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Did Vince Russo think of Triple H as a top guy

10K views 78 replies 42 participants last post by  Rasslin_fan 
#1 ·
When he was head writer, it was clear who he thought were the top guys. The Rock, Stone Cold. Hell even Mankind and Kane were probably higher on his list than Triple H. Triple H's big career breakthrough generally started after Russo left the company. And you have to wonder if Triple H's career would be different had Russo never left the WWF.
 
#2 ·
I don't think anyone did besides Vince & Steph. Too take a quote from Jim Cornete HHH is the guy who's booked with the guy who draws money. Never believed it to be true myself until recent memory when he went over guys like Punk & Brock, He had no business going over those guy's. Non the less he was good but never GOAT material.
 
#4 ·
I'd have to agree with this. A lot of people have called Triple H one of the greatest ever but he was NEVER the top guy in the company. Vince Russo saw him for what I believe he truly was; a solid mid-/upper-carder. His legacy will forever be linked with his marriage to Stephanie.
 
#3 ·
Hard to say when Triple H was dating the bosses daughter
 
#8 ·
The show definitely seemed to center around him more than anyone else at that time, which was rare since he was a heel.

It's also noteworthy that ratings came down quite a bit during this time. The level of nepotism with his character was criminal and I think a lot of fans knew it.
 
#13 ·
HHH booked himself. This is a point that people forget, when they claim he was huge before Stephanie. He was "big" due to Shawn, and the fact that HHH was on the freakin' booking committee since early 1997.

How do you think that happened? How do you think a midcarder was able to be calling shots about Montreal, and was able to be in a position to try to hold The Rock down (thank God cooler heads prevailed there)?

He's been politicking since he first got into the WWE, starting with carrying Nash & Michaels' bags. Literally.

It's fine, because it's a dog eat dog world. I kind of admire his hutzpah. But let's not re-write history that he got into that position naturally.

No, Russo didn't think of him as a huge star. My guess is, in some ways he probably viewed him as competition, since an active wrestler had somehow finagled his way into a decision-making, booking, position.
 
#43 ·
You have your opinion of the career trajectory of HHH without Stephanie and that's fine, but what if godfather would've married Steph? Would Godfather have the type of career HHH did? I'd agree that HHH probably did have some benefits with being so close to the "Family", but you still have to get over and produce in the spot you've been given. Are you saying HHH was never over in his career? Hypothethically, if HHH was in the spot just because of Stephanie you still have to produce to stay in the spot you were given. HHH wasn't a main eventer in WWE for a decade+ by accident.
 
#34 ·
Loved his heel work in the attitude era which is arguably the greatest ever. That still doesn't change the fact that triple h was the worst politician the wwe has ever seen. Only hogan is on triple h's level politicking, but atleast he belonged there at the very top echelon to call the shots. Lilolme has very good inputs in detail regarding trips.
 
#35 ·
It was under Russo's writing that Triple H first became a main event player, though it wasn't until a few months later that he became a genuine top guy. Also if Russo's shoot interview (not sure which one, but i think it's the one when he was with Ed Ferrara) is to be believed, he said that it was partly because of Paul Levesque, that he didn't go to the WWE in 2002 and instead signed with TNA.
 
#54 · (Edited)
Triple H and Bradshaw were the guys who were against Russo but unlike Bradshaw who openly and directly expressed his dislike of him Triple H hid like a chicken and told Stephanie to tell her father that Russo is a bad decision and that was enough for McMahon to change his mind. The fact that for over 10 years the word of HHH & Stephanie is enough for him to make some decisions is one of the reasons why the business is so shitty in the last 10 years.

As for the topic, Russo made him 2 time WWE champion, his scripts where he turns on DX, turns heel, delivers the worked shoot "I am the game" promo. It was obviously that Russo decided that it was time for Triple H to join the main event scene and with Undertaker and Austin out of action for the next months it would be easier for him but sadly Russo left in the next months just when he started the Triple H main event heel project.
Like therock11 said, he became a top heel, main eventer under Russo and also a 2 time world champion. This is something most Russo bashers ignore claiming how he held Triple H down wich is bullshit because Russo was the guy who really gave everybody a chance. To be honest, nobody would give a fuck about him in 1999 and 2000 if he has not became over in 1998 as DX leader thanks to Russo writing. Also, Steve Austin refusing to work with him and put him over played also a major part

Funny how most people on here take every opportunity to bash HHH yet whenever there's a goat heel thread the unanimous answer is usually HHH.

Hell, his best years (2000 and first half of 2001) were long before he went public with Steph.
GOAT Heel? He is not even in the category with Mr. McMahon, Ric Flair and Hollywood Hogan and it doesn't matter when he went public, it's about when they started seeing each other and even his best buddy Waltman said that it happened earlier
 
#37 ·
lol@ saying HHH shared the top spot with Benoit. Benoit only got put in that position for a pretty short period of time. HHH WAS the RA.

anyways, yeah.... HHH may not have been the asshole that Shawn was and gotten the reputation that politicians do in the WWE, but Politics is the ONLY reason why HHH is a main eventer. And yeah, it's hard to respect that. He shouldn't have had the career that he's had, I can honestly say that.
 
#39 ·
Honestly, I've always kind of been against the 'blind' Triple H hate. But having read Bret's book (yeah, I know, but hear me out) - coupled with other things, such as Foley's third book (Hardcore Diaries) and even just points on here, even I can't help but buy into things a little.

I do still honestly think that he'd be in the same spot right now regardless of who he's married to. He became a legit top guy in 2000. But with Rock taking Austin's spot as number one guy, Austin himself on his way back from injury, and the returning Undertaker, Triple H still wasn't the guy. 'Retiring' Foley sure as hell put him over huge, though. Still one of the key guys in this time period, and you'd be crazy to deny it. Also, at this point, his relationship with Steph was supposedly only on-screen.

By the time 2002 rolls around, a scorching-hot Triple H returns from injury and steamrolls his way to the world title. By this point, his relationship with Steph is legit - but, as mentioned, the guy was number one as soon as he got back. Just listen to the MSG reaction to his return and try telling me his wasn't over at this point.

It's this time period where he basically becomes Kingshit, ushering in the reign of terror during the Ruthless Aggression era. But it's not as though anybody could have been the guy, in my opinion.

Austin was beat to shreds, was totally at ends with Vince and WWE and even got buried on TV. Rock was part-time by this point to focus on Hollywood. Orton, Cena, Batista were all fresh-faced rookies. Lesnar was probably neck-and-neck with Triple H, but has made no secrets that it was WWE's schedule and an increasing reliance on painkillers that made him leave. So you'd have to imagine he was probably making noise about that during his rise to the top. Not great signs for someone you'd want to have carrying the company. So they went to Triple H, a guy who had proven himself. Undertaker was over as hell at this point, but he was pushing 40 even then. Then you had guys like RVD, Angle, Benoit, Jericho and all that. They all got their time at the top, but this wasn't it. No biggie.

It was only in 2003 that he married Stephanie. By that point, he'd already won multiple world titles and led a Hall of Fame career. Considering he was in his early thirties back then, it's really not surprising that he went on to win another 10 or so world titles and stick around in the main event scene. Edge won the title eleventy-billion times in 5 years. Triple H had 10 years to play with.

But the points I can't contend with are the fact he was on the booking team and sat in on creative meetings as early as '97. Then Bret's accusations that he and HBK buried (well, tried) the Rock. Then Foley's veiled shots at him in his book, referencing the fact he's basically invincible. However, Foley has since come out and said Triple H is the reason he's even back in WWE, so make up your mind on that one I guess.

Still, regardless of his politics - which he almost certainly has played, as I imagine every top guy has had to - I still do think he's one of the all-time greats. Fact is, he paid his dues following the Curtain Call incident. And he did so without one complaint - as stated by the Undertaker.

Plus, not that this is wholly related, but he's more than proven he's the guy when it simply comes to that 'show must go on' mentality that top guys need to have. He's blown both his quads, and both times it happened he finished his matches - even hitting pedigrees and being put in a fucking Walls of Jericho. Come on. Not to mention when RVD landed on him badly in the first Chamber match and tore Triple H's trachea. He could barely breathe and still finished the damn match.

So, sure, maybe he is Darth Vader. But frankly I think he'd have had the same career and ended up in the same sport regardless. It's not as though wrestlers transitioning from the ring into the office is unheard of. During their active career? Ok, maybe not an everyday occurrence, but still not some big, massive thing.

Just my two cents, if anybody even reads it.
 
#41 ·
Didn't his main event push start before he started dating Stephanie? Then whilst working together there was apparent chemistry and finally got together whilst the Helmsley-McMahon angle had already started. Well according to x-pac.

Yeah he did use politics to get up the ladder but when there's Austin/Rock/Undertaker/Mankind/Etc you need all the help you can get. Put me in a position in a company full of backs stabbers who are trying to get a head I'd do exactly what HHH did. Politicked and trying to bed Stephanie, rather do that than be in Zack Ryder's position.

To answer the original question only Vince Russo knows. You need a bad guy to fight the good guy to make the show work and HHH was 1 of the best bad guys at the time
 
#47 ·
Well pandagirl it's actually really simple to know what somebody thinks. You see they do these things called interviews. I'm sure you heard of them. Russo for example has done hundreds of them the past ten years or so. So I'm thinking maybe somebody here has seen one where he talks about "the game". And somebody did. As someone stated earlier in this thread, Russo said in an interview that a reason he didn't come back in 2002 was because of Triple H. Now you know.
 
#44 ·
Fact: HHH became champion BEFORE he dated Stephaine.

Fact: The Mcmahon-Helmsley era started BEFORE he dated Stephaine

Fact: The Mcmaho-Helmsley era was one of the best years in wrestling history.

Triple H was fantastic until about 2002 when he won the title from Jericho. After that, he just became boring.
 
#52 ·
I don't think it really mattered either way. Vince McMahon, Kevin Dunn, Bruce Prichard etc were still there, debating who should be pushed. It was clear from 1995 and 1996 that Vince saw Helmsley as a top guy. It would have been ensured he was protected in matches.

He was also lucky in a sense that Michaels was injured when he was. Somebody needed to head DX, so it was a no brainer HHH got that push. HBK had made sure he was pushed strongly throughout 1997, even when fans did not care. DX itself was a merchandise mammoth in the waiting, so whoever led it what in a cool spot.

The roster of 1998 - 1999 did not have a lot of depth either. HHH, Jeff Jarrett and Billy Gunn were the most well round contenders for the top heel spot in the summer of 1999. Gunn failed and Austin/Ross were't hot on Jarrett.
 
#56 ·
If a mid carder HHH is talking Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels out of booking decisions instead of blasting him as a politician maybe you guys should be giving him credit for being a very knowledgeable wrestling mind. Sure he's used that in attempt to crush his competition but that's the industry and it's up to Vince to filter that out.

If you ever heard JR talk about what made the Attitude era so great he alludes to guys having a say on their characters and the desire to want to be the guy even at the expense of stomping on your competition.
 
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