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Is there a more iconic wrestler than Triple H? While there are plenty of legends of the ring in the world of WWE, there’s arguably no-one more opinion-inducing than The King of Kings. You can love him or hate him, but you can’t ignore him. He encapsulates everything we love about the sport and even the people that dislike him do so in a love to hate him kind of way. He’s one of the best villains the franchise has ever seen, or will ever see.
He’s been in the game for more than twenty-five years, and boy, he’s had quite a journey. In this blog, we’ll run through some of his backstory, iconic moments, and throw in a few fun facts too. If you’ve followed wrestling for years, this information might jog your memory; if you’re a relative newcomer, you might be surprised to learn that there’s much more to Triple H than meets the eye!
Humble Beginnings
Triple H spent much of his wrestling career as a fan favorite and is now an icon of the sport. But things weren’t always that way. Way back in 1995, a young Triple H was known by his full name, the aristocratic Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and participated in a match that has more in common with the piggy riches slot game than anything resembling his later career. During the fifth In Your House event, the then well-to-do Helmsley wrestled Henry O. Godwinn, an Arkansas pig farmer. The penalty for losing? You were thrown into a pig enclosure by the victor. Triple H actually ended up winning that match, but he also ended up covered in what we hope was artificial pig slop, so let’s just say it won’t rank among his crowning achievements.
He’s A Battler
It doesn’t matter how big and strong you are (and if Triple H is anything, it’s big and strong): when you get in the wrestling ring, there’s always a chance of severe injury. During his time with the WWE, Triple H has sustained several serious injuries, some of which came close to calling time on his career in the ring for good. And one nearly ended his life.
In 2001, he tore his left quad. If you’re trying to imagine how painful that is, just think of it as breaking your leg. Most people are unable to walk once their quad is, you know, torn. But Triple H is not most people — so not only did he get up, but he continued a wrestling match, against Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho. Yep, that’s impressive.
The career-threatening injury came in 2002, when Rob Van Dam performed his signature Five-Star Frog Splash from the top of a pod, something that he’d never done before. In fact, the pod had never been used before. His leg ended up hitting Triple H in the throat, which caused a swelling that made it impossible to breathe. Thankfully, all was fine, the swelling went down, and The Game was back in the ring within two weeks—what a guy.
He’s Probably The Best There Is
Everyone knows that Triple H is an incredible wrestler, but sometimes, we forget how good he is. He’s a performer in every sense of the word, and continually demonstrates exceptional athleticism, storylines, and character. Wrestling is an opinion-based sport, but Triple H stands out among the rest even by that metric. He’s been involved in more high-ranking wrestling matches than anyone else, including The Undertaker, despite being in the ring for fewer years. Although, oddly, he does have the most losses at Wrestlemania. However, he’s only semi-retired, so there’s still time to get some wins under his belt!