Triple H Refused Huge Title Change, Ex-WWE Writer Recalls, Overruling Unanimous Creative Team Vote

Triple H was one of the top heels in WWE in the early to mid-2000s. Chris Gough, a writer for the company from 1999 to 2003, recently gave an insight into The Game's creative influence behind the scenes.

In September 2002, then-RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff awarded the new World Heavyweight Championship to Triple H. The King of Kings retained the title against Rob Van Dam (RVD) at Unforgiven and Kane at No Mercy before being dethroned by Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series.

Gough revealed on the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast that the entire creative team wanted RVD and Kane to win those matches. However, Triple H allegedly convinced former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to let him keep the title.

"Everyone voted for this [RVD winning], but at the last minute he [Triple H] talks to Vince and [says], 'It'll mean more if they chase it,'" Gough said. "I'm like, 'Okay, cool, so he's not gonna drop it.' Then the next month, everyone voted for Kane to beat him at No Mercy. 'Nah, no, it'll mean more if he'll chase it.' Then they went to 'Mania [WrestleMania 19], and you're like, 'Okay, Booker T, sort of a racial angle. Booker T's definitely gonna win it.' No, he loses, and just that whole era s**ked." [56:51–57:13]

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Triple H's first World Heavyweight Championship reign lasted 76 days. After regaining the title from Michaels at Armageddon 2002, he held the gold for 280 days before finally losing it to Goldberg at Unforgiven 2003.

Chris Gough on Triple H's WWE World Heavyweight Championship dominance

During his second reign, Triple H also defended the RAW-exclusive title against Kevin Nash, Ric Flair, and Scott Steiner.

Chris Gough disagreed with the current WWE Chief Content Officer's booking, but he understood why too many changes would have hurt the title.

"I get it. They were trying to make the title mean more because it was just handed, sort of heat anyway where it was just like giving the belt to Triple H, so let him run with it for a little bit and let him drop it. It'll mean something, I guess, but none of us agreed with that at that point." [57:14–57:26]

Triple H retired from in-ring competition in 2022 due to a serious heart issue. He won the WWE Championship nine times and the World Heavyweight Championship five times.

Please credit the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart