5 AEW stars Triple H has wrestled in WWE and how it affected their careers

Triple H is known for his many accomplishments in WWE as well as his history as a villain. Whether you hated him for his infamous "Reign of Terror" or loved him for his antics in D-Generation X, Triple H is a living legend in professional wrestling.

In recent years, Paul Levesque (his real name) has taken a more executive position and doesn't strap up his boots anymore. Levesque found resounding success in running the NXT brand of WWE until recently. He signed some of the most popular indie talents, most of whom have unfortunately been released in the last two years of WWE releases.

This list will take a look back at some of the best showdowns he has had with wrestlers who are now All Elite. The wrestlers on this list had to have been signed to WWE, so no possible WCW feuds will be considered.

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5. Triple H had a heated back and forth feud with Billy Gunn that even spilled over into real life

For the fans that mostly recall Billy Gunn being a part of D-Generation X, this might be surprising. But Gunn and Triple H had multiple matches against each other, and at the peak of their feud, tensions became real.

Between 1999 and 2001, the two DX members fought each other one-on-one three times. Mr. A** never picked up a win against the Cerebral Assassin, even though all wins weren't without interference in Triple H's favor.

Billy Gunn was first released from WWE in 2004, after working for the company for 11 years. Gunn would then join Road Dogg in TNA, where the duo became the Voodoo Kin Mafia (VKM for short, a play on Vincent Kennedy McMahon's initials). During this time, the two allegedly had real life heat with Triple H, so much so that he asked two young WWE wrestlers to watch his back during his match one evening.

Gunn might not have defeated Triple H in the ring, but if the above mentioned story is true, then he sure scared the WWE legend outside of the ring.

4. Triple H defeated "The Icon" Sting in a poorly received match

Sting's debut in WWE was a historical moment in professional wrestling. The Icon never jumped ship from WCW even when the company failed and instead went to TNA Impact. Sting was the last great WCW wrestler who hadn't signed with WWE, and his jump was meant to be historical.

Unfortunately for Sting, he ended up being underutilized in the WWE and lost embarrassingly to Triple H in a match most fans believe he should've won. Some fans even speculate that this defeat was Vince McMahon's way of symbolizing his final defeat of WCW.

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3. Chris Jericho and Triple H had a feud that lead to real life heat

AEW's le Champion originally joined WWE in 1999, riding in on a gimmick that played off of the Y2K conspiracy theory. And so, Y2J was born and he quickly paved his way through the promotion.

Chris Jericho and Triple H wrestled each other in three different pay-per-view one-on-one matches between 2000 and 2002. Both have confessed to having a dislike of one another, especially during their feuds. But according to Jim Ross, there was more to their real-life animosity.

Today, the two are friends, having reconciled their differences.

2. The Authority vs. Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson in AEW)

Bryan Danielson's WWE run shot the once-indie wrestler into superstardom. His legendary feud against "The Authority" as well as his famous match against Triple H at Wrestlemania 30 are legendary.

Danielson's feud against "The Authority" is where the "Yes-Movement" originated from, as Triple H refused to let the star have a title shot. The chant is still cheered by fans in AEW, signaling just how important it was.

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1. Triple H and CM Punk - the feud of hatred that led to the "Pipe Bomb"

CM Punk's heel run before joining WWE was compared to Triple H's "reign of terror," and some fans believe this was the start of their alleged history of hatred.

The two rarely appeared on screen together, even after Punk shared the stage with DX in 2006. By 2010, the Straight Edge Society was born, leading into a promo between both stars. Triple H would then notably insult the younger star's hair and hygiene. While this seemed like playful banter, Punk's hair was soon gone as he rode a wave of momentum into the Cult of Personality.

This new look led to the Summer of Punk, and an eventual confrontation between the Straight Edge wrestler and the Cerebral Assassin. After losing to the veteran, Punk gradually built up to the moment now known as the "Pipe-Bomb Promo".