The rise of Triple H to the main event scene in 1999 planted the seeds for the wrestling revival within WWE that would attract some of the hottest free agents in the industry to the promotion. WWE had proved it could bring the creativity to the table, but it was WCW who was synonymous with in-ring greatness, thanks to its diverse roster of cruiserweights, mat technicians and bona fide icons.
His matches against those Superstars proved to McMahon and high-ranking officials that the company could tell the spectacular, sometimes ludicrous, stories it needed to keep the audience's attention while delivering an extraordinary in-ring product. It was with and against those Superstars that The Game would thrive.įor the first time in his career, he had the political pull to implement the style he wanted and the peers to pull it off with. Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle would change the culture of WWE, bringing greater emphasis to the mat game while erasing the every-match chaos that was a staple of the Attitude Era. Triple H's first title win came at a time when WWE was assembling one of the greatest rosters in its history. It was the latest attempt by Triple H to fuse the wrestling world he once emersed himself in as a child with the industry he now championed. With Triple H on top of the company, the main event style slowly began to evolve from ringside brawling and overbooked messes to a more traditional, ring-based match.īy the time 2003 rolled around, The Game was utilizing obscure wrestling maneuvers like the Indian Death Lock, first seen in his WrestleMania XIX match against Booker T. It was then that he began looking like the Cerebral Assassin he would later become, resembling Flair, Race and even Arn Anderson. He worked limbs, picked his opponent apart by targeting a knee or an arm, and used that to set up the finish. While Triple H would still engage in those types of matches to great success, including a series with Cactus Jack in early 2000 that single-handedly elevated him in the eyes of the fans, he would slowly start to alter the company's style and introduce his vast knowledge of wrestling moves and psychology to main events.īeginning shortly after his first title win, Triple H began bringing a more technical style to the WWE product. When he won the title in 1999, WWE was still largely defined by the wild and chaotic brawling main event style popularized by Steve Austin and The Rock. Much of his in-ring style has been adapted from those aforementioned stars. His love and appreciation for Ric Flair, Harley Race and other traditional, territorial wrestlers has been well-documented. It is no secret that Triple H is a devout wrestling historian.
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