The Complete History of the WWE Championship - Part 9

Triple H (August 23, 1999 - September 14, 1999)

Triple H wins his first WWE Championship one day late on the August 23, 1999 Raw

Triple H's title coronation was supposed to occur at SummerSlam on August 22, 1999. However, backstage politics got in the way of those plans and "The Game" was forced to share the spotlight in the SummerSlam main event with Mankind, as the pair took on WWE Champion, Stone Cold Steve Austin, in a Triple Threat Match.

Mankind won his third WWF World Champion, specifically to transition the belt to Triple H.

That bout took place the next night on Raw at the Hilton Coliseum at Iowa State University. Triple H goaded Mankind into the match by threatening to break commentator Jim Ross's arm unless the champion complied to a title match that night.

Mankind agreed and the bout was set.

With Shane McMahon installed as the special referee, Mankind had little to no chance of winning, and he took a pounding from Tripper - as well as a chair shot from Shane - making him a sitting duck for the Pedigree.

Triple H finally was World Champion, though incredibly his reign would be ended just a few weeks later by, of all people, his boss Vince McMahon, who ended up returning from his permanent banishment just a month after he supposedly disappeared for good.

The Vince Russo era ladies and gentlemen.