When the time comes for WrestleMania, WWE brings out all the stars to make their biggest show of the year truly feel like the Showcase of The Immortals. A majority of their current roster is placed in high profile matches, but the WWE also brings in some of their past stars for dream encounters and big time matches.
Some of those wrestlers include Batista, Brock Lesnar, The Rock, and of course the part-time wrestler and full-time Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative for WWE; Triple H.
Over the past 7 years, Triple H has been one of the more consistent WrestleMania performers. While he may not have been considered as great a performer as Shawn Michaels or The Undertaker, Triple H has still put on some fantastic matches on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
Triple H didn’t have the best luck with some of his earlier WrestleMania matches, but the last few years have resulted in some fantastic bouts.
This year, Triple H is headed on a collision course with his former protégé Seth Rollins in one of the more highly-anticipated WrestleMania matches. There initially were doubts as to Rollins being physically able to compete, but it seems like he will be able to take on the King of Kings at WrestleMania in the state where their relationship first began
So, to show some respect to The Cerebral Assassin and all his work in the ring over the years, this article will rank the matches of Triple H since the year 2010.
#7 WrestleMania XXXII – Triple H vs. Roman Reigns
While many people are anxious to see Triple H face Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 33, it was originally a match scheduled for WrestleMania 32. Unfortunately, Rollins was injured and the WWE went with their back up plan in Roman Reigns and the match did not deliver.
The buildup to the match was good with brutal attacks from both men and interesting promos as well, but the WrestleMania main event failed to live up to the hype.
This was the main event of the WWE’s biggest pay-per-view with the largest crowd of any WrestleMania, but the match felt more like something fans would see on an episode of Raw or SmackDown.
Also read: 5 Superstars who can end Triple H's career
The only memorable moments of the match were the crowd’s reactions, Reigns spearing Triple H through the barricade, and Reigns spearing Stephanie McMahon. Other than that, this match will only live on in the memories of fans as one of the most lacklustre WrestleMania main events of all time.
#6 WrestleMania XXVII – Triple H vs. Sheamus
Sheamus won the WWE Championship from John Cena in one of the biggest upsets in WWE history. However, no one looked at his WWE Championship reign with any fondness because it was over as quickly as it began.
He defended the championship in the Elimination Chamber and was one of the final three in the match, only for Triple H to eliminate him and end his championship reign.
This later became a feud which saw Sheamus cite Triple H as a false king who prided himself on his dirty tactics while Triple H said that he’s the measuring stick and that whether you defeat him or lose to him determines how far your career will go in the WWE.
The match was relatively plain and both men didn’t do anything unique or interesting in regards to working an injury or anything of this nature.
The biggest highlights of the match were the Figure Four from Triple H, the two Brogue Kicks from Sheamus, and the big pedigree from Triple H that ended the match. Nothing bad, but nothing that good either.
When discussing forgotten matches in WWE history, Triple H and Sheamus’s feud is probably at the top of the list.
#5 WrestleMania XXIX – Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar
The feud between Brock Lesnar and Triple H kicked off the night after Extreme Rules 2012 when Lesnar lost to John Cena. Lesnar made monetary and promotional demands that were agreed to by John Laurinaitis but were rejected by Triple H.
This lead to Lesnar breaking Triple H’s arm and to him being fired from the WWE in the storyline. After enough time passed, Paul Heyman accepted Triple H’s request for a match which lead to the SummerSlam main event where Lesnar broke Triple H’s arm again.
When Triple H returned in 2013 with his new haircut, the match was eventually made a No Hold Barred match with Triple H’s career on the line.
This match had a very awkward placing at WrestleMania because it was sandwiched between the CM Punk-Undertaker match and the WWE Championship match between The Rock and John Cena.
Not to mention the fact that Triple H accidently got some of the dry ice on himself during his entrance in what can only be described as…awkward looking.
Despite some awkward placement, the match was still really good. Both men went to town on each other with the various weapons. The interferences by Paul Heyman and Shawn Michaels managed to add to the match rather than take away from it.
The match ended when Triple H pedigreed Lesnar onto the steel steps and got the pin; the last time he was pinned in a match until Survivor Series 2016.
The match wasn’t the best of either man’s career nor could it hope to live up to the match that proceeded it, but it was still solid nonetheless.
#4 WrestleMania XXXI – Triple H vs. Sting
The Authority put their jobs on the line in the 2014 Traditional Survivor Series match against John Cena’s team. The Authority almost won the match, but The Franchise of WCW made an impactful debut and made sure that the Authority would go out of power.
When The Authority were brought back, Triple H made it his mission to seek vengeance on Sting. This lead to several vignettes, former WCW superstars warning Triple H not to underestimate Sting, and a confrontation at Fastlane that confirmed these two legends colliding at WrestleMania.
Both Sting and Triple H had some fantastic entrances with Sting coming out to the combination of his theme music and an Asian band playing oriental instruments while Triple H made his entrance combining his iconic King of Kings mask with the Terminator theme and video gimmick.
The match was good with both men pulling out all the stops to beat each other, but the most memorable moment of the match was the throwback to the Monday Night Wars. When Sting seemingly had the match won, all the members of D-Generation-X (excluding Chyna) came to Triple H’s rescue.
Then, when Triple H had momentum, the founding members of the nWo made their way to the ring to battle D-Generation-X in what was a dream encounter. The match unfortunately ended with Sting losing to a sledgehammer to the face.
The handshaking at the end didn’t make much sense, but it was still a fantastic wrestling match all things considered.
This match along with many others is why many wrestling fans and critics alike view WrestleMania 31 as one of the greatest WrestleManias of the Modern Era.
#3 WrestleMania XXVII – Triple H vs. The Undertaker (No Holds Barred)
A year after The Undertaker ended the legendary career of Shawn Michaels, he returned to WWE television following his feud with Kane. This also saw Triple H return to make his intentions known on trying his hand at the undefeated streak for the second time.
The match played up the recent retirement of Michaels and all three men discussed their careers, their respect for each other, and who would win the match.
Triple H had a fantastic entrance initially starting with warriors gathering around him to the song “For Whom the Bell Tolls” while The Undertaker came to the ring to “Ain’t No Grave” by Johnny Cash. This match was the highlight of the pay-per-view and was a great reminder of how great Triple H is in more physical matches.
Throughout the match, Triple H gained the majority of the momentum and would brutalise The Undertaker with big move after big move. The Undertaker fell victim to three Pedigrees and a Tombstone Piledriver, but wouldn’t be pinned for the three count.
The last moment of the match saw Triple H rely on his sledgehammer to finish the job only for The Undertaker to lock in a Hells Gate Submission hold to make Triple H tap out.
Everything about this match was perfect; the action, the selling, the music, it even saw the iconic commentary duo of Jerry “The King” Lawler and JBL calling the match. Their match was fantastic, but their next encounter would manage to surpass that.
#2 WrestleMania XXX – Triple H vs. Daniel Bryan
Triple H attacked Daniel Bryan after he won the WWE Championship from John Cena at SummerSlam 2013. From that point on, Bryan had to scratch and claw for his opportunities at the WWE Championship only to be screwed over time and time again by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon of The Authority.
Eventually, circumstances and situations lead to Bryan getting a match with Triple H for entrance into the main event with Batista and the WWE World Heavyweight Champion at the time, Randy Orton.
The backstory for the match as well as the video package for the match that had occurred previously were fantastic. Triple H made his way to the ring with a fantastic entrance and Bryan would follow and stand in the ring surrounded by tens of thousands of people doing his iconic Yes! Chant.
This match wasn’t as physical as Triple H’s previous matches against Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker, but it made for a great technical contest. Both Triple H and Bryan would utilise a multitude of technical holds and manoeuvres to wear each other down and secure their spot in the main event.
Triple H focused primarily on the injured arm and shoulder of Bryan, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win. The match came to an end when Bryan dodged Triple H’s attack, nailed a Running Knee, and got the pinfall.
This was one of Triple H’s best regular singles match in years and it may have been one of the greatest matches in both his and Bryan’s careers.
#1 WrestleMania XXVIII – Triple H vs. The Undertaker (End of an Era)
Daniel Bryan fighting Triple H at WrestleMania XXX made for a great match and a great story, but the edge has to go to the End of an Era match. The storyline was based on the amazing match the two men had at WrestleMania 27 where The Undertaker won the match, but Triple H was the only one able to walk out under his own power.
Triple H would then slowly move away from wrestling and become an onscreen authority figure and real life WWE official. However, after almost a year, The Undertaker came back to challenge Triple H for revenge.
Triple H denied his request on multiple occasions, but being referred to as an inferior wrestler to Shawn Michaels pushed him over the edge and made him up the stakes from their last match to a Hell in A Cell Match.
The storyline was already great but was made even better with the inclusion of Michaels as the special guest referee.
The match was not only one of the best matches at WrestleMania XXVIII but one of the best Hell in A Cell Matches of the modern era. The Hell in a Cell matches of the past often used blood to add intensity to the match, but these men made up for it with their physicality and storytelling instead.
One of the most memorable spots in the match was the Sweet Chin Music-Pedigree combo by Triple H and Michaels that had the fans in Miami going nuts.
The match ended with The Undertaker avenging his loss from last year and a reversal of the circumstances at the previous WrestleMania with Michaels and The Undertaker helping Triple H walk out of the ring. The image that fans saw was all three men looking back at the fans who all cheered for the great match they had just witnessed.
Matches like this are reminders that WrestleMania is the place where stars collide and memories are made.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
