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Triple H is without a shadow of a doubt one of the greatest performers in the history of the WWE. His career in professional wrestling has spanned over three decades. Now an Executive behind the scenes, Triple H still contributes to the product today, and runs WWE's third brand, NXT.
Triple H made it to the top of WWE during the Attitude Era, and cemented his place there for the following years that came. He has faced some of the best the business has to offer, and with that has reigned a world champion in WWE 14-times.
Over the years, Triple H has been criticized by fans for using his 'shovel' to bury other talent in his path. But is that true, or is that just a narrative that has been sensationalized? That being said, let's take a look at five times Triple H put talent over.
#5 Triple has put over Seth Rollins
In 2014, during The Authority era on Monday Night RAW, Seth Rollins aligned with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon by turning on The Shield. It was Rollins' big break on the roster as a singles competitor.
A couple of years later, Seth Rollins and Triple H crossed paths again, which resulted in the two squaring off at WrestleMania 33.
After a serious knee injury, Rollins returned, only to see his opportunities quashed by Triple H. Rollins wanted answers. It became a hotly anticipated match at WrestleMania 33, with Rollins even suffering another minor knee injury.
The injury thankfully didn't rule him out of the Show of Shows. He went on to defeat Triple H in an unsanctioned match in front of a sold-out crowd in Orlando.
Triple H commented in 2017, to Sky Sports in the UK:
"To stand in the ring with a guy as talented as Seth Rollins is, who's kind of the current and the future of WWE in many ways, it's hard to describe how that feels," Triple H said. (h/t Sky Sports)
Triple H saw a lot in Seth Rollins when he came through the doors at NXT. The talented superstar from Davenport has continued to excel in the ring since his career-altering victory over TripleH at WrestleMania 33. It is also a testament to Triple H that he put over such a young talent at the time on the biggest stage.
#4 Triple H put over Roman Reigns
It was time for a new star like Triple H to emerge. 2015-2016 was the year that WWE really strapped the jetpack to Roman Reigns' back and set him off to carry the company.
Reigns, who was hand picked by WWE to be their next 'big dog', gained momentum throughout this period. Despite the intentions of WWE, it didn't fully resonate with fans, who felt Reigns was being forced into the main event picture.
Up stepped Triple H to give Reigns one of the biggest matches of his career at WrestleMania 32, in the main event. The feud was masterfully created, with Reigns refusing to join The Authority, so The Authority tried to screw Reigns out of every opportunity he had.
It was a similar type of storyline to that of Daniel Bryan two years prior.
The Royal Rumble was a pivotal turning point, where Reigns walked in as WWE World Heavyweight Champion and had to defend his title in the Royal Rumble. Reigns entered at No.1 only to be eliminated by Triple H who then became the world champion.
Of course, Reigns got his comuppence at WrestleMania 32, with Triple H putting over Reigns.
Triple H recently told Sports Illustrated on July 20th 2021:
"Roman is the biggest star in WWE, he’s the biggest star in the industry. Right now, he’s performing on a whole other level. He’s at the point where he is no longer thinking about the character, he just is," Triple H said. (h/t Sports Illustrated)
#3 Triple H put over Curtis Axel
Yes, you did read that correctly. Triple H did, in fact, put Curtis Axel over in 2013. Well, so we like to think anyway. The following night after defeating Brock Lesnar in a Steel Cage match at Extreme Rules in 2013, Axel and Triple H squared off. At the time, Axel was being managed by Brock Lesnar's advocate, Paul Heyman.
The match ended as a no contest, as Triple H was deemed to be suffering from the effects of a concussion. He vowed to return the following week to face Axel again. Vince McMahon and Stephanie did not allow him to compete the following week, but he did face Axel again on the June 10th episode of Monday Night RAW.
On this night, Axel defeated Triple H not once, but twice. The first match ended in a DQ victory after a call from Vince McMahon, with the second match Axel scored the victory, after Triple H restarted the match.
Vince once again came out and declared Triple H had forfeited the match and declared Axel the win. Triple H tried to restart the match again, but Vince took the ring bell with him.
It may not go down as one of the the greatest moments Triple H has put talent over. But who else can say they defeated Triple H twice on the same night? Axelmania can.
#2 Triple H put over Batista
Long before their unsanctioned match at WrestleMania 35, Triple H made Batista a household name in 2005. Initially, Batista was a part of the Evolution stable with 'The Game', Randy Orton and Ric Flair. Batista won the 2005 Royal Rumble match, which signaled the end of his time in Evolution, as he chose to go after Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship.
At the event in Los Angeles, Batista defeated Triple H in the main event to become the World Heavyweight Champion for the first time in his career. This marked the arrival of Batista, who went on to become the face of SmackDown, and also ventured into Hollywood where he is now a successful actor.
Batista told former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia on her Chasing Glory podcast in 2019:
"I felt like my career really got started when I started working with Triple H. I never have been around the bush about it, Hunter made me a star. He put a lot of stock into me. He invested a lot into me and put himself on the line physically for me. Not only did he put me over three times clean in the ring to make me a star, but also took the time to have me ride with him and have me pick his brain," Batista said (h/t Lilian Garcia's Chasing Glory podcast)
#1 Triple H put over John Cena
On a star-studded night in Chicago at the Allstate Arena for WrestleMania 22, John Cena defended his WWE Championship against Triple H. Cena, having won his second WWE title at the Royal Rumble event a few months prior, put it on the line again.
Triple H won a tournament with the right to face Cena at WrestleMania, beating Ric Flair, Big Show and Rob Van Dam along the way.
The night was synonymous with the clear intention that John Cena was not only going to be a big star in WWE for years, but it's main star. The face of that will carry the company for years to come. Despite the partisan crowd in attendance, it cemented Cena as the man and torch passed.
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle told Alex McCarthy at TalkSport in 2020:
"I consider Cena the greatest WWE Superstar of all time. John was consistent and dominant for 15+ years. Nobody has done it that long specifically in WWE," Kurt Angle said (h/t Alex McCarthy TalkSport)
It is clear that Triple H has put over a number of elite talent over the years, discrediting the idea that he constantly buries his opponents. It's also about striking that balance, and looking at the stars that have been created since being in a storyline with Triple H, is there for all to see.
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