What If Triple H Won The 1996 King Of The Ring?

The 1996 King of the Ring is remembered as the beginning of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's meteoric rise in the wrestling business. While he was always a great worker in his early career, performing as "Stunning" Steve Austin in WCW, his career in the WWF didn't exactly start out well.

The Rattlesnake was originally the Ringmaster, but a great performance in the KOTR tournament and an iconic "Austin 3:16" promo solidified him as a future top star in the company. It was one of the most iconic moments in WWE history...but it wasn't the original plan. In fact, the company's resident blue blood, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, was supposed to win the tournament as part of a huge push.

Plans changed, however, as Triple H was punished for the infamous 'Curtain Call' incident in Madison Square Garden. With Hall and Nash leaving the company to join WCW, and Shawn Michaels sitting atop the company as their champion and poster boy, the punishment fell on Helmsley and Helmsley alone. The King of the Ring push was given to Steve Austin, and the rest was history.

Triple H didn't have a terrible career afterward, though. Clearly, he ended up doing pretty well for himself, forming two successful stables in Degeneration-X and Evolution, along with capturing the World Title fourteen times. However, one has to wonder what would've happened had Triple H not been punished for the Curtain Call.

Though he's incredibly successful, both inside and outside of the ring, it's an interesting topic to tackle. This article will look at the possible changes we could have seen had Triple H won the 1996 King of the Ring.

#5 Degeneration-X might not have happened

If Triple H wasn't upset at his spot in the company, would he and fellow disgruntled star Shawn Michaels have formed DX?

Degeneration-X ended up being the thing that got Triple H over with the WWE audience. Though he missed the KOTR train, a raunchy, unapologetic, and downright disrespectful angle like DX was exactly what he needed. Teaming with the Heartbreak Kid and the 9th Wonder of the World brought Triple H to the top of the company. He was featured in some of the most successful skits and segments in pro-wrestling history and was given a chance to show charisma that wouldn't have made sense in the old blue blood gimmick.

However, D-X only came together because both Triple H and Shawn Michaels felt upset and disregarded. Triple H was tired of being pushed around and thrown into nothing feuds. Though he won the Intercontinental Championship in October 1996, most of his year was full of embarrassing losses and it was clear that creative didn't have anything going for him.

With a push coming off of a KOTR win, Triple H wouldn't have had any reason to bring D-X together with Shawn Michaels. Instead, Triple H would've been pushed to the top of the card, much like Steve Austin was, possibly getting that submission match at WrestleMania 13 with Bret Hart.

#4 Austin 3:16 doesn't happen

After "Stone Cold" Steve Austin defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts to win the King of the Ring, he cut one of the most iconic promos of all time. Austin's "3:16" promo helped elevate him to one of the most vicious and intimidating superstars in WWE history.

However, without it, where would he go? If Austin lost in the tournament or wasn't in it to begin with, what happens to him?

Austin's arrogance was always a part of his character, but with his victory at King of the Ring, he became more sadistic, more violent. Could they have moved towards this version of Steve Austin without the KOTR? Sure. But moments like that are hard to come by.

Without the momentum of winning the King of the Ring and the 3:16 promo, it's not hard to make the assumption that Steve Austin wouldn't have become the legend he's known as today.

#3 HHH feuds with Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship in 1998

WrestleMania 14's main event could have been something completely different.

Shawn Michaels was on his way out at WrestleMania 14 regardless of whether or not Degeneration-X existed. HBK and the company had a soured relationship, brought on by attitude problems and substance abuse of Michaels. Along with wear and tear on his body, and an injured back, HBK was going to go retire in 1998.

However, he may not have dropped his title to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin like he did in 1998. In fact, there's a good chance that Triple H would have been the one to dethrone the Heartbreaker. Coming off a fantastic two year run after the company decided to push him in 1996, Triple H would have racked up a few intercontinental title reigns and wins over some pretty important talent. The Game would've been in high profile matches with Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Psycho Sid, The Undertaker, Kane, and Mankind.

Would Triple H vs Shawn Michaels have been a big enough match to bring in Mike Tyson? It's hard to say. However, with the backing of the company, it's possible that Triple H could have gotten the response from the fans needed to make WrestleMania 14 as big as it was.

#2 The Two-Man Power Trip instead lead opposite sides of the Invasion

The Invasion angle is not something that is looked upon fondly. With a lack of top WCW stars and a convoluted storyline that couldn't catch the attention of the WWE fanbase, a perfect idea in WWF vs WCW ended up being mediocre.

One of the missing components on WWF's side was Triple H, who had just formed a devious tag team with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, known as the Two Man Power Trip. HHH and Austin would end up holding the WWF Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, and the Tag Team Championships all at once, but an untimely injury forced HHH out of the game before the Invasion angle could begin.

It's possible that HHH and Austin were set to be on opposite sides of the war, with Austin heading over to the Alliance's side and the Game sticking with the WWF and the corporation. But what if HHH hadn't gotten injured?

If Triple H had been the face of the company coming out of WrestleMania 14, it's highly possible that he would never join with the Corporation or team up with Vince McMahon in 2000 and 2001. And throughout the previous years, Triple H and Steve Austin would have battled back and forth quite a few times, possibly creating a rivalry that could only be settled in a feud that involved to separate companies.

Even without the WCW legends like Sting, the NWO, and Flair, the Invasion angle stemming from a bloody Triple H/Steve Austin rivalry just might have saved that storyline.

#1 The Rock's biggest rival is Triple H

The Rock and Triple H faced off many times throughout their time in the WWE

While The Rock and Triple H have gone toe-to-toe many times throughout their years in the WWE, Triple H hitting his stride earlier could have forced him to the front of the company instead of Steve Austin.

After Triple H took over D-X, the group feuded with the Nation of Domination, led by The Rock. It was a huge back and forth war that lasted for months, culminating in an Intercontinental Championship win for The Game at Survivor Series 1998.

In the year to follow, the Rock would join up with the Corporation, and D-X would break up as both Triple H and Chyna would betray the group, joining the Corporation as well.

Had Triple H won the King of the Ring and not formed the first iteration of D-X, it's likely he wouldn't have teamed up with X-Pac and the New Age Outlaws, forcing him to take down the Nation of Domination one by one, eventually taking on the Corporation by himself when the Rock made that jump.

Triple H and The Rock still did have a pretty great feud with each other, with tons of main event matches for the top title in the company. But you have to wonder if the two could have been the main feud of the late 90's and early 2000's instead of The Rock and Steve Austin.

It's very possible that Triple H could have become the lead babyface for the WWE during both the Attitude and the beginning of the Ruthless Aggression Era.

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