Hard to believe that this man, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, used to be a relatively soft-spoken and polite blue blood. He's the loud and lewd leader of DX now but he can still be polite at times.
When you get Hunter Hearst Helmsley away from a wrestling ring, he is not such a bad guy after all. Really, I mean that.
As I typed out that first sentence, it didn't look right, but it's true. Reading it aloud sounds strange as well. Ninety-nine percent of wrestling fans only see Hunter when he is within the confines of a wrestling ring...or trying to invade a WCW arena with the rest of DX.
I first met Hunter when he was a struggling competitor in WCW. He was then known as Terra Ryzin. He has gone through various transformations since. But I noticed the first time I talked to him that he was desperately searching for the right wrestling identity. He was trained by a true master of chaos in Killer Kowalski, and much of that training is paying off today as Hunter has infected the WWF with his own version of chaos.
Away from the ring, Hunter can be more reflective and calm if you get him in the right setting. I did just that when I bumped into him at Logan International Airport in Boston this spring. We both had long layovers, so we decided to grab some seafood and chew the fat (so to speak) with the trust tape recorder rolling. We talked about evolution. Not that of a man in general, but that of "Triple-H."
"I spent the first part of my career listening to what the promoters had to say," he recalled. "They had ideas for what they wanted me to be, and I was afraid to be miself. When I came to the WWF, they thought of me as a blue blood from Connecticut. So I bowed, curtsied, and continued to pretend to be something I'm not."
Helmsley tried so hard to be prim and proper, but the role hardly fit. When he brought in Chyna as his bodyguard, his demeanor began to change. When Shawn Michaels came calling with his ideals for a new clique, "Triple-H" listened intently.
"Second verse- same as the first, to be honest," remarked Helmsley. "Instead of promoters, it was Shawn calling the shots. Sure, he wanted me to be myself, but I was still under the direction of someone else. It took me a while to realize it because things were going well, but I was still letting myself get held back.
"Wrestlemania XIV ws supposed to be the greatest day of all for DX," he continued. "Everything we planned for was geared toward that day. Signing Tyson was a huge coup that gave us a little additional strength. I didn't think it was the right move, but Shawn was the leader, so I didn't complain too much. I guses that was a mistake. He should have seen it coming. Instead was got caught with our pants down. That won't happen again. I'm gonna see to that."
Helmsley told me he did not sleep the night of Wrestlemania XIV. He held on to his European title at that event, but Michaels lost the World belt in a cloud of betrayal by their so-called ally Tyson. Instead of slumber, Triple-H tossed and turned and plotted the next step for D-Generation X in his head.
"I knew that it was finally time for me to stop listening and start talking," he said. "I called X-Pac and the New Age Outlaws and they listened to me. I felt like a leader. I felt like I had control. I felt that after all these years, I had finally arrived."
As I listened to the words come out of his mouth, I could not help but wonder if the man I saw sitting across from me ws the same man who acted in such a rude and immature manner on television. So I asked him about the dichotomy.
Helmsley paused and grinned. "You have to understand something about me and DX," he said . "We're fighting a war, and we want to win by any means possible. That means both verbal and physical. And we will win. We provide shock value to keep our enemies off-guard. That's what makes us strong, and that's what will give us strength for future wars."
Which leads me to believe that DX is currently stronger and more durable than its WCW counterpart, the New World Order. When Hollywood Hogan had problems with Randy Savage and Kevin Nash, the group splintered into two factions that are now at war with each other. The saga is being played out week after week.
DX is a tad more adept at problem solving. Rick Rude bolted. Little was said. Mike Tyson betrayed DX. The matter was swept under the carpet. Shawn Michaels was removed as leader, while Hunter quietly assumed the mantle. He also made the organization stronger. No one will ever long for the original DX. The current version is frighteningly powerful and effective. It boasts a solid European champ, a vastly improved tag team that happens to hold the federation gold, and a likely future light heavyweight champion. No, not Chyna, but I think she could beat a few of the men in the WWF.
As Helmsley's flight was called, he politely excused himself from the table. No crotch-chopping or foul language. We said our goodbye, and he noticed my tape recorder was still running. With an evil, DX-style smirk, he said, "Do you want something juicy that will melt your tape recorder?"
I politely refused. It was a glimpse of Hunter that you all know and loathe.
