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Triple H announced his retirement from in-ring competition on March 25, 2022. This is almost exactly 30 years after his in-ring debut on March 24, 1992.
Right since training at Killer Kowalski’s wrestling school in 1990, The Cerebral Assassin wanted nothing but to be the best.
During his 30-year career, he has become one of the greatest champions and heels in WWE history. He has also built a great presence outside the ring as the current the Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development.
His work ethic and dedication set him apart from most professional wrestlers and warrant a place for him on the Mount Rushmore of professional wrestling. Here is a list of five other reasons why Triple H is one of the GOATs.
#5. Stellar WrestleMania entrances
WrestleMania is WWE’s biggest event and one of the biggest shows in all sports. Triple H’s WrestleMania entrances have always captured the essence of what The Show of Shows is all about.
The Game's ability to find new ways to elevate what was already one of the most iconic entrances in the company each year speaks volumes about his creativity.
His WrestleMania entrances always brought a sense of authenticity and grandeur to the event. Fans kept looking forward to his matches for his entrances apart from his in-ring performances.
#4. Giving fans D-Generation X, Evolution, and The Authority
Part of what makes superstars great is not just how much they can get themselves over, but how they can impact others' careers too.
The King of Kings has created some of WWE’s biggest stables over the years, and has elevated names like Randy Orton, Batista, and Seth Rollins higher.
Evolution even breathed new life into veteran Ric Flair at a time when he had done it all in the business and was looking for his next challenge.
The Cerebral Assassin’s time at D-X also proved how dedicated he is to entertaining fans, even if it meant making himself look bad on national television. D-X changed the business with its edgy and mature approach and gave WWE a much-needed boost during the Monday Night Wars.
#3. Triple H's role in NXT
Hunter is one of the creators and the executive producer producer of the NXT brand. He transformed it from a game-style television show into WWE’s third wrestling brand after RAW and SmackDown.
Some of WWE’s current biggest names have all had their start in Triple H’s NXT. Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Finn Balor only scratch the surface.
Triple H's perspective on the wrestling show was well praised when he held the reigns from 2014 to 2021. Fans loved the quality of the matches as the brand was more focused on in-ring action than RAW and SmackDown, which gave it great acclaim.
This speaks a lot on The Game’s understanding of the business, something he deserves great praise for.
2. The "Reign of Terror"
“The Reign of Terror” is Triple H’s career from 2002 until 2005. This period is largely criticized because he allegedly buried a lot of talent to maintain his spot.
While he may have hindered certain superstars’ momentum, The Game solidified himself as one of the greatest heels in all of professional wrestling history in this era.
He was awarded the World Heavyweight Championship on September 2, 2002, as WWE had just begun to make its rosters exclusive to each brand. WWE Champion Brock Lesnar was on SmackDown and so RAW did not have a world champion.
The Game was the number one contender for the WWE Championship before being drafted to RAW and so he was given the title as a result. He held the title for 76 days before losing it to Shawn Michaels in the first-ever Elimination Chamber match at Survivor Series 2002.
While The Reign of Terror did include questionable moments like the Katie Vick story and Hunter’s feud with Booker T, it also gave fans Evolution, The Elimination Chamber match, and classics like the WrestleMania 20 triple-threat.
As a heel, Triple H was willing to do anything to become champion, even turning on Evolution stablemates Randy Orton and Batista. This brought a lot of prestige to the World Heavyweight Championship and made it worthy of its name.
#1. A 14-time World Champion
Even if one decides to overlook all The Game’s achievements outside the ring and his great business mind, he would still deserve his place high up on the Mount Rushmore of professional wrestling based on his in-ring accomplishments alone.
A 14-time World Champion, he won the WWE Championship nine times and the World Heavyweight Championship on five occasions. He won the Royal Rumble twice in 2002 and 2016. The Game is also a former King of the Ring, winning the tournament in 1997.
He is WWE’s second Grand Slam Champion (under the original format) and the seventh Triple Crown Champion. He is a five-time Intercontinental Champion and a two-time European Champion. He won the tag-team championship three times, once with Steve Austin and twice with Shawn Michaels.
The Cerebral Assassin has is one of the biggest stars WWE has ever produced. A household name, he is known to hardcore and casual wrestling fans, and to many aming those who don’t watch wrestling at all. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 as a part of D-X. It's probably just a matter of time before he gets inducted as an individual performer.
We at Sportskeeda would like to thank Triple H for the years of entertainment and for an incredible career. We wish him the best for his future ventures.
Time to play a new game!
