cinco. Sadly, that reign lasted less than a month as well, when he did the job to the Hukster, who apparently was at the point to bring in the ratings with one more run.

Now during the aforementioned time period, Triple H made a move that has long been questioned. He began dating Daddy's Little Girl, Stephanie McMahon. Was it a move of love, or a move for political power? Not my place to judge, and during that time, I didn't give a damn who she was, I wanted Stephanie too, so that man became my idol all over again.

Anyway, he was in a more powerful position, but several have said that his balls were busted big time by Vince McMahon, and that is totally believable. But regardless of the ball busting, Steph herself was in line for a major powerspot in the company. So regardless of his motives, dude made a good move, on many levels. Now as I've stated, the time period where I am it is now the summer of 2002. The brand extension.

Triple H was handed, and that is not a joke...there was no match...the new World Heavyweight Championship. He didn't win it, he didn't do anything but take it and wear it for two months from September to November where he lost it to Shawn Michaels in the first ever Elimination Chamber match. Michaels held it for a little less than a month when he lost it back to Triple H...do you see a patern? Then there was the whole Goldberg/WWE fiasco where Goldberg became champ for a couple of months, from September to December, but Triple H was the guy to win the Championship from big Bill.

It can be argued that it was a political move, or a business move to take the championship off of whoever defeated The Cerebral Assassin for it and put it back on him, but either way, a lot of people began to get sick of seeing Triple H as World Champion. He lost it to Chris Benoit in the famous WMXX triple threat main event in 2004, and took one of his longest breaks from the championship while in active competition. He didn't hold the championship for an unbelievable five months and twenty some odd days.

He won the Championship again from Orton at Unforgiven immediately after Orton won it at SummerSlam in Toronto (a feat that will most likely repeat itself this year) and held onto it for seven months, minus a one month hiatus in which the belt was "vacant"...then it was decided in another Elimination Chamber match, that Triple H of course won.

He went on to hold it for the remainder of his seven months until WrestleMania 21 where Batista defeated him, and then defeated him again at Backlash, and again at Judgment Day. So since April 3, 2005, The Game has not held the World Heavyweight or WWE Championships. Give it another month and a half.

I know giving his list of WWE and World Heavyweight Championships shows no signifigance of political pull to some, but to others it shows plenty. For three years on "Raw", he was THE World Heavyweight Champion. He dominated TV from 2002 to 2007, and was THE focal point. He was a major part of TV from 1999 until 2007, but not until 2002 did he become "Monday Night Raw". With other champions, and other important storylines, Triple H has still dominated TV.

Even after Triple H jobbed to Cena at 'Mania 22, he still dominated the month after with the triple threat between he, Cena and Edge. He then dominated in the pre-DX Vince/Shane/Spirit Squad war, and then there was the DX return/reunion and there was nothing else on "Raw". John Cena and/or Edge hardly ever got the ever important show opener in their feud that took up 2006 from January to September.

Edge and Randy Orton then got the "rub" with the Team Rated RKO feud with DX, that came to an abrupt halt in January of 2007 when Triple H tore his other quad. And as he prepares for his return, World Championship/WWE Championship #11, 12 and most likely 13 are damn near guarantees. I told you that to tell you this. Triple H is a focal part of WWE TV and that's fine. While the DX things made A LOT of money, is Triple H the best guy for the business right now? I highly doubt that.

I think that there are many more marks and smarks out there that want to see new main eventers rise to the top, who are going to have to settle for the up and comers being fed to HHH for at least a year or two. Kennedy, Hardy, Orton and Cena will all most likely job out to The King of Kings over the next several months to a year, and then again, so will Lashley, Carlito(who HHH blasts without regard in this month's WWE magazine, just not by name) and Jo-Jo the Dogfaced Bitch Boy.

As has been heavily talked about in Tha Land of O, the main eventers of yesterday need to give more of the main eventers of tomorrow "the rub." Now Hunter really isn't a 'yesterday guy', but it would really do wonders for the future megastars to get some big time wins over Triple H, and I don't just mean Bati-sta and John Cena. Guys like Kennedy and Jeff Hardy need those marquee wins over Triple H, not necessarily World Championship wins, but just big time heavily hyped match-ups that guys like that could go over in.

As we all know, Triple H will most likely blast King Booker at SummerSlam, and in essence there is no problem with that. But really there will be, because that win will in all likelihood kill the King Booker character. Hell, the Unforgiven promotional poster is Triple H sitting on a throne in his Conaan the Barbarian king gimmicks. Only time will truly tell what will happen, but the smart money is on yet another round of Triple H domination.

So in review, is Triple H deserving of his spot? Sure. Is Triple H in a position to have the ability to abuse his power? Yes. Does he? Absolutely. Was Triple H dealt shitty hands on occasion? Yes, without a doubt. Did HE make the most of them? Yes he did. Is Triple H the best man to represent this business? Highly debatable, and my answer is not at this time. Was he? Yes.

Is Triple H THE guy who gets ratings? No, and that fact can be backed up by the ratings drawn before, during and after his reigns. Not that it is his fault, but after he became a WWE Champion for the second and third time the Attitude Era went the way of the buffalo. Guys like Austin, Rock, Cena and Edge drew better ratings and draw better ratings.

Is Triple H a quality heel? Yes...without a championship reign of six months plus. Is Triple H a quality babyface? Yes. Is Triple H a team player? Ehhh...debatable. When Triple H returns will it be a plus for the ratings? In different circumstances most likely, but with whats going on now, maybe only slightly.

Is Triple H in the position that every other wrestler in the world would like to be in? ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY!!!!! Only time will tell what really happens, but this article my opinions on the man that is at the head of most mark and smark debates. All the questions I've posed here have been debated heavily on several occasions. So, what do you think?

That's my article for now, and until next time my fellow O-sters, Oooooooooooh!

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