Nick’s Quick Wits-Respect The Game

Recently, I purchased the new release from WWE Home Video entitled, “Triple H-Thy Kingdom Come.” It is a documentary about the life and career of Paul “Triple H” Levesque. I was looking forward to watching this for weeks before it’s release and wasn’t disappointed with the product. I’m not going to review much of the DVD, I’m going to talk about Triple H and the amount of respect I have for him after watching his life’s story.

Triple H has been a part of the WWE since 1995.  He debuted as the Greenwich Blueblood Hunter Hearst Helmsley.  He was impressive since that time and was selected the be the winner of the 1996 King of the Ring.  He would have to wait until the following year for that honor due to having to be punished for the “Curtain Call” incident.  Many wrestlers would probably have been fired or quit, but Triple H took his punishment and recovered.  He was able to use his King of the Ring victory to evolve his character into Triple H and form Degeneration X with real life best friend Shawn Michaels.  They quickly became one of the most popular groups in wrestling, reaching even new heights when Triple H took over as the leader and was joined by X-Pac and the New Age Outlaws to form the DX Army, which were responsible for some  of the most memorable moments of 1998.

1999 was the year Triple H finally realized his goal of becoming WWE Champion.  He betrayed DX at Wrestlemania 15, turned heel in the process, and reinvented himself as “The Game.”  On the August 23rd 1999 edition of Monday Night Raw, Triple H defeated Mankind to win his first of 13 World Titles.  In the year 2000, Triple H was on top of his game and was perhaps the wrestler of the year.  It was also at this time that he took not only the biggest risk of his professional career, but his personal life as well when he started dating Vince McMahon’s daughter Stephanie.  Their storyline marriage led to their real-life marriage in 2003.  This was a huge risk because if it didn’t work out, Triple H may have lost everything he worked so hard for.

Triple H would become one of the most hated stars in WWE because of this, as well as his with his so called “reign of terror” where he was the top heel on Raw from 2002-2005.  He played that character so well the people turned in hoping he would lose, and he gained more heat every time he won.  As hated as he was at this time, he became just a loved when he turned face and reformed DX in 2006.  In 2009, he started working in the corporate offices and began transitioning from full-time wrestler, to executive.  He is being groomed to take over WWE when Vince McMahon retires.  So far, he has made positive improvements in the office and the developmental program, such as opening a new training building recently.

Triple H was come a long way, his career could have ended because of his behavior, or even by one of his two career-threatening quad injuries.  Whether you love him or hate him, I will admit to both depending on what character he was playing at the time, Paul “Triple H” Levesque is a man you have no choice but to respect in my book.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbtTgkdIOiM[/youtube]

Until next time readers, go play the game.

-Nick