Triple H. The Game. Politics. Back stage politics. After those four fragment sentences, I am sure you have begun to think about your stance on the current RAW headliner and his position of power. For some bizarre reason, the internet loves to hate “the Game.” Why is that? Well, I would like to throw out some ideas and thoughts on the subject.
Triple H has a lot of pull backstage in the WWE. Or, at least, that is what I have been led to believe. Sure, he is married to the boss’ daughter. Nice move on his part, I must say. Sure, he seems to be unbeatable. Sure, he has pinned every major superstar on the RAW roster. But, is that so wrong? Not at all.
Okay, settle down. There are many internet wrestling fans that absolutely hate Triple H and do not feel that he deserves his current place in the WWE. Why doesn’t he? I will be honest with you. I have never attended a backstage meeting at RAW. I have never seen Triple H use his leverage with the boss to hold onto the world strap. I would guess that he might do these things. But, if he is, Triple H is merely playing the “game.”
Life is competitive. Face it, if you do not compete, if you do not show a distinct edge, others who do will pass you by, whether it be in professional wrestling or in any other business. Is Triple H playing by the rules by marrying into the boss’s family? Is he playing by the rules by positioning himself as close to the boss as possible? Sure, if he hadn’t, do you honestly think another wrestler would not have tried to? Who knows, maybe he genuinely loves Stephanie. He probably spent a lot of time with her on the road, traveling from show to show, working matches and storylines together. But, his true feelings about his wife is none of our business, so I will drop this line of inquiring out of respect for his private life.
For over a decade, Triple H has played the game, from his lowly beginnings to his spot on the top rung of the ladder. Triple H was obedient and suffered through his clique error (hugging his departing friends, breaking character, in front of a crowd), he jobbed to the likes of “Everyone’s Favorite Trash Man,” Duke “the Dumpster” Drose and “H.O.G.” Henry O. Godwin, not to mention "Jobbing" to Ultimate Warrior in less than 2 minutes at WrestleMania XII.
Any man not absolutely determined to make something out of his in-ring career would not have put up with such humiliation. But Triple H did. He was handed 20 lbs of “suck” and a 10 lb bag and he carried it surprisingly well. He bowed, curtsied, and turned his caricature Greenwich nose in blue-blooded contempt for the horrendously insipid baby faces. He battled through all of this, wrestling good matches with less talented opponents. He let himself be booked to lose against Marc Mero repeatedly, over and over, each week on RAW. He stood back and played the silent lackey to D-Generation X’s star, Shawn Michaels.
Then it happened, HBK was injured and Vince was in a tough spot. He gave the ball to Triple H. What did Triple H do? He sunk his nails into that ball and ran like hell. He made D-Generation X (in my opinion) more entertaining and “in-your-face” than ever. He became the guy who you loved to hate, and then he became the guy you loved to root for as he humiliated everyone with his clever, though juvenile, humor.
D-Generation X eventually deteriorated and the Game emerged. We finally see a serious, intense Triple H that wrestled many memorable matches with Mick Foley, Steve Austin, The Rock, Chris Jericho, and many other top wrestlers.
Then, Triple H suffered a serious setback. But, like we have seen from the man before, he was still determined to be the best that he could in the ring. He showed his intense passion for the business, or his love of his spot in the business, enough to continue the match where he tore his quad muscle (compare his actions during the match where Triple H tore his quad to when Kevin Nash did), rehabilitate, heal, and train for a comeback.( But pro wrestling is fake, right Mr. "NFL"?)
Perhaps he trained a bit too much and came back “freaky huge” (I would agree that his in-ring work suffered after his comeback due to his size and lack of mobility). There were some matches that were not up to his earlier standards. But, his ring rust was brushed off, he lost some of that upper body bulk, and he, once again, began wrestling stellar matches.
The passion was still in the Game, though his on-screen character again changed. He was no longer the Greenwich snob; he was no longer the D-Generation X lackey; he was no longer the intense monster; he became the man obsessed with gold. He became the wild-eyed, frenzied man desperately holding on to the one thing that mattered most to him, in any way he could. And no other wrestler has played that part as well as Triple H.
Is Triple H using his backstage power to keep hold of the world title? I would venture to guess maybe. Did Hulk Hogan use his backstage “stroke” to punish Macho Man and Ricky the Dragon Steamboat after their incredible Wrestle Mania 3 match? Absolutely. Was Hogan wrong to do so? I don’t know. The men that he tried to hold down were main eventing soon after. Is it wrong for Triple H to hold down Booker T and Rob Van Dam? I don’t know. Maybe those aren’t his doings. But, what is wrong with booking a strong, unstoppable champion that is positioned to be hated by fans? When Triple H is finally dethroned, the fan reaction will be all the more intense, as long as the WWE doesn't blow the angle, like they did with the Honky Tonk Man holding the I-C title for over 18 months...
I have always enjoyed Triple H’s matches. A year or so ago, I began to read the internet smear columns about the Game and I began to believe them. But, after giving it some serious thought, I feel that Triple H is doing nothing more than playing the game, and playing it well.
So, does Triple H make the grade? What grade does The Game deserve for his tenure thus far in the WWE? For his tenacity and his immense passion for the business, for his refusal to give up and his ability to play politics to his advantage, I give Triple H a well deserved A.
You’ve come to your senses and wholeheartedly agree, right? No? Disagree?
This has been the Lazmeister.....
Until I post again....
Adios.
Triple H has a lot of pull backstage in the WWE. Or, at least, that is what I have been led to believe. Sure, he is married to the boss’ daughter. Nice move on his part, I must say. Sure, he seems to be unbeatable. Sure, he has pinned every major superstar on the RAW roster. But, is that so wrong? Not at all.
Okay, settle down. There are many internet wrestling fans that absolutely hate Triple H and do not feel that he deserves his current place in the WWE. Why doesn’t he? I will be honest with you. I have never attended a backstage meeting at RAW. I have never seen Triple H use his leverage with the boss to hold onto the world strap. I would guess that he might do these things. But, if he is, Triple H is merely playing the “game.”
Life is competitive. Face it, if you do not compete, if you do not show a distinct edge, others who do will pass you by, whether it be in professional wrestling or in any other business. Is Triple H playing by the rules by marrying into the boss’s family? Is he playing by the rules by positioning himself as close to the boss as possible? Sure, if he hadn’t, do you honestly think another wrestler would not have tried to? Who knows, maybe he genuinely loves Stephanie. He probably spent a lot of time with her on the road, traveling from show to show, working matches and storylines together. But, his true feelings about his wife is none of our business, so I will drop this line of inquiring out of respect for his private life.
For over a decade, Triple H has played the game, from his lowly beginnings to his spot on the top rung of the ladder. Triple H was obedient and suffered through his clique error (hugging his departing friends, breaking character, in front of a crowd), he jobbed to the likes of “Everyone’s Favorite Trash Man,” Duke “the Dumpster” Drose and “H.O.G.” Henry O. Godwin, not to mention "Jobbing" to Ultimate Warrior in less than 2 minutes at WrestleMania XII.
Any man not absolutely determined to make something out of his in-ring career would not have put up with such humiliation. But Triple H did. He was handed 20 lbs of “suck” and a 10 lb bag and he carried it surprisingly well. He bowed, curtsied, and turned his caricature Greenwich nose in blue-blooded contempt for the horrendously insipid baby faces. He battled through all of this, wrestling good matches with less talented opponents. He let himself be booked to lose against Marc Mero repeatedly, over and over, each week on RAW. He stood back and played the silent lackey to D-Generation X’s star, Shawn Michaels.
Then it happened, HBK was injured and Vince was in a tough spot. He gave the ball to Triple H. What did Triple H do? He sunk his nails into that ball and ran like hell. He made D-Generation X (in my opinion) more entertaining and “in-your-face” than ever. He became the guy who you loved to hate, and then he became the guy you loved to root for as he humiliated everyone with his clever, though juvenile, humor.
D-Generation X eventually deteriorated and the Game emerged. We finally see a serious, intense Triple H that wrestled many memorable matches with Mick Foley, Steve Austin, The Rock, Chris Jericho, and many other top wrestlers.
Then, Triple H suffered a serious setback. But, like we have seen from the man before, he was still determined to be the best that he could in the ring. He showed his intense passion for the business, or his love of his spot in the business, enough to continue the match where he tore his quad muscle (compare his actions during the match where Triple H tore his quad to when Kevin Nash did), rehabilitate, heal, and train for a comeback.( But pro wrestling is fake, right Mr. "NFL"?)
Perhaps he trained a bit too much and came back “freaky huge” (I would agree that his in-ring work suffered after his comeback due to his size and lack of mobility). There were some matches that were not up to his earlier standards. But, his ring rust was brushed off, he lost some of that upper body bulk, and he, once again, began wrestling stellar matches.
The passion was still in the Game, though his on-screen character again changed. He was no longer the Greenwich snob; he was no longer the D-Generation X lackey; he was no longer the intense monster; he became the man obsessed with gold. He became the wild-eyed, frenzied man desperately holding on to the one thing that mattered most to him, in any way he could. And no other wrestler has played that part as well as Triple H.
Is Triple H using his backstage power to keep hold of the world title? I would venture to guess maybe. Did Hulk Hogan use his backstage “stroke” to punish Macho Man and Ricky the Dragon Steamboat after their incredible Wrestle Mania 3 match? Absolutely. Was Hogan wrong to do so? I don’t know. The men that he tried to hold down were main eventing soon after. Is it wrong for Triple H to hold down Booker T and Rob Van Dam? I don’t know. Maybe those aren’t his doings. But, what is wrong with booking a strong, unstoppable champion that is positioned to be hated by fans? When Triple H is finally dethroned, the fan reaction will be all the more intense, as long as the WWE doesn't blow the angle, like they did with the Honky Tonk Man holding the I-C title for over 18 months...
I have always enjoyed Triple H’s matches. A year or so ago, I began to read the internet smear columns about the Game and I began to believe them. But, after giving it some serious thought, I feel that Triple H is doing nothing more than playing the game, and playing it well.
So, does Triple H make the grade? What grade does The Game deserve for his tenure thus far in the WWE? For his tenacity and his immense passion for the business, for his refusal to give up and his ability to play politics to his advantage, I give Triple H a well deserved A.
You’ve come to your senses and wholeheartedly agree, right? No? Disagree?
This has been the Lazmeister.....
Until I post again....
Adios.
