Breaking The Mold - wrestler Triple H

Wrestling Digest, Oct, 2001 by Steve Anderson

Triple H defies conventional heel tendencies to help others get over in the WWF

SOME CALL HIS ACTS SELFLESS in nature. Others call his moves strategic political manipulation. Does he put the spotlight on others, or do his contemporaries hold a mere sliver of that spotlight due to his domination? Is it ego-driven or for the good of the company? What kind of "game" is Triple H playing?

"He's a great student of what we do," says Terry Taylor, who trained Triple H early in his WCW career and worked with "the Game" in the WWF. "He really takes pride in understanding what's necessary to get over or make a program work. He has a great attitude, and people want to help him."

Triple H has two simultaneous roles in the WWF--as a starring and as a supporting player. His star has risen in a company that has featured him as its top heel since the summer of 1999. Yet, despite his mega-push, he still will "put over" opponents in matches of both importance and insignificance.

"I just think that if it's right for business, that's what I'll do," Triple H said in an interview conducted during the WWF's spring 2001 tour of Great Britain.

THE ART OF THE RUB

Perhaps Triple H learned his lesson from the infamous "curtain call" at Madison Square Garden in May 1996. His punishment for saying farewell to departing friends Scott Hall and Kevin Nash was doing jobs to mid-level WWF competitors. His rising star was close to a crash and burn. Yet, he persevered.

For more than a year, he paid the price for "breaking kayfabe." His onscreen alliance with Shawn Michaels developed over the summer of 1997 during the genesis of D-Generation X. The association with the former WWF champion helped elevate the once-struggling star and boosted him into the spotlight No longer a mid-card "Connecticut Blueblood," Helmsley benefited from the "rub," something he has passed on to others when he was in the midst of his own mega-push.

Elevation makes careers in professional wrestling. For a mid-card star to ascend above the "glass ceiling," a victory over an established star residing in that upper echelon is essential.

Taka Michinoku was between his light heavyweight title stint and his tenure as an "evil" Japanese villain replete with a dubbed voice when he faced Triple H on April 10, 2000. The noticeable weight differential did not detract from the exciting match, which meshed the two wrestlers' styles perfectly. The bout told a story of the overmatched underdog coming within a hair of upsetting the world heavyweight champion and winning the strap.

The elevation of Chris Jericho officially commenced when he defeated Triple H for the WWF world heavyweight title on April 17, 2000. While the victory was erased from the official record, it was a key moment in the WWF career of "Y2J." Many questioned whether Jericho could thrive under the WWF spotlight. Jericho proved that he could, and he has Triple H partially to thank for it.

Certainly WWF chairman Vince McMahon did not need a "rub" from anyone. But for storyline purposes, Triple H dropped the WWF world heavyweight title to McMahon on September 14, 1999. Most wrestlers recoil at the notion of losing a match, let alone an important title, to a non-wrestler. McMahon is "the boss," but there was inherent storyline value in the federation owner upending the reigning champ.

Comparisons to Shawn Michaels have come Jeff Hardy's way since the Hardy Boyz gained prominence in the WWF tag-team ranks. His victory over Triple H for the Intercontinental title on "SmackDown!" on April 12, 2001, may have resulted in an all-too-brief reign, but it planted an important seed in the germination of Hardy's career.

"I just think what I do is right for the business at the time I am doing it," Triple H said regarding his brief feud with Hardy. "Nobody comes up to me and asks me to do it. It's just something that is good for our business all around."

Some fans would say that Triple H regained the title in a squash. Jeff Hardy had little, if any, offense, and he played the patsy in another Triple H title victory on April 17. Logic dictates that the large heel bent on avenging a loss to a smaller babyface will result in a physical comeuppance for the hero.

Triple H's official win-loss record reveals that dropping matches may have been a punitive measure for him in the past, but it did not hold back his career. While he may have won more than he lost, he always played an active role in not only making his opponent look good, but also delivering a show-stealing performance. Whether it be Jericho, Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Mick Foley, the Rock or Steve Austin, Triple H has been on the receiving end of many an orchestrated beating. But is the victory or the match quality the primary reward for either competitor?

"How many people can count my matches with the Rock and say who won each one?" Triple H asked. "Instead, they say what a great match we had. I don't believe that if I do a job for somebody, I am devaluing myself. I enjoy trying to bring up other people. If they get over, we all get over in essence."