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Triple H's forced main event push in 1999

12K views 34 replies 28 participants last post by  Laser Rey 
#1 ·
Did anyone else feel it had a really contrived air to it? I find it hard to think of another figure pushed in a similar at all fashion. They seemed hell-bent on putting lipstick on a pig.

With legitimate stars, commentators emphasized traits of theirs that the fans already recognized and admired. With Triple H, his actual shortcomings were glossed up. "No no, fans. It's not that he's boring because he can't work fast in his plodding, overly-bulked out frame. It's just that he's cerebral. Why, he's the cerebral assassin!"

"The Game" was a curious gimmick in itself. It seems pretty desperate to allude to his real-life political maneuvering to get him over as a heel after he couldn't get over that way with pure kayfabe. It also played on the tired talking point at the time of his being a "student of the game," which is pretty vague fare. I struggle to see why that would excite a wrestling fan at that time.

The company really put on the full-court press for you to believe in him as a top guy, circumventing the requisite "it" factor they seemed to know he was missing. People talk about Roman's push not being organic and they are right. We forget it because he was pushed as a heel, but Triple H in 1999 felt like the original inorganic push that the fans didn't sign up for but that the company was going to find a way to jam down your throat.
 
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#33 · (Edited)
The DX brand was much more popular than Triple H was an individual. He would come out, do his "Are you RRRRREEEADDDDY?" speech and the fans would love it because they couldn't wait for a prompt to do this new thing where you got to point to your crotch and yell "Suck It!" Once his actual match started, their enthusiasm diminished considerably. When the Outlaws said they were a lot more popular than Hunter and X-Pac during that time, they weren't lying.

Who the hell else was gonna take over as top heel once Austin-McMahon ended?

What, you're telling me someone like Billy Gunn or Test should've gotten the push? HHH got the spot and proved his worth over the next two years with stellar performances, showing he was the right guy to carry the torch of top Attitude Era heel after Mr. McMahon ran his course against Stone Cold. What else do you need?
My argument was never not to push him into a spot that I agree was badly needed on the roster. I was remarking on the nature of the push itself. As many have said over the years, the strong booking was virtually unprecedented for a heel. Beyond that, you can't help but feel you were really being given a hard sell by the company on his supposed greatness. Even by pro wrestling standards, the presentation of his character felt heavy-handed. If today's commentators were shilling those talking points instead of the supremely gifted Jim Ross, I believe this would have been much more noticeable and irritating.

It was a silent admission from the company that Hunter needed a little more of a boost than other guys did to be sold as a legit main eventer. He is lucky as hell that three of the best babyfaces of all time were there to work programs with.

Like I said before, after that feud with Rock in 98 and that Summerslam Ladder match with him, both Triple H and Rock were future main eventers waiting in the wings.
Sure, maybe so. But there was a huuuuuge gap between a can't-miss Rock and a "maybe if we give this guy everything a heel could ever dream of he'll get over eventually" Triple H.
 
#3 ·
He was going to be forced as a heel regardless, simply because there was nothing up until the point of to justify him turning heel. He wasn't on that path, so it wasn't going to be organic. At the same time, is there really a way to organically turn someone heel without having them fail as a babyface? Because, to me, organic means the fans are already pointing you in that direction and buying you as such, which prompts the company to follow suit. Aside from failed babyfaces, heel turns are almost always forced. And in Triple H's case, you're taking someone the fans universally back and forcing them to despise him, without them being conditioned to do so ahead of time. There's no way around that.
 
#20 ·
As much as I agree with you on the reign of terror...

And how much I REALLY agree with you on Foley making Triple H legit...

I don't know who else they could have pushed in 99, and they had to push someone, due to Austin being out, Foley winding down, and a handful of other guys either not being ready or already having floundered.

Whether or not his 99 push was forced or another variation of too soon, Haitch prooved he belonged in that spot, his work in 99 and 00 was top notch. Dispite all the problems I have with him, his stepping up was one of the final death nails for WCW.

With Austin out it was a chance for WCW to make a move in the War on Monday Night, Trips was one of the reasons they weren't able to make a move... granted WCW didn't exactly help themselves regardless of what WWE did.
 
#6 ·
Haven't watched WWE shows from April 1998 to January 2002, so I wouldn't know about the then future son in law popularity.

But I'm sure as hell Degeneration X should have disbanded the day after 'mania 14, because replacing Shawn Michaels with Billy Gunn and those two losers was dumb as hell.

If anything he should have stayed as a power couple with Chyna managing each other with a fiery attitude, not trying to copy HBK.
 
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#7 ·
Haven't watched WWE shows from April 1998 to January 2002, so I wouldn't know about the then future son in law popularity.

But I'm sure as hell Degeneration X should have disbanded the day after 'mania 14, because replacing Shawn Michaels with Billy Gunn and those two losers was dumb as hell.

If anything he should have stayed as a power couple with Chyna managing each other with a fiery attitude, not trying to copy HBK.
Yeah, who remembers DX from 1998 hahaha.


Why shit of Triple H? WWE tried to push young and upcoming stars, they could not just rely on Austin, Rock and the Undertaker.

WWe tried to push Kane, Big Show, Shamrock, Gunn and Helmsley in 1998-1999. Triple H was the best choice hands down.

To say his puch was forced and then endorse, Austin, Rock, Hogan, Lesnar etc is laughable.

Of course WWE will try to push certain people. That is wrestling 101
 
#10 · (Edited)
If anything is forced, its criticism of HHH's 99-00 work, not his push.

He has said in interviews that he knew he had to knock it out of park the night after Mania 14 and he certainly did, imo. I will always prefer the original DX, but that doesn't mean that DX under HHH's leadership was anything short of great, too. The Nation vs DX and more specifically HHH vs Rock is one of my fav feuds of the AE. Excellent story. Two guys running parallel headed to the top. Wondering who was going to get there first. Their ladder match is a fucking classic!

The company got Austin to the top and then we see HHH vs Rock with Rock striking next, Foley getting his first title, so HHH was the clear next in line. It all felt very organic to me. Once HHH made it to the top I don't see how anyone can complain about the work he did. It was awesome. There are things later on that I criticize him for but that is for a different thread. His 99-00 work was him at his best.
 
#11 · (Edited)
What would you do, have Taker against all 3 top faces...

HHH did phenomenal work in 99 and got over bigger than ever before. He was called The Game because he was an amazing technician and ring general, easily one of the best active in WWE 1999-2000 and the dirtsheets and smarks were creaming themselves over him on a weekly basis.
 
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#19 ·
coughROMANREIGNS
 
#13 ·
Triple H's 99 run was forced and badly booked but it did pay off in the end - he was legit enough to go against Foley and Foley legitimised him. If the WWE hadn't bothered pushing HHH in the first place then he might not have had that opportunity.

However, the way they booked him was frustrating - he would always get his ass kicked but always come out on top with some jammy finish and not from good heel work but from daft blunders from Rock, Austin etc. 99's HHH also never got his comeuppance - Vince did pin him but he destroyed Vince at Armageddon and lost the title to Show who had no beef with him.
 
#16 ·
I remember hating HHH as a kid organically because he was a heel against my favs Austin and the Rock. He was a cool heel in my mind and those sledgehammer spots really got a ton of heat.

I hated it even more when someone would use that against me when I was playing Raw Deal.

 
#29 ·
Not really.

Undertaker was never positioned as the top face/top heel. He was a constant presence that Vince relied upon but in terms of position, at best he was always #3 being behind Shawn/Bret, Austin/Rock, etc. Even in 1999 when you could argue Taker was the top heel he was really just another one of Vince's monsters to crush Austin.

And the same thing with Foley. He was relied upon but was never positioned as the top face or heel. Through 98-00 his major roles were putting over Austin, Rock, and HHH. Even if Foley had been healthier, I don't see that slowing HHH's push.

And yeah, he took advantage of Austin's injury. So did everyone else. Rock did. Guys like Angle, Benoit, Jericho, etc.
 
#18 ·
Totally forced.

At the beginning of the push, he would randomly interfere in Rock n Sock matches(to get some heat since they're the hottest act at the time), but not a single fuck was given by the fans. Rock and Foley weren't even in the world title picture, they got dumbed down to midcard, just so that Mr.Helmsley can have all the spotlights on him and it backfired. Before regrouping DX and the program with Foley, no one gave a shit about him. His partner Chyna was light years ahead of him in terms of "overness".
 
#21 · (Edited)
Who the hell else was gonna take over as top heel once Austin-McMahon ended?

Taker was used as the third wheel for the Austin-Vince finale. Big Show stumbled right out of the gate. Shane wasn't a full-time wrestler plus he was basically a Vince clone at that point. Jericho had literally just got to WWF. It might've been too soon to turn Austin in favor of making Rock the top good guy.

What, you're telling me someone like Billy Gunn or Test should've gotten the push? HHH got the spot and proved his worth over the next two years with stellar performances, showing he was the right guy to carry the torch of top Attitude Era heel after Mr. McMahon ran his course against Stone Cold. What else do you need?
 
#22 ·
I don't think Triple H's main event run in the summer/fall of 1999 was forced, but I do feel that he wasn't necessarily catching on to the extent they had hoped initially. He wasn't bad at all, but compared to what Attitude had already been, it felt like a cooling off somewhat. I think it had to do with Hunter not having that big feud to get him over at that point. Ultimately, that's why WWF asked Mick to delay surgery, to work a program with Hunter and essentially give him that credibility. And Mick did it in spades, just like he did for Rock in 1999.

All I know is that Hunter better be getting down on his knees, kissing Mick's feet during his induction.
 
#23 ·
Many WWE's main event pushes were forced. Some work out, some dont. In many cases you have to "force it" to an extent. Especially considering they had to build a new star heel and just 1-2 months prior to his main event push, HHH was playin the role of corporate lackey. Lackey in the truest sense.

As someone pointed out, HHH also used to be smark darling (sure he had his haters just like smark darlings today such as Jericho) and it wasnt until mid-to-late 2002 that smarks turned on him.
 
#25 ·
I think a worse idea was making him a face from 2006 - 2010
He can't play a good guy with any credibility, he can only be a villain.
 
#26 ·
It was a failure in that as it was designed it didn't work. But they kept running with it until it eventually did work, which was in the middle of the Foley Feud.

It took a hell of a lot to make it work besides Foley doing everything in his power to make him.

Austin being out

Rock being regulated to midcard and not winning the title for over a year, which somehow in WWF's mind made Triple H his equal. (Never made sense).

Taker being injured and losing his gimmick to become the badass (Because we all know Triple H was Ministry Taker's bitch)
 
#28 ·
It was a failure in that as it was designed it didn't work. But they kept running with it until it eventually did work, which was in the middle of the Foley Feud.

It took a hell of a lot to make it work besides Foley doing everything in his power to make him.

Austin being out

Rock being regulated to midcard and not winning the title for over a year, which somehow in WWF's mind made Triple H his equal. (Never made sense).

Taker being injured and losing his gimmick to become the badass (Because we all know Triple H was Ministry Taker's bitch)
This is what most people keep forgetting about him. In the AE, he was nothing more than a lackey for Taker's Ministry.

He started dating Stephanie around the same time as that, and thats when he started getting the push.

Road Dogg who was far more over than Triple H should have been the one that got pushed or elevated.

They kept pushing the fool until he was surrounded by far worse talent than he was, thus giving the illusion that he was over (when in reality he wasnt and still isnt). He never really sold any merchandise, never had a broomstick moment where he elevated someone, and continues to keep hogging the spotlight.

The most over pushed talent in history of the WWE by far (surpassing Reigns), who failed and continues to fail.
 
#27 ·
HHH was right person right time. Hes still talented and worked hard but he just got lucky that he got to face The Rock in his prime.

That's why I don't see why he hates The Rock so much because he needed the Rock. It's not that we really hated HHH we just liked The Rock more.

Also people forget the reason HHH was getting booed was because he and the Mchmahons would talk for 10 boring minutes about the same old bullshit then they would just rely on The Rock for cheap heat.

But that's why Triple H is the game because he learned how to master the game and used that to his advantage.
 
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