These 3 were not men like Paul Wight, or Bill Goldberg who you knew the minute you saw them they were destined to hold a world title in one of the major 2 federations. These 3 men evolved their characters several times to get to the championship status they are today. This week I will focus on the evolution of current WWF champion Triple-H.
First you need to go back to when Triple-H "broke in" back to WCW where he was handed several failed gimmicks, including Terra Ryzin and a watered down Blue Blood type character known as Jean-Paul Levesque. These were most likely trying times for Triple-H, as most wrestlers would have given up Triple-H persevered and after his WCW contract had ended he was promptly picked up by the WWF.
The WWF had noticed as his Levesque snob character he had slowly but surely began getting heat from the audience. Triple-H was a natural at getting heat but it took McMahon to show him how to take it to the next level. The WWF renamed him Hunter Hearst Helmsley a snob from Greenwich Connecticut, an American Blueblood, born into the upper epsilon of society. A man the middle class viewers of WWF Television loved to hate.
The WWF immediately set about having Triple-H defeat several baby-faces on Superstars causing an unprecedented 64 win streak. And the ratings began to climb slowly, no longer were fans tuning into see a babyface. Not exactly anyway they were turning into see who would be the first to defeat this snob who disrespected the common man. Finally the top babyface in the WWF Bret Hart delivered Triple-H his first loss. Triple-H then went on to work programs with guys just breaking into the WWF including Duke Drose and Henry O. Godwinn. Triple-H then went into WrestleMania 12 to face the returning Ultimate Warrior. Losing in a total squash, backstage the WWF had Triple-H begin a program with another newcomer in Marc Mero.
Things were looking good for Triple-H the creative team had plans to make him a top heel within the year, starting at The King of the Ring where he was scheduled to win the tourney. However as things always seem to do something went awry. Two of Triple-H's friends backstage Scott Hall and Kevin Nash decided to leave the WWF for WCW. This set into motion what would almost be Triple-H's downfall in the WWF.
The famous Madison Square Gardens bow-out. The night started out normal as usual. It was Hall and Nash's last WWF commitment. McMahon had agreed to allow Hall work a match against Triple-H as a face to put over Triple-H and Kevin Nash would face HBK for the title as a heel putting over HBK as a face. Both matches were executed as planned. Then as the show was going off Triple-H and Scott Hall made there way down the ramp to the ring where Nash and HBK were already in the ring shaking hands. Then the "Kliq" minus Sean Waltman all embraced and said they good-byes breaking Kay-Fabe, showing the marks there were no faces or heels in the back, simply friends.
This singular event sent Triple-H's career into a downward spiral. Triple-H was solely punished for the events at MSG while HBK who at the time was champion was not. The Creative Team was now interested in pushing another heel into main-event status, a man called Steve Austin. Austin now won the King of the Ring tournament in doing so coining his most popular catch phrase Austin 3:16, Austin went onto work a program with Bret Hart later that year while throughout the rest of the summer Triple-H wallowed in mediocrity. Triple-H finally got some respect in the fall by capturing the WWF IC Title from long-time rival Marc Mero. With the departure of his short lived manager Mr. Perfect to WCW Triple-H tried valet after valet of gorgeous women and even Curtis Hughes as his Butler bodyguard before he would stumble on the person who would complete the cycle of events set forth Chyna.
Triple-H lost his WWF IC Title to The Rock in January prior to the Royal Rumble. The WWF Creative team impressed by Triple-H's ability to still draw heat after 2 years of a character began to push him once again, this time in a feud with a popular face Goldust, the feud culminated at WrestleMania 13 where Triple-H aided by Chyna defeated Goldust via the pedigree. The WWF creative team decided after a long tribulation, that it was time for Triple-H to step up to the next level and become an upper mid-card wrestler.
This set into motion a long awaited King of the Ring victory and an immediate push towards fighting top faces, including Mankind throughout the summer and Undertaker in the fall. The fall is where Triple-H's character took another turn, the snob gimmick began to fade as Triple-H became more aggressive and sadistic, a character he would later use in his first title reign. The WWF Creative team again found a new way for Triple-H to take his heel turn to the next level. Teaming him with then top heel in the federation and long-time friend HBK along with Chyna to form a stable called D-Generation X. Triple-H slowly came into his own in D-X showing parts of his personality we had never seen. He played a heel while still appealing to the smarter fans of the WWF and this continued through the winter and spring establishing Triple-H as a top name in the WWF and holding the longest reign of any European Champion to date.
Then something began to happen to the character of Triple-H again, entering into a top feud with a very heel The Rock for the IC Title Triple-H began to lose all his heel qualities and began to play the bayface to the crowd. After injuring his knee, Triple-H returned an even stronger babyface and challenging the world champion the top heel the Rock on several occasions for the WWF Title. Although never winning, you could begin to see Triple-H becoming increasingly uncomfortable in the babyface role, while he was an upper mid-carder low-main eventer at best his career had become stagnant.
With nothing left to do with Triple-H as a babyface the Creative team decided to dissolve the new D-X allowing it as a way for Triple-H to once again become a heel. Pitting him on the side of the ever evil Vince McMahon however, it was not long lasted as soon Triple-H was playing #2 heel under the Undertaker. Throughout that spring and early summer he drew his heat fighting former allies and strong faces X-Pac and Road Dogg. Then in July Triple-H began to really come into his own, no longer allowing the McMahons to speak so much for him, his character became increasingly aggressive and didn't mind cheating to win. If he couldn't earn respect he was just going to take it!
And take it he did! Injuring top face Mick Foley and putting him out of action, attacking men like The Rock and Stone Cold several times, defeating the Rock to earn a shot at Austin for the title at SummerSlam, although he fell short at SummerSlam of becoming champion, he achieved his top heel status by crippling the ultimate baby face in front of millions of people.
The next night he defeated Mick Foley with Shane McMahon's help to become WWF Champion. Once again fans began to hate him and for much of the same reason the initially did. Nobody seemed to be able to defeat Triple-H for the title, he defeated The Rock, Mankind before losing to Vince McMahon setting up a 6 way match in which Triple-H overcame 5 other main-eventers to solidify his place in the WWF. Later facing Austin one on one at a PPV Triple-H once again scraped by to retain his title, and as the fans foamed at the mouth that this "Asshole" had once again got one by them beating the babyface, deep inside they leaned back and relaxed, because everyone likes the bad guy to win once in awhile.
~Lyle
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