Triple H column from the Torch website

[Guest CronoT]

At Unforgiven, Triple H proved to everyone why he will go down in history as one of the most selfish and ignorant men in the history of wrestling. Randy Orton held the World Heavyweight Title a little over a month before losing the belt to Triple H, but he is only a minor player in the game that Triple H played recently. Instead of turning face and chasing Orton until WrestleMania, Triple H decided it was time to get the gold back around his waste.

 

If anything, history has proven that fans want to see a face chase the heel to capture a title. For reasons unknown, Randy Orton was turned face on the Raw following Summerslam, but what reason did fans have to root for Orton? None come to mind, but Triple H's logic is interesting here since his fingerprints are all over this storyline. The logic behind the booking of the storyline surrounding the Triple H-Orton match at Unforgiven was that fans would get behind Orton because he was feuding against Triple H. If you stop right here, the logic is already absurdly ignorant.

 

When Booker T, Kane, Rob Van Dam, or anyone else were fed to Triple H on PPV they all had one thing in common; none of them were over enough with the fans to deserve a title shot, but WWE creative believed the fans would buy into these men because they were feuding with Triple H, the most hated man in all of WWE.

 

Randy Orton had a leg up on all of Triple H's other challengers, or so it would appear. Orton had a very good program with Mick Foley, a long WWE Intercontinental Title reign, and was a member of the biggest faction in WWE, but one thing is missing from Orton's resume.

 

Orton is still not ready to carry a top program. He doesn't have the ability to get over with fans as a talker, nor does he have any solid reason for being a face now, save for Triple H turning on him. The only thing that gets Orton a large pop is his RKO finisher. Clearly fans need a reason to cheer Orton. Orton was getting cheers prior to turning heel because he was a cool, cocky heel. If Orton wasn't popping out of cakes, perhaps he would have been better off continuing to play the character he was in Evolution and let the fans decide whether to cheer or boo him.

 

It's funny how Orton began using the mannerisms of the Rock recently, reminiscent of the man who Triple H surpassed in number of WWE Title reigns when he defeated Orton. It feels like Orton is forcing himself to be a face and if you compare Orton's turn to ROH wrestler C.M. Punk's turn from heel to face there is a world of difference. Punk didn't change his character and that is why his face turn is working.

 

Immediately following Summerslam it became evident that the wrong man in the Orton-Triple H feud turned. Triple H has already had several successful face runs in the WWE and could have easily been turned face in this feud and chased Orton for several months for the World Heavyweight Title. Orton could have remained the heel and taken over as the head of Evolution. We all know how the story would have ended, but it ended up ending about 7 months too soon.

 

One thing I've learned by watching Triple H is that he loves having the big gold belt around his waist at the expense of the company he works for. It seems he also has a desire to surpass Ric Flair's 16 title reigns in order to assure that he leaves behind the legacy of being the best wrestler of all time. That's all fine and dandy, but Triple H, who seems to be a student of wrestling history, seems to have forgotten what made Flair so great. Flair was always willing to play ball. If Flair saw the opportunity to make someone look good he would. Flair sold for everyone from Vince Russo to Rico in order to do business and in doing so made them actually seem like a threat to him in the ring.

 

Triple H's downfall is that he doesn't do what is right for business, but instead he does what is right for himself. If Triple H had been willing to turn face in his feud with Orton, the feud had potential to do some good buyrates on PPV and come to a head at WrestleMania, but the way Triple H has booked himself in this program, he has left the Raw brand PPV buyrates plummeting and has failed to see that he has his ego gets in the way of practical logic. Triple H will never be talked about as being in the same league with Ric Flair or Harley Race, and it's his own damn fault. If he truly was intent on learning from the best, he would put over his company and not himself.

 

Source: PWTorch.com

[Guest Coffey]

Triple H proved to everyone why he will go down in history as one of the most selfish and ignorant men in the history of wrestling

 

This is where I stopped reading as the author lost all credibility. Although Hunter does, apparently, seem to have some "pull," Vince McMahon still has final say on all outcomes.

[notJames 0]

...Instead of turning face and chasing Orton until WrestleMania, Triple H decided it was time to get the gold back around his waste....

This is where I stopped reading. Any "writer" who doesn't know the difference between "waist" and "waste" doesn't deserve a second of my time.

[Promoter 0]

Instead of turning face and chasing Orton until WrestleMania,

This is where I stopped reading. Yep, because we all know how much the masses is craving to see face Triple H win another world title in the main event of WrestleMania. I mean we couldn't stop the mass hysteria of Triple H winning the gold at WM 18 where it is arguable fans wanted him to be a face returning from injury to get back the belt.

[Guest Loss]

At Unforgiven, Triple H

 

This is where I stopped reading. This topic has been beaten into the ground by far better writers than this one.

[The Tino Standard 0]

Triple H has already had several successful face runs in the WWE

And here is where I stopped reading.

 

Apparently, somebody has distorted vision when looking back on HHH's TREMENDOUS face run to the title in early 2002. What a draw.

[Lightning Flik 0]

I stopped reading after he said Booker T, Kane and RVD weren't over at the time they challenged HHH.

 

PWTorch is a complete waste of time.

[haVoc 0]

You're all full of it. You read the whole damn thing.

[Guest Loss]

You're all full of it. You read the whole damn thing.

I'm sorry. I didn't read your post after seeing the "Eat 'Em And Smile" icon.

[Promoter 0]

You're all full of it. You read the whole damn thing.

Damn! I thought this thread was going to have everyone start with "I stopped reading". Thanks a lot bud Ban this man for lack of humour(yes with a u).

[Brett Favre 0]

If he truly was intent on learning from the best, he would put over his company and not himself.

This is where I stopped reading.

 

And he hates HHH, good for him, no one cares.

[Guest Fook]

I must've missed all those successful face runs HHH had.

 

Hell, other than when he was leading DX, the only time I can think of HHH being a face is early to mid 2002, and we all know how successful that was...

[Slayer 0]

I stopped reading when I saw "The OFFICIAL TSM Rules and Regulations"

[AndrewTS 0]

Triple H proved to everyone why he will go down in history as one of the most selfish and ignorant men in the history of wrestling

 

This is where I stopped reading as the author lost all credibility.

Ditto.

 

God bless HHH for ending the Orton title run if he had anything to say about it.

[Guest Loss]

I think the point of view among the pro HHH facers (what the HELL? Let me start all over ...)

 

I think the point of view among those who want HHH to be a face is that it would be easier for him to get cheered than Randy Orton. Considering the huge face reaction he got for beating up Regal last month, I might agree with that.

[Enigma 0]

I liked this article better when Meltzer wrote it in his WON a few weeks ago. All this dude did was write it around a different match (Meltzer wrote it around the HHH/Eugene cage match).

[Guest Super Pissed Smark]

I think the point of view among those who want HHH to be a face is that it would be easier for him to get cheered than Randy Orton. Considering the huge face reaction he got for beating up Regal last month, I might agree with that.

Yeah, but a few weeks after you turn him into a pussy face doing pussy things and feuding with people over his dog the fans will stop cheering for him. The only reason they cheer him now is because he's the only character who gets to stay strong, turn him into face-in-peril and he's got nothing.

[dubq 0]

What a crock of shit [the article].

[cabbageboy 0]

I didn't entirely stop reading but I skimmed it after that paragraph stating Booker and RVD weren't over at the time. You MIGHT make a case that Booker T wasn't the most over guy on earth at the time of the HHH feud, but my god, take a look at how he was booked in it. He certainly was over enough to get a title shot however.

 

RVD was the most over guy on Raw in 2002, after the split. To suggest he wasn't a credible challenger coming off his programs with Eddie and Benoit is sheer idiocy.

[Guest Tjhe CyNick]

I agree about RVD, I think is 01 he was more over than 02, but even in 02 he could have been made the top guys on RAW.

 

As for HH, the article said what everyone says, and its basically true, theres not much else to say about it. Well I will say this; I think part of Hunter's problem is that he still thinks like a wrestler rather than a member of the ownership group. His mentality is to be the top guy at any expense, for better or worse thats how his mind seems to operate, at least thats how it seems.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

Triple H proved to everyone why he will go down in history as one of the most selfish and ignorant men in the history of wrestling

 

This is where I stopped reading as the author lost all credibility. Although Hunter does, apparently, seem to have some "pull," Vince McMahon still has final say on all outcomes.

I agree completely. I didn't read a sentence after that either.

 

Randy was bombing as champion and they had zero credible contenders for him after that match, had he gone over Hunter clean. Triple H with the belt is better than babyface Randy Orton with the belt, no matter what way you look at it. HHH needed to go over at the PPV before the abortion became any worse.

 

UYI

[dubq 0]

I think part of Hunter's problem is that he still thinks like a wrestler rather than a member of the ownership group. His mentality is to be the top guy at any expense, for better or worse thats how his mind seems to operate, at least thats how it seems.

Show me another credible heel on that roster who should be in his spot. Seriously.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I think part of Hunter's problem is that he still thinks like a wrestler rather than a member of the ownership group.  His mentality is to be the top guy at any expense, for better or worse thats how his mind seems to operate, at least thats how it seems.

Show me another credible heel on that roster who should be in his spot. Seriously.

Kane could be. Although that would take some work.

[Guest Big Daddy V1]

I think part of Hunter's problem is that he still thinks like a wrestler rather than a member of the ownership group.  His mentality is to be the top guy at any expense, for better or worse thats how his mind seems to operate, at least thats how it seems.

Show me another credible heel on that roster who should be in his spot. Seriously.

Kane could be. Although that would take some work.

What? With his tweener status and looks to be face aacting? I doubt it much. Snitski has a better chance at being the next top heel now.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

Kane has been beaten by MATT HARDY.

 

He has no credibility left at all.

[Guest SteveyP93]

Kane hasn't been credible since 1998.

[Karc 0]

Kane has been involved in more stupid angles than anyone else on that roster (Necrophilia, being Shane's bitch, this wedding, JTTS status since 1999),and he's still over. It's sad, but funny as hell as well.

[Guest Loss]

Asking for us to name a heel that could be in HHH's spot is ridiculous, since anyone who is ever a threat to his spot is turned babyface so HHH can beat them. Jericho should have held the belt for almost all of 2003 while HHH was holding the belt. If Christian goes over Michaels, he's worth a shot in the top heel spot. I don't know how well he'll do, but we'll never know until he gets a chance.

[haVoc 0]

There's something that's just off about Christian. He has the mic skills and charisma. He's decent enough in the ring. If he became a little more serious and even psychotic he could pull off a decent Pillman type heel character.

 

Little goofy Christian isn't main eventing any time soon. That's probably just me, though. I've been wanting a Randy Savage and/or Brian Pillman type character to show in this generation.

[Guest GreatOne]

Uh Jericho can not be a top heel, this was proven even before HHH 'ruined' him. When people I was watching RAW with at the time say 'Why is Rock back to feuding with Billy Gunn again?' we got problems.

 

Other than that, Benoit can't do it (by himself), Edge (gimme a break), and I doubt anyone really wants to see Lost Smile Kid back at the top of the card.

 

Face it, the moment WCW started to go downhill was the moment that top heel (or face) in the company wasn't Ric Flair.