| 1 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20744.jpg]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:350:The Cerebral Assassin.\ |
| 3 | The King of Kings.\ |
| 4 | The Game.]] |
| 5 | |
| 6 | ->''"You guys talk about being 'students of the game'? I '''am''' the fucking Game, J.R.! There is '''nobody''' that eats, sleeps, and breathes this business more than me!"'' |
| 7 | -->--'''Triple H''', during a 1999 interview with Wrestling/JimRoss |
| 8 | |
| 9 | [[{{Music/Motorhead}} Behold the King...the King of Kings!]][[labelnote:On your knees, dawg!]][[AwesomeMusic/ProfessionalWrestling Bow down to the, bow down to the King!]][[/labelnote]] |
| 10 | |
| 11 | Triple H, or Hunter Hearst Helmsley if you prefer (''[[TropeNamers not]]'' [[DoNotCallMePaul Paul Michael Levesque]], born July 27, 1969), is an American business executive best known for having been one of Wrestling/{{WWE}}'s longest tenured performers before announcing his in-ring retirement in March 2022. He is a nine-time [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWE World Heavyweight Champion]], and has been part of some of the biggest angles and matches in the company's history. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | He is currently the company's [[{{Kayfabe}} on-screen]] Chief Operating Officer and holds several backstage positions in real life, namely as the Chief Content Officer and Executive Vice President of Talent Development and Relations, as well as a "Senior Advisor" to WWE co-founder and Executive Chairman Wrestling/VinceMcMahon. His position as Development EVP means that the developmental show Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} is a major focus of his, and he was also given creative control of the then-floundering ''WWE 205 Live'' in January 2018. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | He received his first induction into the Wrestling/WWEHallOfFame as part of the 2019 group induction for Wrestling/DGenerationX -- though, considering his vast contribution to wrestling as a whole, both in and out of the squared circle, he's bound to receive more in the future. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | He got married (yes, for real -- {{kayfabe}} made things kinda weird here, we know) to Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon, Vince [=McMahon=]'s daughter, in 2003; the two have three children. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | In June 2019, unknown to the world or even to himself, Trips would wrestle his final matches; after largely staying behind the scenes during the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, he suffered a bout of viral pneumonia and subsequently experienced a "cardiac event" which permanently damaged his heart. He later went on to elaborate that he suffered an almost complete blockage of a major artery in his heart and narrowly escaped a 99%+ chance of death, requiring him to use an implanted pacemaker to prevent future catastrophes. In so making this announcement, he also brought an end to his in-ring career, permanently retiring from competition as of March 2022. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | In light of Vince [=McMahon=]'s official retirement from power in July of 2022, Triple H returned to his position of EVP of Talent Development and Relations, as well as taking over the creative and booking duties, while his wife Stephanie and business partner Nick Khan were appointed co-Presidents of the company. As of 2024, following his wife's resignation from her post and his father-in-law's banishment from the wrestling industry following more and more horrific allegations against him, Triple H -- more than now-solo President Nick Khan or even TKO CEO Ari Emanuel -- is the ''de facto'' leader of WWE, presiding over a period of nearly universal critical acclaim for the company. |
| 22 | ----- |
| 23 | !! "Behold the trope... the trope of tropes!": |
| 24 | * TenMinuteRetirement: After his 2012 feud with Wrestling/BrockLesnar. Wrestling/PaulHeyman had repeatedly warned him he was past his prime, though after losing to Lesnar he actually started to wonder if the JerkassHasAPoint and stated he had a lot of thinking to do. Shortly after Lesnar returned to harass his father in law in 2013 however, HHH showed up to make the save. |
| 25 | * TheAce: Is this in-character and out of it. He was nicknamed "The Ace of Spades" on one occasion by [[TheNicknamer Matt Striker]], which coincidentally is also the title of a song by Music/{{Motorhead}}, who has provided Triple H's entrance themes for years. |
| 26 | * ActionDad: Triple H has three daughters, and they are well-acknowledged as part of his character. |
| 27 | ** Stephanie was pregnant with his first daughter during his D-X reunion run with Shawn Michaels in 2006, with in-jokes made about it as their characters were still last known to be divorced. |
| 28 | ** Sometime after their real-life marriage was acknowledged and they were confirmed remarried in storyline, Paul Heyman once provoked Hunter and Stephanie into assaulting him by bringing up the bad examples they were to their kids, before Brock Lesnar came to Heyman's rescue. |
| 29 | ** Seth Rollins, tired of being ducked after his ouster from Wrestling/TheAuthority, would threaten to come to their house and greet their kids at the door, implying that he intended to beat up Triple H in front of his own daughters in order to get his revenge. This got Stephanie to reveal that she lied and Hunter was on his way, but she was still composed enough not to spoil the fact that Hunter was bringing Wrestling/SamoaJoe with him. |
| 30 | * AffablyEvil: In-character. He's charming and funny (especially during his days with D-Generation X), and when he dedicates himself to a cause, he really gives it his all. It's just that if that cause is himself (and it frequently is), he genuinely does not care how much damage he causes to others. |
| 31 | * AffectionateGestureToTheHead: Somewhat. Usually when having a tender moment, be it with Shawn or the NXT talents, he has many cases of [[https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/silverfang2/29185537/1349611/1349611_900.png affectionately cupping their face or touching his forehead to theirs.]] |
| 32 | * AlliterativeName: When he was '''H'''unter '''H'''earst '''H'''elmsley and the basis for his most known ring name of Triple H. |
| 33 | * AlwaysSomeoneBetter: |
| 34 | ** Wrestling/{{Batista}}. Discounting TV matches, Hunter was never able to best Batista with the World Title on the line during their rivalry in 2005. It took Batista beating him at three straight PPV matches (''[=WrestleMania=] 21'', ''Backlash'' and a Wrestling/HellInACell match at ''Vengeance'') for Triple H to come to terms with the fact that Batista was not only the better man, but that he had truly evolved into the "Animal" and the champion that Hunter had hoped he would someday become. |
| 35 | ** "Shawn Michaels is better" something of a meme among the WWE Universe. Fans even chanted it at DX when they inducted Creator/MikeTyson into the Hall of Fame. |
| 36 | ** Creator/MaxLandis presents the (rather credible) theory that "Always Someone Better" are the best three words to sum up Triple H's entire career in his AffectionateParody video ''Wrestling Isn't Wrestling''. |
| 37 | * ApologisesALot: Can fall into this with Stephanie, such as repeated apologies for upsetting her by hugging Chyna and not telling her. But the best example is with Shawn after Brock broke his arm, and Triple H was powerless to prevent it. |
| 38 | -->'''Triple H:''' ''[as Shawn writhes on the mat in agony]'' Shawn, it's gonna be all right, man. It's gonna be all right. I'm sorry! Shawn, I'm sorry! Shawn, I'm sorry, man. |
| 39 | * AppropriatedAppellation: He also got his most well-known nickname from the page quote, which wasn't just a work to create the moniker. |
| 40 | * ArchEnemy: |
| 41 | ** Wrestling/CMPunk. [[RealLifeWritesThePlot In real life]]. According to Punk's explanation of why he left WWE (see [[http://youtu.be/WP5aG1w8k4c episode 226 of Colt Cabana's podcast]]), WWE expected him to shut up, get paid, and be happy; there were plenty of workers lined up behind him who are good company men. But Punk is highly opinionated, dangerously smart, knows how to save his bucks so he's not interested in money (insofar as receiving ''equal'' pay goes), and couldn't give a rat's ass about authority. When he singled out Triple H for mismanaging his career, he [[ItsPersonal made it personal]] and Stephanie [=McMahon=] and Triple H were '''livid''' over being crapped on in full view of the IWC. Their hatred actually showed a bit too much when they had feuds on TV, to the point that both men would get carried away in the heat of their promos so much, they would start arguing about their real life problems in the ring. |
| 42 | *** However, Hunter went on record to say he's willing to bury the hatchet (at least publicly) with Punk if he's willing to come back, as he believes it would be what's (legit) best for business. Hunter has a proven record of being good at mending fences (as the manager of the WWE Hall of Fame he managed to convince both Wrestling/BrunoSammartino and the Wrestling/UltimateWarrior to accept induction after ''years'' of refusing to have anything to do with it), so it's believable enough. Seeing how Punk finally came back at Wrestling/SurvivorSeries, it's safe to say it's worked, at least for now. |
| 43 | ** Wrestling/BretHart. [[RealLifeWritesThePlot In real life as well]]. Bret might actually hate Hunter more than he did Shawn, with whom he has long since buried the hatchet. It's a mutual feeling, if a little less obvious or more ignored on Hunter's end. With Bret, you can't trust him to give an unbiased view about something if it involves Hunter in any capacity. |
| 44 | ** Wrestling/RandyOrton. With him, it became so personal that Orton had the audacity to attack Hunter's extended family-- the [=McMahons=], including his wife Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon. Orton even hit Stephanie with a DDT and then kissed her as she laid on the mat, unconscious, while Triple H (handcuffed to the turnbuckle) was forced to watch. Hunter himself retaliated by attacking Randy in his own home, including beating the crap out of him on his own front lawn. He then vowed to (and legitimately attempted to, in {{kayfabe}}) break Randy Orton's neck at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania XXV''. |
| 45 | ** Wrestling/RomanReigns. While Wrestling/{{Evolution}} and Wrestling/TheShield hate each other well enough, the one Reigns eventually came to hate the most was Hunter, even if his initial issues were with Wrestling/RandyOrton. As of this writing, Hunter has manipulated Reigns's surrogate little brother Wrestling/SethRollins into betraying both him and his other surrogate brother Wrestling/DeanAmbrose, helped Rollins win the Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank briefcase that would screw him out of his ''[=WrestleMania=]'' moment, and helped Rollins put [[BigBrotherInstinct Ambrose through physical and emotional hell]]. Then after he endorsed Wrestling/{{Sheamus}} and the League of Nations and pulled the same crap with ''him''. Reigns eventually snapped and beat Triple H so bad that he had to be hospitalized. Hunter retaliated by eliminating him and Ambrose from the ''Royal Rumble'' to win his fourteenth world title. Once he got a shot at the title again, Reigns ambushed Triple H week after week leading up to ''[=WrestleMania=] 32'' before taking the title from Hunter at '''Mania''. |
| 46 | ** Wrestling/TheUndertaker, a feud that begun near the end of the Attitude Era and continued 10 years later. Hunter was also the only person Taker fought with at three different ''[=WrestleManias=]''. When Hunter boasted that there was no one in the company he hasn't beaten yet, Taker showed up and challenged him to a match at ''[=WrestleMania=] X-Seven'' in which Taker was victorious, extending the streak to 9-0. Ten years later, the feud was renewed and Triple H was determined to do what Shawn Michaels couldn't do in the previous two years. At ''[=WrestleMania=] XXVII'', Triples gave everything he got but ultimately submitted to the Hell's Gate. However, Undertaker collapsed after the match and he was unsatisfied with his victory. Thus, 10 months later, he challenged Tripes to another match. A match dubbed as an "End of an Era" match between them was scheduled [=WrestleMania=] XXVIII in a Wrestling/HellInACell match with HBK as the special guest referee. Once again, Undertaker was victorious, further extending the streak to 20-0 and ending his feud with Triple H for a while. Seven years later the feud began again with the two decide to face-off for '''''The Last Time Ever''''', as it was named. Kane & Shawn were at ringside to help their respective brothers. With help from Shawn, Triple H gets the win to end their personal rivalry. An emotional Hunter hugs Shawn and goes to help up Undertaker with words of respect, followed by an emotional hug to him as well. Sadly the ''Brothers of Destruction'' didn't take kindly to the loss & attacked Hunter & Shawn with a Tombstone for the former and the latter getting put through the announce table. They help each other from the arena, but this leads to the official reformation of DX with Shawn coming out of retirement to declare war on the Brothers, whom they have officially lost all respect for, leading to a match in 2019 Crown Jewel. |
| 47 | ** Wrestling/SethRollins from August 2016 to ''[=WrestleMania=] 33''. After betraying the Shield in May 2014, Rollins became the face of the Authority and Hunter's golden boy for two years. On Raw August 29th 2016, Hunter attacked Rollins, costing him the Universal Championship. A few months later, he interfered with Rollins's match against Sami Zayn, costing him a place in the Royal Rumble. Fed up with him, Rollins went as far as showing up at ''[=NXT=] [=TakeOver=]: San Antonio'', demanding a match with Hunter, only to be escorted away. Hunter refused to challenge him, even sending Samoa Joe to re-injure his previously injured knee. Eventually, Triple H accepted the challenge and Rollins was victorious. |
| 48 | ** Arguably lesser examples include Wrestling/ShawnMichaels (between DX runs), Wrestling/VinceMcMahon (between [=McMahon=]-Helmsley regime runs), Wrestling/MickFoley, [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]], and Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin (Triple H and Austin reached the point that they've each ''tried to kill each other'' at consecutive Survivor Series events). Of course, a few of those people are RealLife friends of Triple H, and Vince [=McMahon=] is his RealLife father-in-law. However, he also made just as many enemies in RealLife. |
| 49 | * TheArtifact: The name "Triple H" comes from his original gimmick in the WWE where he was a snooty blueblood known as Hunter Hearst Helmsley. The name of his finishing move, the Pedigree, is likewise an artifact of his original gimmick. He's also still billed as from Greenwich, Connecticut (though he now actually lives there). Presumably, "Hunter Hearst Helmsley" is [[CanonName still his kayfabe "real name"]], since other wrestlers who are friendly with him in a given storyline will sometimes call him "Hunter", and he is even sometimes called this backstage. Hell, when he does something the fans love (such as when he revealed the new Cruiserweight Championship belt at the climax of the Wrestling/WWECruiserweightClassic Tournament) the crowd start cheering ''"Thank you Hunter!" *clap clap clapclapclap*'' |
| 50 | * ArtisticLicenseLaw: |
| 51 | ** A marriage where the groom: kidnapped the bride (who was engaged to somebody else), drugged her to the point that she couldn't even remember the incident and was completely unconscious and unable to give consent, gave consent for her in a high-pitched voice and created videographic evidence that he did so, which he then showed on live national television. Yeah, [[SarcasmMode that's completely legally binding]]. Of course, it turned out that the bride [[EvilAllAlong wasn't actually drugged at all and was in on it from the beginning]], but this still applies since nobody raised the issue or, you know, called the cops about it. Especially since he "joked" that he '''raped''' her while she was knocked out. |
| 52 | ** Also, the follow up was Wrestling/VinceMcMahon wrestling him in a match with the stipulation that the marriage would be nullified if Triple H lost. Yeah, sure. |
| 53 | * AscendedExtra: He was a pretty minor character in Wrestling/{{WCW}} as Jean-Paul Levesque. In WWE, he was the Kliq's DesignatedDriver and "the guy who carried Shawn Michaels' bags." This was all before his unexpected rise to the main event following his split from D-Generation X, and his repeated runs with the World Heavyweight and WWE Championships. By the time he retired, Triple H had cemented himself as a LivingLegend who deserved his spot in the Hall of Fame. |
| 54 | * AscendedMeme: The March 14, 2014 episode of ''Wrestling/WWESmackDown'' left no more pretenses. |
| 55 | -->'''Triple H:''' I will put an end to your dreams and I will '''BURY''' [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson DANIEL BRYAN]]! |
| 56 | * AtLeastIAdmitIt: Triple H resorted to a lot of dirty tactics in his ascension to the main event and he won’t sugarcoat him doing it, only noting IDidWhatIHadToDo to make it to the top. During his program with Punk, he admitted in no certain terms that he stepped on a lot of people to get where he was and doesn’t begrudge anyone who does the same to get what they want, only criticizing Punk for what he believed was Punk doing the same thing but wrapping it up in being “the voice of the voiceless” to feel morally superior about it. |
| 57 | * AuthorAppeal: |
| 58 | ** Triple H loves to make penis gags. Specifically, he loves to imply he has a giant one. Also, according to Wrestling/MickFoley's ''The Hardcore Diairies'', he was the one to note [[Music/{{ACDC}} AC/DC's]] Brian Johnson's significant pants bulge to the other wrestlers during their time on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''. |
| 59 | ** He seems to be a real life AmazonChaser. He dated Wrestling/{{Chyna}} for years, and now he's got Stephanie [=McMahon=] (who was never particularly fit before) working out heavily and making workout tapes with him. This also shows up in a lot of the promotional footage for the women of ''Wrestling/{{WWENXT}}'' - they're much more likely to show videos of the women doing squats and chin-ups in the gym instead of wandering around the beach in bikinis. |
| 60 | ** His use of Music/{{Motorhead}} for his entrance theme counts, though it was incidental. WWE's music director asked if he'd ever heard of Motörhead when it came time to do a new theme; it turns out Trips has been a huge fan of the band since his youth. So far, he got two songs for himself ("The Game" and "King of Kings") and one for his PowerStable Wrestling/{{Evolution}}. Hunter is such a big fan that the band itself (or simply their frontman Lemmy) has appeared at WWE events, including playing Trips out to the ring live at two separate [=WrestleMania=]s. |
| 61 | ** By all accounts, ''Wrestling/{{WWENXT}}'' is a running case of Author Appeal. He loves old school southern style wrestling with more of an emphasis on the wrestlers than other people. According to sources, ''NXT'' is sufficiently under Vince [=McMahon=]'s radar, and is Triple H's "baby," and he's pretty much running it himself: |
| 62 | *** Since becoming head of Talent Development, he's signed Wrestling/SinCara as well as [[{{Fandom}} IWC]] favorite [[Wrestling/KiaStevens Awesome Kong]], and has focused on the old-school style of using promos to introduce new wrestlers before calling them up. To the IWC's great delight, also, he has also reportedly made some tweaks in developmental, expressing (among other things) a desire to have the talents there learn to cut promos from bullet points rather than the writers writing the promos word-for-word. |
| 63 | *** He has been trying to talk Vince into resurrecting the [=WarGames=] match for years - which he finally managed to make happen in 2017 in NXT, booking a War Games match between Wrestling/{{SAnitY}} (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain), The Authors of Pain & Wrestling/RoderickStrong and Wrestling/TheUndisputedEra (Wrestling/AdamCole, Wrestling/BobbyFish and Wrestling/KyleOReilly) at the eponymous ''NXT [=TakeOver=]: [=WarGames=]'' event. It turned out to be a smashing success. While the first one was [[InNameOnly a heavily-modified version]] of the original [=WarGames=] format, the 2018 edition was (with the exception of the open-topped cage) a faithful recreation of the WCW original. With it subsequently becoming an annual event, the 2019 one even saw the first ''women's'' [=WarGames=] match (another example of this trope, as Trips is also noted for how hard he pushes the women on the roster). And, true to form, when he got control of main roster booking in 2022, one of the first things he did was announce that that year's Survivor Series would feature a pair of War Games matches. |
| 64 | *** Generally speaking, Triple H is a fan of old-school wrestling tropes such as using managers or valets to support wrestlers who need them[[note]]such as assigning [[Wrestling/TheaTrinidad Zelina Vega]] to manage Wrestling/AndradeCienAlmas, or the Authors of Pain to work under the legendary Wrestling/PreciousPaulEllering[[/note]] and {{Power Stable}}s[[note]]such as Wrestling/TheUndisputedEra, Wrestling/{{Sanity}}- even Wrestling/TheWyattFamily was initially founded in NXT[[/note]]. He also firmly believes in having a strong tag team wrestling scene, with NXT's tag division regularly being considered among the best in the entire world, and certainly better than that of either RAW or [=SmackDown=]. These tendencies become particularly noticeable when you compare with how these characters are used when they move to the main roster, since Vince is not a fan of any wrestler who can't stand on their own[[note]]he tends to split up almost any stable or dedicated tag team to try and use them as singles stars- he split up Wrestling/{{Sanity}} almost as soon as they moved up and split Paul Ellering off from the Authors of Pain, replacing him with Wrestling/DrakeMaverick and [[BadassDecay turning them into a joke]][[/note]] and has a disregard for tag team wrestling in general and dedicated tag teams[[note]]like Wrestling/TheAscension, Wrestling/AmericanAlpha, or Wrestling/TheRevival[[/note]] in particular[[note]]ironically preferring to form impromptu tag teams out of pairs of existing singles stars, such as Wrestling/TheNewDay, Wrestling/TheBar, or Wrestling/{{Breezango}}[[/note]]. |
| 65 | * AwesomeButImpractical: The Pedigree, while very painful-looking and cool, takes a while to set up in comparison to other finishing moves and leaves him to be easily countered in a myriad of ways (usually either a back body drop or hooking the legs for a slingshot), making it very hard to pull off next to a move like the [[Wrestling/RandyOrton RKO]] or [[Wrestling/ShawnMichaels Sweet Chin Music]]. This is more obvious when someone other than him tries using it, and ''even more obvious'' when Wrestling/SethRollins decided to adopt it as his FinishingMove in 2015 (especially on the "takes a while to set up" part). |
| 66 | * BadassInANiceSuit: He typically wears suits during his heel runs, and ever since becoming the on-screen COO in 2011, a suit has almost become his exclusive attire whenever he is not in a match. |
| 67 | * BadBoss: Particularly after instaurating his "Best for Business" policy after ''[=SummerSlam=] 2013'', which in short means "screw the faces over and piss off the crowd." |
| 68 | * BaldOfEvil: Triple H cut his hair to a close crew cut once his real-life responsibilities backstage increased, and consolidated into this when he turned heel at ''[=SummerSlam=] 2013''. |
| 69 | * BashBrothers: With Wrestling/ShawnMichaels as part of DX. His third run with DX and subsequent reunion with Shawn was even motivated in part by Hunter wanting a strong ally again. |
| 70 | * BeardOfBarbarism: An interesting example. While by no means a face, he was clean-shaven during his early years under the "Connecticut Blueblood" gimmick, as a way to emphasize his snobbish holier-than-thou attitude and his penchant for proper etiquette. After forming D-Generation X with Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, and dropping the Blueblood gimmick, he began to grow a beard and began to wear UnderwearOfPower instead of his traditional tights, completing the transition with his "The Game" gimmick, in which he is now an untamed, sledgehammer-wielding larger-than-life hellraiser who can give Stone Cold Steve Austin a run for his money -- a look which he retained even after reforming DX. As an on-screen CorruptCorporateExecutive in the mid 2010s, he sported a PermaStubble to complement his crew-cut. By 2020, he went completely bald and grew a much bigger beard than he had grown previously and looks someone stuffed a Viking warrior into a business suit. |
| 71 | * BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Apparently, according to his ''Thy Kingdom Come'' documentary, his "Terra Ryzing" ring name came about when his first promoter attempted to bill him as "the Terrorizer" and he disagreed, saying he wanted a first and last name. Said promoter separated some syllables, changed some letters around, and the rest is unfortunate history. |
| 72 | * BenevolentBoss: Unlike with his BadBoss character in Wrestling/TheAuthority, his RealLife management of Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} has been praised by countless wrestlers and fans alike, and he carried this laid-back mindset into his management of WWE Creative after taking over from his ControlFreak [[Wrestling/VinceMcMahon father-in-law]] in 2022. As with NXT, the main roster finally started seeing improvements in ratings, reviews, and match quality immediately thereafter. |
| 73 | * BerserkButton: |
| 74 | ** You do '''''NOT''''' want to speak ill of Triple H's children. Wrestling/PaulHeyman found this out the hard way when Triple H and Stephanie [=McMahon=] both went full PapaWolf / MamaBear on him. |
| 75 | ** Harming, threatening to harm, or even bumping into his wife, Stephanie, is a sure-fire way to get a beat down from The Game. Famous case with Randy Orton after he DDT'd & forced a kiss the unconscious Stephanie. Hunter broke into his house with his sledgehammer & beat him mercilessly until the police came to take him away. |
| 76 | ** Same with Chyna when they were together. [[https://media.giphy.com/media/USUr20JNA9MahnILZ8/giphy.gif Harming or threatening her invoked his rage]].Went berserk when The Rock and Mark Henry, his enemies in The Nation of Domination, forced themselves on Chyna after they had locked Hunter and the rest of DX in the locker room. After escaping, Hunter stormed the ring while a match was still in progress, and battered both competitors with a steel chair, clearing the ring. Guest commentator Shawn Michaels punctuated this rampage by saying "I have seen him like this before, and you do NOT want to get in his way!". Hunter grabbed a mike and screamed "Rocky! You've crossed the line, pal! At the PPV, I'm gonna make you my BITCH!!" |
| 77 | ** Outside of the 4-year feud, Shawn is Hunter's very best friend and anyone really hurting him is almost as bad as hurting Stephanie. His 2012 feud with Lesnar shows it well. Things were already personal when Brock broke his arm and Hayman brought up his kids. But Brock beating up Shawn and breaking his arm took him over the edge. Hunter was so angry at the attack on his friend, he took off his shirt and yelled at Brock to fight him right there instead of waiting for Summerslam. |
| 78 | ** Stealing his belt. He has a match with British Bulldog for which Rock is the special guest referee and he's not impartial to either of them. His antics get the match a No-Contest and Triple wants his belt, but is told Rock took it. This leads to a rampage where Triple H beats the messenger, then goes backstage and beats up anyone he walks past while searching for the Rock and demanding his belt. |
| 79 | ** His ego has also been used as an [[InvokedTrope intentional]] Berserk Button for the benefit of others. Perhaps the most well-known incident of this manner occurred during the buildup for Triple H's ''[=WrestleMania=] 28'' match against The Undertaker. After an in-ring monologue from The Undertaker, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=EodcpPediPM#t=503s the rest of the segment]] used an obscene number of tropes in a number of different ways as Triple H and 'Taker had a verbal battle for the ages. Triple H initially refuses The Undertaker's challenge, on the grounds that it would be "bad for business." |
| 80 | --->'''Undertaker:''' [[DeadpanSnarker Hey, businessman]]... is it bad for business if I'm gone... [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech or is it bad for business that you'll be gone? You can put whatever spin that you want on this, but at the end of the day, when you look in a mirror, all you're gonna see is a coward.]]\ |
| 81 | '''Triple H:''' [[VillainousBreakdown I am SICK TO DEATH of this "coward" thing!]] YOU WANT COWARD?! ''[hesitates as he regains his composure]'' [[GenreSavvy I see what you're trying to do]]... [[SubvertedTrope it's not gonna work.]] I'm sorry, but the answer's no. ''[leaves the ring and starts to walk to the back]''\ |
| 82 | '''Undertaker:''' You know, Hunter... I think I just figured it out. [[ItsPersonal You know that you can't do what your buddy Shawn Michaels couldn't do.]] Because you know Shawn was always ''better than you''.\ |
| 83 | '''Triple H:''' ''[[RageBreakingPoint [stops at the top of the stage, removes suit jacket and tie, storms to the ring]]]'' You think that suit and tie cover up layers of who I am?! Well, the layers are gone... I'm standing before you, and I'm looking you in the eye, and I am more certain than I have ever been before. [[ThisMeansWar You want this?! You want [=WrestleMania=]?! You want it all to come to a head?! YOU WANT AN END?!]] [[DoubleSubversion You've got it!]] |
| 84 | ** On March 10, 2014, Triple H maintained his composure during Daniel Bryan's entire Occupy Raw movement, but when Daniel Bryan demanded to be inserted into the Championship Match at [=WrestleMania=] should he defeat Triple H, Hunter completely lost it, and [[HoistByHisOwnPetard had to be held back by the security that he ordered to apprehend Daniel Bryan]], just to keep him from storming a ring of hundreds of Daniel Bryan fans and the American Dragon himself. |
| 85 | * BettyAndVeronica: He was the Archie in a love triangle with Wrestling/{{Chyna}} (his long-time girlfriend, fellow wrestler and stablemate) and Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon (the newer, richer, more conventionally attractive boss's daughter). |
| 86 | * BigBad: As heel, except for when he's TheDragon to WWE's GreaterScopeVillain Wrestling/VinceMcMahon, the owner of WWE and HHH's father-in-law. In fact his two major main event heel runs (his Attitude era run in 1999-2001 and his Evolution/King of Kings run in 2002-2006) ultimately had him become Vince's [[TheDragon Dragon]] in the end, though the latter only happened at the very end. Even his most recent run has him being Vince's [[TheDragon Dragon]], though he's more of a DragonInChief so far as Vince only made one appearance since HHH's heel turn. |
| 87 | * BigBadDuumvirate: |
| 88 | ** Several times over the years with [[Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon his wife.]] |
| 89 | ** As mentioned above, they wound up being Vince's CoDragons (along with Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon) in their initial run following Vince's FaceHeelTurn, and are currently playing the role to Vince sans Shane. |
| 90 | * TheBigGuy: In most cases when he isn't paired alongside other monsters like Nash, Big Show, and Undertaker. Speaking of the latter two, they along with Hunter are all lampshaded as the big guys of their respective tag-teams during a triple threat with [[Wrestling/ChrisJericho Jeri]][[Wrestling/BigShow Show]], DX, and [[Wrestling/JohnCena Cena]][[Wrestling/TheUndertaker Taker]]. Jericho first sent in Big Show, HBK instantly tagged Hunter, and finally Cena tagged in Taker. |
| 91 | * BlackComedyRape: |
| 92 | ** When he kidnapped, drugged and married Stephanie in Vegas. She also ended ''falling in love with him'' after that. Of course, it's entirely possible he was lying to mess with Vince's head. |
| 93 | --->'''Triple H:''' I know that you can only have one question on your mind... DAD... (...) And that is, not did we, but how many times did we consummate the marriage! ''[thrusting his hips]'' |
| 94 | ** Attempted and failed with the infamous Katie Vick angle. |
| 95 | * BlatantLies: His "Best for Business" thing he got going. It's always his justification for doing things that ultimately piss the fans off, i.e. not the best for business. |
| 96 | * {{Bowdlerise}}: Invoked during DX's reunion on the season premiere of ''Raw'', where he tells them that they have to tone down their vulgarity and swears because of WWE's sponsors. It doesn't work, with Shawn blurting out a ClusterBleepBomb full of swears and later pointing to the presence of "four cocks" hanging out (which turn out to just be [[DoubleEntendre four rubber chickens]]) near Trips' computer. |
| 97 | * BromanticFoil: Kayfabe with Shawn during DX runs. Shawn's was the [[TheCasanova Heart-Break Kid]]. Hunter was in a serious a relationship with Chyna, though Shawn hit on her as well. The roles reversed in the 2006-2007 reunion. Shawn (in & out of Kayfabe) was married and became a Born-Again Christian, so his previous heartbreak behavior was non-existent. Hunter on the other hand, ogled or hit on any girl around. The DX BBQ shows it nicely when 2 ring-rats flash him, and he's later getting serviced under a table by two others until Candice comes along and one of the ladies gives her some action as well. It's also hinted he had something with Kelly Kelly. |
| 98 | * TheCaligula: Along with Stephanie [=McMahon=] during the [[HostileShowTakeover McMahon-Helmsley Era]]. |
| 99 | * CallBack: |
| 100 | ** The walkout in October 2011 isn't the first time that the WWE locker room threatened to boycott him. |
| 101 | ** Also, the 2012 confrontation between the [[HesBack returning]] [[Wrestling/TheUndertaker Undertaker]] and Triple H was a direct call-back to their 2011 confrontation with the roles reversed. The first time, everybody knew through the vignettes that the Undertaker was coming to ''Raw'' on 2 21 11, and before he could say much of anything ([[TheQuietOne not that he's much of a talker, anyways...]]) Triple H's music hit. In 2012, Trips - who had already been announced for ''Raw'' - was poised to fire John Laurinaitis and then Undertaker's music hit in exactly the same fashion. Also, both times, the two offered challenges by using their trademark gestures. |
| 102 | ** After turning heel in 2013 after ''Wrestling/SummerSlam'', he told us that Randy Orton, the new champion, was the diamond that had squeezed out of coal, something he referenced in his promo when he debuted Wrestling/{{Evolution}}, in which Batista and Orton was the future and the coal that would be transformed in to a diamond. |
| 103 | * CanonName: Hunter Hearst Helmsley, which is still maintained as the Triple H character's "real name" in part because of the man's refusal to accept being called Paul outside of corporate settings... although once or twice [[Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon Stephanie]] has slipped up and called him "Paul" in backstage segments... and then there was that one time with Wrestling/CMPunk: |
| 104 | -->'''Punk:''' I'm gonna tell you a little secret, why it's gonna be so satisfying for me to kick your ass. And right now, this isn't CM Punk talking to Triple H. This is Phil Brooks talking to Paul Levesque. The reason why it's gonna be so satisfying to me-- ''[[CutShort [microphone stops working, Triple H and CM Punk argue without being heard]]]''\ |
| 105 | '''Triple H:''' ''[annoyed, tests his own mic]'' This one's working, use this. ''[hands Punk his mic]''\ |
| 106 | '''Punk:''' Good, ''Paul'', because the reason I'm gonna be so satisfied after I kick [[CutShort your--]] ''[microphone stops working again, throws mic down in frustration]'' |
| 107 | * CannotSpitItOut: This happened to him on the January 30, 2012 ''Raw'' with his attempt to fire John Laurinaitis. Instead of going with his father-in-law's classic [[PunctuatedForEmphasis "YOU'RE! FIIIIRRRRREEDDD!"]] yell, he tried to [[BorrowedCatchphrase borrow Laurinaitis' "I wish you well in all your future endeav-"]] and was interrupted by [[Wrestling/TheUndertaker Undertaker's]] '''[[ForDoomTheBellTolls gong.]]''' |
| 108 | * CardCarryingVillain: Has no delusions that he is a nice guy and has even explicitly called himself an asshole. Perhaps best exemplified when he, as a face some years later, discussed Randy Orton's excommunication from Evolution, which was simply the result of Triple H being [[GreenEyedMonster jealous]] that Randy was world champion. |
| 109 | -->'''Triple H:''' I watched you become the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history. What happened the next night, Randy? I turned on you. I beat the hell out of you. I don't run from my past. I'm not a good person; I never have been a good person. I wasn't happy for your success. |
| 110 | * CareerEndingInjury: He permanently retired from the ring after a health scare resulting from a genetic heart condition, and temporarily stepped down from his backstage duties. He now has a pacemaker that he can't risk jolting through ring bumps, but he's returned to his management roles. |
| 111 | * TheChessmaster: One of his defining characteristics. A noteworthy example occurred during a feud with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Vince [=McMahon=] forced Austin and Triple H to sign a "No-contact" clause, which legally bound them to not have any physical altercations until their pay-per-view match. After both men signed the document, Triple H beat the piss out of Austin, and Vince was quick to inform him that he had just gotten himself suspended (per the terms of the contract). Triple H then revealed that he never actually signed the contract, while Austin had-- he then signed the contract for real, which meant that Austin could not legally retaliate. See also XanatosSpeedChess below. |
| 112 | * ControlFreak: One of his trademarks since taking over as WWE's full-time head of creative has been to ''invert'' this, delegating things that Vince tried to micromanage. He's given the commentators more freedom, which has notably earned Wrestling/MichaelCole a ''huge'' amount of praise for his improved work. He's also ditched the fully pre-scripted promos, going back to the older method of giving wrestlers bullet points they're expected to cover but giving them more freedom in how they actually do it. Perhaps most importantly, he's also reduced the scripting in the actual matches, letting the wrestlers figure out how to revise the match if needed. He's also joked about discovering this new thing called "sleep", implying that he won't work the insane schedules and extensive scripting that Vince was so famous for. |
| 113 | * CoolOldGuy: He's in his fifties now, and while he's no longer an active wrestler, he's considered cooler than ever by some fans after taking over WWE creative. |
| 114 | * CorruptCorporateExecutive: |
| 115 | ** His heel character typically comes off as this. As a heel HHH cuts his hair to a shorter length (though it's still quite long) and keeps it pulled back in a ponytail, shaves, wears suits and frequently manipulates the system through politics, dirty tricks and outright bribery. Contrast this to his face persona who wears leather jackets, t-shirts and jeans, lets his hair grow wild and sports a beard. |
| 116 | ** Inverted in his on-screen role as Chief Operating Officer. Wears suits, is a good guy. Until... |
| 117 | ** Took to this trope fully during the Summer 2013 storyline against Daniel Bryan, openly screwing him over for the sake of "business." He's gone on to use Wrestling/TheShield as enforcers who attack anybody speaks out against him and threatened to even fire anybody who disagrees with his increasingly corrupt actions. Went so far as to firing Wrestling/CodyRhodes after he lost to Randy Orton on the September 2nd, 2013 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q0y98WJLqw episode of RAW.]] |
| 118 | * TheCorrupter: Played this role towards Stephanie [=McMahon=] and Seth Rollins, in entirely different contexts. |
| 119 | ** Attempted - and to some degree ''succeeded'' - in corrupting a fellow Corrupter in Wrestling/KevinOwens, during the NXT Invasion angle. Hunter used his bond with KO to convince him that while the higher-ups on the main roster never wanted him to succeed and always thought badly of him, Hunter and NXT had given Kevin his true home and appreciation. While KO would stay loyal to team RAW at Survivor Series, he also showed up for Takeover: War Games III to join team Ciampa to take on the Wrestling/TheUndisputedEra in the War Games match itself. |
| 120 | * CreateYourOwnVillain: While he himself was a heel at the time, it's universally agreed upon that Wrestling/{{Evolution}} (more specifically, Hunter) was responsible for Wrestling/RandyOrton's StartOfDarkness. Randy ''never'' got over their betrayal, and it became ''the'' defining moment of his career. It would come to haunt his mentor for years to come, especially during 2009. |
| 121 | * DarkIsNotEvil: |
| 122 | ** As a face he wears dark trunks with CreepyCrosses and DemBones on them, wields a hammer, and does the right thing... eventually. |
| 123 | ** He was also LightIsNotGood during most of his 2002-2006 heel run (going clean-shaven and famously wearing lily-white trunks and boots at ''[=WrestleMania=] XX'', while playing a dastardly heel). |
| 124 | * DemotedToExtra: |
| 125 | ** For the most part Triple H is semi-retired, mainly due to his backstage duties piling up in preparation for when he finally does take over the company. He retired completely after suffering a heart problem that left him unable to step into the ring again. |
| 126 | ** This occurred to him in 1996. He was a part of the infamous kayfabe-breaking Madison Square Garden "curtain call" (where Wrestling/KevinNash, Wrestling/ScottHall, Trips, and Wrestling/ShawnMichaels hugged each other in the middle of the ring following a match); since Hall and Nash were heading off to Wrestling/{{WCW}}, and Michaels was the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWF Champion]] at the time, Trips [[TheScapegoat had to take the fall]]. His main event push was delayed for quite a while as punishment. Though by accepting his punishment without complaint, Triple H earned a lot of respect from the more established wrestlers. Interestingly, Triple H was originally supposed to win the 1996 Wrestling/KingOfTheRing tournament. After the "curtain call", Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin was booked to win the tournament as part of Triple H's punishment, and it's that victory over [[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake "The Snake" Roberts]] that gave us the [[CatchPhrase Austin 3:16]] phenomenon. |
| 127 | ** Back when Wrestling/MichaelCole was first conducting his weekly sit-down interviews, Triple H was usually his guest but in the past year or so has been phased out in favor of other WWE wrestlers. |
| 128 | * DentedIron: Towards the end of his career he definitely had a bad case of this, which is one of the reasons he started fully committing to an Undertaker-like schedule. For example, he tore his pec within minutes of the infamous DX vs Brothers of Destruction match at ''Crown Jewel 2018'', forcing him to lay outside the ring until the ending while everyone else carried on without him. For the record, he had only wrestled ''three matches'' prior that year. |
| 129 | %% * DepravedBisexual: Oh boy, if his history with HBK was anything. In the original DX, this was a pretty important part of his character. The biggest example was his immortal response when asked if he spoke Spanish like Wrestling/{{Chyna}}: |
| 130 | %% -->'''Wrestling/JimRoss:''' ''Didn't know you were bilingual.''\ |
| 131 | %% '''Triple H:''' ''I'm bi a lot of things, but lingual isn't one of them. [[DidIJustSayThatOutLoud Wait, did I mean to say that?]]''\ |
| 132 | %% '''Jim Ross:''' ''[[DeadpanSnarker Probably not, but we're live.]]''* {{Determinator}}: |
| 133 | ** In 2001, running forward to hit Wrestling/ChrisJericho with a forearm to the back of the head, Triple H ''ripped the quadricep muscle right off his kneecap'' in one of the most cringe-inducing sports injuries ever caught on film. You can actually see the muscle come loose under the skin of his thigh and he immediately falls out of the ring in agony. Somehow he managed to get back up and finish his role in the match. Jericho, who had real life issues with HHH at the time, admitted in his book that he developed a huge amount of respect for HHH that night because he insisted on taking Jericho's finisher, which applied an insane amount of pressure on his already damaged quads. |
| 134 | ** And did it ''again'' in 2007 in a tag-team match with Shawn Michaels against Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}} and Randy Orton: Tore his other quad and managed to finish the match, even Pedigreeing Edge through the announcer's table. |
| 135 | ** Three times a charm in 2018. Just shy of fifty years old, he tore his pec during a tag match between DX and the Brothers of Destruction at ''Crown Jewel'' and proceeded to wrestle the match to the very end with ''one arm''. |
| 136 | * DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: Gave Wrestling/TheUndertaker a [[Wrestling/DGenerationX crotch chop]]. |
| 137 | * DisappearedDad: A fate he desperately wanted to avert in his kids' lives, so he bought stock in a private plane company and flies back to his house after every show to see them. Doubles as a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming with [[http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/WWE-s-Triple-H-rallies-fathers-mentors-in-1083418.php things like this]]. It's clear he's crazy about his girls; just listen to any of his interviews about them. |
| 138 | * DiscontinuityNod: He and Shawn Michaels took shots at the infamous Katie Vick angle in a 2007 Wrestling/DGenerationX promo. |
| 139 | * DoNotCallMePaul: The originator. Triple H asks people to call him by his ring name, not his given name (Paul Levesque). This was particularly highlighted in an in-ring segment during which Wrestling/CMPunk, another wrestler who prefers not to be addressed by his given name, said, as a means of emphasizing how serious he was, that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zglAkGTqBog "This isn't CM Punk talking to Triple H. This is Phil Brooks talking to Paul Levesque."]] Bizarrely inverted with WWE Studios, with Triple H being the first (and only to date) wrestler to be billed under his real name as opposed to his in-ring pseudonym. As of 2013, it should be noted that this applies to his on-screen character only. As a corporate executive, you ''do'' call him Paul. |
| 140 | ** Since his in-ring retirement and subsequent corporate promotion(s), WWE's official company releases TakeAThirdOption by just using both (Paul "Triple H" Levesque) in a similar manner to how [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] is sometimes billed outside of pure wrestling contexts. Although, as it's implied he has also [[RealLifeWritesThePlot taken over the onscreen "CEO" position previously occupied by Vince]] - there he's still simply Triple H. Ever since he has reinstated general managers for the shows in 2023, he only appears onscreen very sporadically, and when he does he is now introduced as Paul "Triple H" Levesque. |
| 141 | * TheDragon: |
| 142 | ** To Vince [=McMahon=] after Vince's FaceHeelTurn at ''[=WrestleMania=] 2000''. Was also CoDragons with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to Vince in 2001, until Triple H got injured. He seems to be becoming this in RealLife as well, as Vince recently made him his Senior Advisor. |
| 143 | ** Triple H was also TheDragon to Shawn Michaels in the early days of D-Generation X, until HBK got injured and HHH [[DragonAscendant became the new leader]]. |
| 144 | ** He's TheDragon to Vince once more, though he's so far been a DragonInChief since Vince hasn't appeared much, and they haven't interacted much since HHH's heel turn oddly enough. |
| 145 | ** Even going back to Wrestling/{{The Corporat|ion}}e Wrestling/{{Ministry|OfDarkness}}, he was this to Vince for at least part of 1999. At first it first appeared he'd become this to Wrestling/{{Shane|McMahon}} and Wrestling/TheUndertaker's BigBadDuumvirate or the third man in their Big Bad Triumvirate. Then Vince revealed himself as [[TheManBehindTheMan the Higher Power]] later on, making the three of them CoDragons. |
| 146 | * DragonWithAnAgenda: From getting Vince to give him WWF title shots instead of Undertaker, to reforming [[Wrestling/DGenerationX the DX Army]] as {{Jerkass}} {{heel}}s, all the way up to the infamous [[UnwantedSpouse early days]] [[TheCorrupter of his]] [[UnholyMatrimony marriage to]] Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon, his [[TakeOverTheWorld takeover of the WWF]] saw him become such a great example of this he turned ''his own [[HollywoodSatanism Satanic bosses]]'' into THE GOOD GUYS and their once-innocent daughter/sister into a hypocritical shrew by his actions alone. |
| 147 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Anyone who hasn't followed him from the beginning may be confused that, in the beginning of his WWE career, his gimmick was being a high-class snooty aristocrat, with mannerisms pulled right from the Victorian era and [[Music/LudwigVanBeethoven Beethoven's 9th Symphony the "Ode to Joy"]] as his entrance music. His gimmick and mannerisms have changed quite a lot since. (The only [[TheArtifact artifact]] left over from his early days is the name of his finishing move: "Pedigree".) |
| 148 | * EasilyForgiven: A classic case after his HeelFaceTurn in 2006. But the biggest specific is HBK reforming DX with him. In 2002, Hunter tricked him into thinking he wanted to reform DX, only to pedigree him. Following this, Hunter put his head through a car window & left him lying in the parking lot, all because HBK refused to retire & be his manager. This lead to a brutal three-year feud where they battered & almost killed each other. During Hunter's slow {{Face}}-transition, Vince orders him to attack HBK during his Spirit Squad match but he attacks SS instead and leaves. During Hunter's match with them, Shawn comes to his aid and DX is reborn. While there was hesitance prior to reconciliation on both sides, you'd think Shawn would need more than what was shown to forgive Hunter's betrayal of him which started their entire feud. |
| 149 | * EdgyBackwardsChairSitting: During [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDg9CIrqOqg an attack on The Undertaker in 2001,]] Triple H first got the jump on Taker as he was sitting on his motorcycle, which resulted in the bike itself pinning Undertaker to the ground. Triple H then set up a chair, backwards, ''on top of Undertaker's neck''. Then, to top it all off, he leaned over the backrest of the chair and talked tons of shit to the Deadman. |
| 150 | -->'''Triple H:''' How ya doing, [[RedBaron American Badass]]? You're the guy that makes people famous, ain't ya? You know what? [[BadassBoast I'm already famous. I'm famous for crippling people. I'm famous for putting people out!]] Let me tell you something... you keep screwing with me... I will cripple you. |
| 151 | * EndOfAnEra: 2022 as a whole, which saw Hunter retire from in-ring competition on account of heart problems only to later go on to take over WWE from Wrestling/VinceMcMahon himself, ending the long chapters of both his and Vince's previous careers. |
| 152 | * EvilerThanThou: From getting Vince to give him WWF title shots instead of Undertaker, to reforming [[Wrestling/DGenerationX the DX Army]] as {{Jerkass}} {{heel}}s, all the way up to the infamous [[UnwantedSpouse early days]] [[TheCorrupter of his]] [[UnholyMatrimony marriage to]] Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon, his [[TakeOverTheWorld takeover of the WWF]] saw him become such a great example of this he turned ''his own [[HollywoodSatanism Satanic bosses]]'' into THE GOOD GUYS and their once-innocent daughter/sister into a hypocritical shrew by his actions alone. |
| 153 | * EvilGenius: Triple H is a succesful businessman, a brilliant wrestler and a master manipulator who has fought and schemed his way to the top of the company and then on to effectively running it (more than once). There is a reason they call him "The Cerebral Assassin". |
| 154 | * EvilMentor: In Evolution, he was one to Randy Orton (echoing their RealLife relationship) and Wrestling/{{Batista}}. On the flipside, he had his own in Ric Flair and Steven Regal (the latter in WCW). |
| 155 | ** Became this again to Wrestling/SethRollins before the latter's HeelFaceTurn. |
| 156 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: |
| 157 | ** While he may be a no-nonsense authority figure, Triple H cares about his family to the point anyone thinking about harming or even smack talking about them will result in a beat-down. Lampshaded during the Slammy Awards 2013 episode of ''Raw'', when Randy Orton received a Pedigree for inadvertently bumping into Stephanie while in the middle of an in-ring brawl during the Title Ascension Ceremony. |
| 158 | ** Randy himself would count as this over time; unlike the time he had Orton violently excised from Evolution over a decade prior, Hunter was clearly distressed when he was forced to oust him from the Authority, and couldn't even watch while Rollins and Kane finished the job. As such, when Randy came back, he and Stephanie tried to bring Randy back into the fold only for him to inevitably and predictably refuse to let bygones be bygones with Rollins. |
| 159 | ** Even as a heel, his legendary friendship with Shawn Michaels still stands strong. |
| 160 | ** He was shown to care about Chyna while together and he usually helped her cheat in her matches as much as she did him. They defected from DX to the Corporation together, and even switched back together. And anyone harming her was not taken kindly. |
| 161 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: Even as a heel, Triple H won't cross some lines. |
| 162 | ** After learning that Stephanie lied to him about her pregnancy so that he would renew their vows: |
| 163 | -->'''Triple H:''' Steph, I have done some pretty bad things in my life. I admit it - I'm an asshole. But even ''I'' would not go this low. |
| 164 | ** He didn't like the racism towards Latinos that [[Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield JBL]] was known for. Inverted with the racism toward African Americans that he himself was known for during his title program with Booker T. |
| 165 | ** [[WouldntHurtAChild He won't put up with attacks on children]], [[PapaWolf especially his own children]]. |
| 166 | * EvilOverlord: |
| 167 | ** As a heel and as a [[DarkIsNotEvil face]] he sometimes resembles a dark king out of a fantasy novel. The [[GrimUpNorth epic Viking mustache]] he has sported since 2005 certainly helps. |
| 168 | ** His Conan the Barbarian, "[[RedBaron King of Kings]]" [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh-kmws3Gx4 entrance]] at ''[=WrestleMania=] 22'' is made of this trope. |
| 169 | ** His ''[=WrestleMania=] XXVII'' and ''XXVIII'' entrances feature this trope in full force, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jr2RnavrbE the XXVII one]] in particular. Being accompanied by a [[FacelessGoons masked army]], striding out of a DarkFantasy village left [[RapePillageAndBurn in ruins]], wearing a BlackCloak and [[CoolCrown skull-faced crown]], all while Music/{{Metallica}} is [[ThemeMusicPowerUp blaring in the background]]? This may take home the award for most metal entrance ever. |
| 170 | --->'''Wrestling/JohnCena:''' ''Well, it looks like He-Man (Triple H) and Skeletor (Edge) have some unfinished business...'' |
| 171 | ** His ''[=WrestleMania=] XXX'' entrance looked like he was channeling [[Franchise/MortalKombat Shao Kahn]]. |
| 172 | ** His occasional use of "King of Kings" ("Bow down to the / bow dow to the King!") as entrance music, which has since become the entrance theme for The Authority. |
| 173 | * {{Expy}}: His earliest WWF appearances had him acting almost exactly like [[Wrestling/WilliamRegal Steven Regal]] (fitting since he was supposed to tag with Regal in WCW and in some ways was his Mentor). The main difference was in WCW his character was a ForeignWrestlingHeel from France whereas in WWF he was a TakeThat against old money families in Connecticut. |
| 174 | * FakeOutMakeOut: Briefly for comedy purposes with him & Shawn. The crowd chants that Shawn is gay and in turn he kisses Hunter who smiles and makes a heart-fluttering gesture. |
| 175 | * FalseFriend: To Eugene, whom he only sees as a convenient pawn in his quest to regain his World Title. During his manipulations he constantly reassures Eugene tat they are friends, gives him gifts, and plays with him. |
| 176 | * FanDisservice: In 2011, ''The Boston Phoenix'' ranked him #20 on their [[http://web.archive.org/web/20120911143504/http://100unsexiest.com/unsexy/2011/person/?id=4556 "100 Unsexiest Men of 2011" List]]. Interestingly, he wasn't included in that list because of his physical attractiveness, but because of his role in the infamous derailment of the "Summer of Punk" angle: |
| 177 | -->'''The Boston Phoenix:''' The night before his WWE contract expired, CM Punk snatched the WWE championship from the loathed John Cena, and wrestling was edgy and cool again... for about a week. Then Triple H — Vince [=McMahon's=] son-in-law and inexplicable "star" from 2003 — hogged the Monday Night Raw cameras for the entire summer. The fuck? |
| 178 | * FatalFlaw: For all his success and years of devotion to the business, the one thing Hunter has never been able to overcome is his ego, something that he himself has admitted on numerous occasions. It was how the Undertaker was able to goad him into the "End of an Era" Wrestling/HellInACell match at ''[=WrestleMania=] 28'', and it was what would ultimately destroy Evolution, something that would come to bite him in the ass down the line, in the form of former protege Randy Orton, who gradually went insane due to the betrayal and held Hunter accountable for what happened for several years. |
| 179 | * AFatherToHisMen: Especially in contrast to his dictatorial father-in-law, Hunter is well-known for treating the wrestlers who work for him just as well as he might treat his own children, which is one of the major operating factors in the UndyingLoyalty so many from NXT would come to award him. He's not "Papa H" for no reason. |
| 180 | * FemaleGaze: Was on the receiving end of this from Wrestling/StacyKeibler during a backstage segment of a [=SmackDown=] episode in 2002; she took a moment to take in the sight of a shirtless Game before resuming to tell him that Mr. [=McMahon=] wanted to see him. |
| 181 | * FingerPokeOfDoom: Maybe pro wrestling's ''first'' "Fingerpoke of Doom" and almost certainly the first to ever be aired on television when Shawn Michaels basically gave up the European Championship to him. It was nowhere near as wasteful or damaging as WCW's, but still. |
| 182 | ** While it's really hard to claim it's on the same level of bad as the TropeNamer, this one tends to get a pass from fans for three reasons: |
| 183 | *** First and '''most important,''' it was for the European title, a lower-midcard belt literally created ''earlier that year,'' as opposed to everything surrounding the more famous one. |
| 184 | *** Second, [[Wrestling/SgtSlaughter Commissioner Slaughter]] had put them in this match to try and make them to fight each other (apparently thinking that Shawn would care about dropping the lower card belt when he was already WWF Champion) and this was their smart-ass response. |
| 185 | *** Third, it was ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVPe5VPLCac friggin hilarious.]]'' |
| 186 | * FinishingMove: Ciclone Negro's signature double-underhook face buster, [[NameOfPower which Triple H calls The Pedigree]]. The name is also an [[TheArtifact artifact]] from the Hunter Hearst Helmsley gimmick. |
| 187 | * FirstLove: Stephanie [=McMahon=], his partner of twenty years & wife of seventeen. He was in a seemingly serious relationship with Chyna from 1997-2001 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B59KY90FLM8&t=83s but has said himself that his relationship with her was partly convenience since he was on the road all the time and she happened to be the woman who was there consistently.]] He elaborates that his relationship with her was during a period where he was young, wild, and not thinking about his future but in growing up & changing, he met Stephanie whom he credits as the greatest woman in the world. |
| 188 | * FleetingDemographicRule: What his ''[=WrestleMania=] 27'' feud with Wrestling/TheUndertaker was. They last fought each other at ''[=WrestleMania=] X-Seven''. |
| 189 | * FourthWallObserver: Hunter has a knack for decimating {{Kayfabe}} and acknowledging the fourth wall. Quipping that the cops arresting the superstars are not real cops and outright stating that there are writers working for the WWE are just a few examples. |
| 190 | * ForcedToWatch: Has been on the giving & receiving end. |
| 191 | ** For the latter, he was tied up and made to watch his opponent kiss an unconscious, DDT'd Stephanie, leaving him utterly livid. |
| 192 | ** With the former, he's done twice to Eugene, who Evolution holds down while he beats up Regal. Same happens later when Eugene calls him out and he appears on the screen to show Eugene the brutal attack on his friend. |
| 193 | ** Another instance of him being subjected to it was Hell In A Cell 2009. Knocking out Triple H, Legacy dragged Shawn into the cell and locked the door. Triple H came to, but could only watch Shawn get beaten while simultaneously looking for a way into the cell. Commentators comment the brutality of Legacy beating Shawn right in front of Triple H and taunting his helplessness. |
| 194 | * ForYourOwnGood: Triple H's ego is so massive that he cited this trope as the reason he wouldn't face Daniel Bryan and also why he wouldn't face ''[[PhysicalGod The Undertaker]].'' [[FatalFlaw His ego was eventually used against him]] to goad him into a match against both aforementioned men, [[EpicFail and he would end up losing in each respective bout]]. |
| 195 | * FrenchJerk: His real last name is ''Levesque''... this actually resulted in one of his first gimmicks being that of a haughty Frenchman named Jean-Paul Levesque. |
| 196 | * FriendshipMoment: Most famously, he has many with Shawn -both in & out of character. Out of ring, there's been numerous hugs, embraces, and even a few kisses between them. In-ring, they are just as big on it -especially with the 2006 - 2010 DX. |
| 197 | ** Triple H watches out for Shawn on [=Smackdown=]. Batista warns Shawn to stay out of his way and Shawn calls him overrated. Batista takes off his hat and says he should -enter Hunter, who gets in his face to asks what it is he's going to do. Batista later attacks Shawn during his match but just as he's about to finish him off, Hunter runs out and takes it to Batista harder than anyone ever has before clothes lining him over the ropes with both men being KO'd after hitting the floor. |
| 198 | ** DX loses the match with Legacy due to Shawn being distracted by Undertaker. While upset at the loss, Hunter seemed more concerned for Shawn who can only sit in the ring with his anger & sadness. He kneels beside his friend & places a hand on his shoulder. Shawn was sadly not receptive at the time, but the moment from Hunter shows he does care about his friend's emotional state. |
| 199 | ** HoldingHands: A smaller moment on RAW after Brock breaks Shawn's arm. Being off-air, it can only be seen in phone recordings from attendees. HBK is carried out on a gurney and [[https://media.giphy.com/media/UrDcN3YWvTHYyCq1bP/giphy.gif Hunter is beside him in support while Shawn squeezes his hand]]. |
| 200 | * FriendsWithBenefits: Chyna. He notes they started off as friends before any relationship development, which wasn't until much later. During a Howard Stern interview he is asked about the bedroom performance of both women where Hunter is complimentary to the prowess of both and notes that if they didn't satisfy him in bed, he wouldn't have been with them as long as he had been. However, during the ''Sway in the Morning'' podcast, linked above in FirstLove, Hunter notes that he was with Chyna because he was on the road a lot and as far as sexual access, she was consistently there. But he notes the relationship happened during his young, crazy years before growing up and thinking about his future. |
| 201 | * FromNobodyToNightmare: From the low man on Wrestling/TheKliq totem pole and the guy who carried Wrestling/ShawnMichaels' bags to the guy who now runs the whole WWE after Vince's retirement. |
| 202 | * GagNose: Many jokes have been made about the size of his nose. He lampshaded it in his Hall of Fame induction for Wrestling/ShawnMichaels: |
| 203 | -->'''Triple H:''' The comedy stuff with us was just based on our giving personalities. I gave Shawn the comedy gift of my nose... |
| 204 | * GameBreakingInjury: |
| 205 | ** [[{{Pun}} Jokes aside,]] The Game tearing his quad left him out of action for eight months in 2001, and tearing his ''other'' quad left him out of action for a similar amount of time in 2007. |
| 206 | ** His quad tears pale in comparison to his heart problems (caused by hereditary genetics, not steroids), which required him to get a pacemaker. This forced him to ''permanently'' retire from the ring. Even a small bump could jostle the pacemaker, which would be a very, very bad thing. |
| 207 | * GeniusBruiser: |
| 208 | ** In character he's a powerful and devious competitor, out of character he's a body builder and by all accounts a very smart man. One of his official nicknames is "The Cerebral Assassin." |
| 209 | ** His real life role as VP of Talent and Live Events has been oft-lauded by industry insiders as having a progressive and vested point of view when it comes to younger talent. |
| 210 | * GenreSavvy: |
| 211 | ** All the time. Especially the time he gave [[LampshadeHanging an entire lesson]] to Shelton Benjamin on how to properly cut a promo (even referring to it ''as'' a "promo," a rarity in WWE) and how the heel has to wait until the face has their back to the ramp before they jump him. |
| 212 | ** Shows subtle genre savvy during his entrance. When he climbs onto the apron to shoot water into the crowd, he looks over his shoulder at his opponent(s) before doing so. As of late 2015, after over 15 years of doing the same entrance week after week, only CM Punk (at ''Night of Champions 2011'') has blindsided him despite Triple H being in perfect position to be jumped from behind. |
| 213 | * GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity: Inverted. Since taking over as head of talent relations, Hunter's brought back many of the people Vince fired in his final years in charge. |
| 214 | * GlassCannon: Despite being consistently characterized as a powerful main-eventer that is a force to be reckoned with, Trips has been shown to be quite injury-prone. He even managed to blow out ''both'' of his quadriceps at one point. |
| 215 | * GoThroughMe: He did this with Daniel Bryan before [=WrestleMania=] XXX. If Bryan won, he was in the main event. If Triple H won, he was in the main event. |
| 216 | * GreenEyedMonster: Has been accused of this as a performer, with claims that he uses his power to "bury" wrestlers who he wouldn't otherwise go over, and definitely plays this trope straight as a heel (sometimes doing exactly what he's accused of in real life, Daniel Bryan perhaps being the best example). |
| 217 | * [[GirlPosse Guy Posse]]: From 2003 to 2005 he was accompanied most of the time by Evolution, a clique of three snobbish Superstars (Wrestling/RicFlair, Wrestling/{{Batista}}, and Wrestling/RandyOrton, to be precise) who interfered in Hunter's matches, bullied face Superstars, and were known as much for their custom-made suits, Rolex watches, private jets, and sexual escapades as for their wrestling skills. The idea for Evolution came from Wrestling/TheFourHorsemen, a similarly-themed clique led by Flair in [[Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance NWA]] and then WCW in the 1980s and '90s. |
| 218 | * HappilyMarried: To Stephanie [=McMahon=]. Averted this trope in {{kayfabe}} at the start of their storyline marriage, but has played it straight since the mid-2000s. |
| 219 | * HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Hunter has switched allegiances, alliances and friends endlessly over the years. When he first started out in his BlueBlood gimmick, he was a heel and stayed heel during the first incarnation of DX. He then turned face shortly before Shawn left and turned heel upon his betrayal of the DX Army, upon which he became a heelish main-eventer. He mostly played heels, with some sparse face runs in between, up until his retirement. Upon Vince's retirement and Hunter's own ascendency to WWE Creative, he returned to being an onscreen authority figure. Unlike before though, he's shown to be [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure surprisingly benevolent]] and much nicer to the wrestlers. |
| 220 | * HesBack: |
| 221 | ** He came back after about eight months on the shelf on February 21, 2011, the same night Wrestling/TheUndertaker made his return. |
| 222 | ** On the August 29, 2016 edition of ''Raw'', in the waning moments of the Fatal 4-Way Match between Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Big Cass for the WWE Universal Championship, Triple H showed up, at the shock of the WWE Universe, Stephanie [=McMahon=] and Mick Foley, pedigreeing Roman Reigns, which allowed Seth Rollins to eliminate him. And then when it appeared Owens was gonna followed next, Triple H sent shockwaves by pedigreeing Seth Rollins, helping Kevin Owens to win his first [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_wrestling_championship#World_championships world heavyweight championship]] in WWE. |
| 223 | ** Perhaps the biggest example comes in his spectacular return to the head of WWE's creative and talent relations departments following Wrestling/VinceMcMahon's retirement after he lost the NXT show and otherwise seemed doomed not to play any major leadership role in the WWE just a couple of years ago. |
| 224 | * HeterosexualLifePartners: He and Shawn Michaels are among the most famous heterosexual life partners in wrestling history. According to [[Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon Hunter's actual wife]], Shawn is Hunter's "road wife." In kayfabe, their friendship even transcends {{heel}}/{{face}} status; whereas it's almost an unwritten rule that in-universe friends must have the same alignment, Shawn and Hunter were portrayed as undyingly loyal to one another even when Triple H was a heel and Michaels was a face (albeit retired from in-ring competition) around 2013-14. |
| 225 | * HijackedByGanon: |
| 226 | ** Triple H was revealed as the mastermind behind Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin's attack in 1999. |
| 227 | ** He also hijacked Wrestling/{{Test}}'s (kayfabe) wedding to Stephanie [=McMahon=] (and subsequent push). |
| 228 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: |
| 229 | ** Set up the vehicular attack on Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin at ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 1999'' to take him out of the triple-threat match for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWF Championship]] also involving the Rock. '''Wrestling/TheBigShow''' got plugged into the match instead, and pinned HHH for the title. |
| 230 | ** Has been on the wrong end of a few beatdowns by his enemies with his own sledgehammer. |
| 231 | ** During Daniel Bryan's "Occupy Raw" movement, Triple H ordered security to handle the situation. Since WWE apparently hires mall cops and not actual security guards, they had no means of riot control (tear gas, rubber bullets, etc.), and the fact that they could do nothing about the situation only frustrated Triple H further. Eventually, Daniel Bryan's request to be given a chance to compete for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at ''[=WrestleMania=]'' pushed The Game over the edge. In his attempt to storm the ring in rage, he had to be held back by the same security guards that he called to escort Bryan and his 100-some-odd supporters out of the building. |
| 232 | * HumanShield: Done in the fight with Eugene where he grabs & holds Lillian Garcia in front of him to slow down Eugene's attacks. |
| 233 | * HypocriticalHumor: Took part in a parody segment that included jokes about the size of Owen Hart's nose, despite the multitude of jokes about his own. |
| 234 | * {{Hypocrite}}: |
| 235 | ** Buried Wrestling/BookerT to his face for a being a five-time [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-h.html WCW World Heavyweight Champion]], bringing up Wrestling/VinceRusso and David Arquette, while standing next to Wrestling/RicFlair, who held that title 8 TIMES, and while ''holding the actual belt'' that had been used for the Wrestling/{{WCW}} World Heavyweight Championship and had been dug out ''just for HHH'' as the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-h.html (WWE) World Heavyweight Championship]]. Even if the point he was making was that Booker's title reigns all came during the lowest point of the WCW World Title's existence, this was still hypocritical, as around the same time frame, Trips himself was amassing a number of WWF Championship runs while Wrestling/VinceMcMahon would hold the same title, not to mention [[Wrestling/DGenerationX his crew back then]] pretty much gift-wrapped the Women's Championship to the non-wrestler Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon. (He also conveniently failed to mention that he himself had wrestled in WCW before coming to WWE.) |
| 236 | ** Shawn Michaels wanted to make peace with Mike Tyson, who previously KO'd him for four years and Hunter tries to talk him out of it, saying that Tyson is certifiably insane. Funny coming from him since he's not a beacon of sanity himself and has done worse to people in storyline, bordering on attempted murder. In fact, Shawn is one of the people he's attacked or feuded with continually, so arguably Shawn is not right to trust him. |
| 237 | ** His vendetta against Daniel Bryan is because Bryan insulted his wife and family, feeling it's a personal attack on them. Which would be all fine and good... if his family didn't start the entire thing by repeatedly insulting him and treating it as if it's NothingPersonal. |
| 238 | ** Claiming that every action he takes in The Authority is "what's best for business"...how good would it have been for business if he had fired ''every Superstar and Diva'' for getting involved in Bryan getting beat down by The Shield? |
| 239 | ** Getting pissed over having the Escalade he gave Wrestling/RandyOrton "tagged" by Bryan, when he did just that and more to Vince [=McMahon=]'s jet and limousine as part of DX? |
| 240 | * IAmTheNoun: The page quote. |
| 241 | * ICantDoThisByMyself: A rare showing, but Hunter admits he's in over his head after taking a beating from Legacy. He thinks he may be getting too old to handle them alone, and decides he should call in some [[Wrestling/ShawnMichaels help]]. |
| 242 | * IconicItem: A sledgehammer. Though he wields it in a highly unusual manner [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality because hitting somebody with a sledgehammer for real would cause severe legitimate injuries]]. Any time he swings the sledgehammer in the usual way he'll miss. |
| 243 | * ImportantHaircut: Triple H cut his hair to a close crew cut once his responsibilities backstage increased. Because his on-screen debut with short hair was during the 2012 Slammy Awards, he lampshaded it by noting that at the 1997 Slammys he had won Best Hair. |
| 244 | * IncomingHam: His entrance theme starts with a guitar riff and [[Music/{{Motorhead}} Lemmy Kilmister]]'s voice proclaiming that it's "TIME TO PLAY THE GAME!" |
| 245 | * InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Both in {{Kayfabe}} and out, Hunter seems to have an issue with wanting to be seen as a "skilled wrestler", possibly in response to the disdain he's received from wrestlers such as Wrestling/BretHart, when he's really most talented as a brawler. He's not a ''bad'' wrestler by any measure, but he's absolutely no Bret, and he's no [[Wrestling/ShawnMichaels Shawn]] either, a sore point Wrestling/TheUndertaker used to goad him into a Wrestlemania rematch at XXVIII. This has sometimes worked to his detriment, perhaps most infamously during his match against Wrestling/RomanReigns at Wrestlemania 32, where the two men should have been trying to ''murder each other'' after the heated feud they had, but instead put on a slow, technical match (which, owing to his extreme seniority over Reigns, would have undoubtedly been Hunter's idea) which bored the crowd to tears. See the next trope down. |
| 246 | * InformedAttribute: Was explicitly called a great technical wrestler in the '90s and '00s, in an attempt to push him as a "smart wrestler" (as smart guys are usually technical masterminds as well), but he really did so better by cheating and manipulating others anyways, as while he uses tonnes of submission holds including the figure-four leglock, sharpshooter, crossface, armbar, abdominal stretch, sleeper hold and so on (his technical prowess is well displayed in his matches against Bryan, Benoit, Angle or Ambrose), he only does so from time to time, as his one attempt at a real submission hold as a finishing move was a disastrous experiment with the ancient "Inverted Indian Deathlock", and he admitted in an interview that although he can chain wrestle, he doesn't do it very often and insists on doing them at the right time and place. In fact, his match against Roman Reigns at ''[=WrestleMania=] 32'' was criticized for being overly methodical, slow and technical since it didn't fit with their brutal feud. |
| 247 | * InsaneTrollLogic: Claimed responsibility for breaking [[Wrestling/TheUndertaker "The Streak"]] after ''[=WrestleMania=] XXVII''. Not because he actually ''beat'' the Undertaker, but because he was able to walk out of the arena on his own power and 'Taker wasn't. After his Wrestling/HellInACell rematch the following year at ''[=WrestleMania=] XXVIII'', however, he was so badly beaten both 'Taker and Shawn Michaels had to carry him out of the arena together. |
| 248 | * IntergenerationalFriendship: With his idol and later fellow Evolution member, Wrestling/RicFlair. In the opposite direction, Wrestling/FinnBalor. |
| 249 | * InvincibleVillain: Grew into this once he established himself in the main event scene. Triple H would lose very rarely during his time in The [=McMahon=] Helmsey Faction, Wrestling/{{Evolution}} and the Authority. |
| 250 | * ItsAllAboutMe: His run in Evolution eventually had him devolve into this, as his Evolution partners got sick of everything being about Triple H, even though he really wasn't doing anything to prove his particular importance. |
| 251 | * ItsPersonal: Usually a hallmark of a really, really good Triple H feud. Notable examples are his 2002-2004 feud with Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, his 2007 feud with Wrestling/RandyOrton, and his 2011 feud with Wrestling/CMPunk. His 2012 feud with Wrestling/BrockLesnar became this as well with Heyman (controversially) saying it was his most personal bout yet. |
| 252 | * {{Jerkass}}: When he's a heel. To demonstrate how much of a Jerkass he can be, in 1999 the man turned Vince [=McMahon=], the BigBad and the same man who was the mastermind behind a satanic cult whom he had kidnap his own daughter as part of a plan to get the WWE title off of Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin earlier that same year, [[HeelFaceTurn into a FACE]], and it even resulted in an EnemyMine situation when Austin would help Vince, his hated ArchEnemy, win the WWE Championship from Triple H. And that's just one example. |
| 253 | * JokerImmunity: Since turning heel while being COO of the company and only doing part-time appearances, he seems to have inherited the one his old [[Wrestling/VinceMcMahon pops-in-law]] has. |
| 254 | * KarmaHoudini: Like many heel wrestlers before and after him, his nasty deeds as a heel would get no comeuppance once he made a HeelFaceTurn. One time though, it was actually averted when he found himself in a ''Survivor Series'' team in which his teammates were former rivals of his and all of them reminded him of their previous feuds. All Triple H could do after that was say a meek "My bad." Best example coming from Kane, who brought up the less than good Katie Vick angle, causing Triple H to cringe heavily before simply saying "Sorry about that" as Kane glares daggers at him. |
| 255 | * KneelBeforeZod: "King of Kings", [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCaXIwkOSJw one of his entrance theme songs]], recorded by heavy metal band Music/Motorhead. |
| 256 | * LackOfEmpathy: Demonstrates this from time to time as a {{heel}}, even towards his own ''wife'' (despite being {{happily married}}). When Stephanie was arrested and taken to jail on the July 21, 2014 episode of ''Raw'' for striking Brie Bella, who was at the show in a fan capacity and not as a competitor, she was scared to death and begging Triple H to help her as she practically drowned in her own tears. Triple H told her he'd be at the police station to get her out in five minutes tops, and at this point, there was a little less than an hour left in the show. By the end of the show, Triple H hadn't even come close to leaving the building, instead deciding to stay to announce the number one contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. This is all despite saying that "Family comes first" when questioned about it initially. |
| 257 | * TheLancer: Served in this role in the original DX to Wrestling/ShawnMichaels. Became TheLeader after Michaels' injury in what many consider to be his breakout role. |
| 258 | ** Arguably serves as this in WWE's RealLife corporate structure as well. While Wrestling/VinceMcMahon was calling the shots Trips, like many examples of the Lancer trope, acted as a ''de facto'' second-in-command while trying (with mixed results) to mitigate some of Vince's more counterproductive impulses. It's said that Vince and Trips even clashed backstage on occasion over the direction of the product, particularly as the Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} pipeline (Trips' pet project) began to have more influence over the WWE roster as a whole. In the post-Vince era, Hunter is now the undisputed head of creative, but is still arguably this to his wife Stephanie and Nick Khan, who replaced Vince as [=co-CEOs=] of the company and get the last word on business decisions. |
| 259 | * LargeHam: Hilarious. Give the man a live microphone and 20 minutes of free airtime, and you're guaranteed to be entertained, especially if he's embroiled in a [[ItsPersonal personal]] feud. |
| 260 | * LaserGuidedKarma: After all the crap that Hunter's pulled over the course of Wrestling/TheAuthority angle, when Wrestling/RomanReigns snapped and gave him the beating of a ''lifetime'', to the point that Hunter had to be hospitalized, few were willing to deny that he's had it coming for a while. |
| 261 | * LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Boy, oh boy, does he love to do this. When he's not outright bulldozing the fourth wall with a complete disregard for maintaining {{kayfabe}}, he enjoys poking fun at smarks. At one point in 2013, after the internet was abuzz that he was going to bury [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] during their feud, he promised, in-character, to do exactly that (even using the word "bury"). In another occasion, he also did an impression of a hypothetical WWE fan, saying that he "and his friend Mark" would stop watching, being an obvious reference to the term "SmartMark." Even way back in 1999 when the ''WWF Attitude'' game was released he would address the player directly both during his entrance and in game. After the reunion of DX he confuses Shawn with Shane, then reacts that it's live TV so mistakes can and do happen. |
| 262 | * LeaveHimToMe: During the feud between Wrestling/RomanReigns and Wrestling/TheAuthority in 2016, The Authority forced then-WWE Champion Reigns to put his belt on the line in the Wrestling/RoyalRumble. When all other attempts to eliminate Reigns from the Rumble (including sending the League of Nations to beat him up to try and take him out of the match) had failed, Triple H himself entered the Rumble at #30 to deal with Reigns personally- and [[TheBadGuyWins promptly did so]], [[RootingForTheEmpire getting him some of the biggest cheers from the crowd he'd received in years]]. |
| 263 | * LikeParentLikeSpouse: His heel persona in The Authority has him acting [[VerbalTic quite frankly]] as Mr. [=McMahon=] version 2.0. |
| 264 | * LockedOutOfTheFight: A literal case during ''Hell in a Cell, 2009''. Legacy ambushed DX and Hunter is eventually KO'd, leaving them free to drag Shawn into the cell & lock the door. Even after waking up, Hunter can only helplessly watch Shawn get battered by the two Legacy members. |
| 265 | * LoveableRogue: As the leader of DX. |
| 266 | * LovableSexManiac: During his {{Face}} years in 2006. He was shown to flirt with many of the Divas, and was sometimes very shameless in his behavior such as asking Kelly Kelly to flash him before DX's fight at Survivor Series 2006. There was also his interview where he prepares to "whip it out" for one of the Divas interviewing him, but Shawn drags him away. Not to mention his endless penis gags and jokes about the sex lives of others such as Vickie Guerro & Vince. But true to the trope, his antics fuel his degenerate persona, but are harmless. |
| 267 | * LoveTriangle: |
| 268 | ** Between his then-kayfabe wife Stephanie [=McMahon=] and Kurt Angle in 2000. |
| 269 | ** A RealLife one of sorts also occurred between him, Stephanie, and Wrestling/{{Chyna}} at one point. |
| 270 | * ManipulativeBastard: Played this role towards Stephanie [=McMahon=] and Seth Rollins, in entirely different contexts. |
| 271 | ** Also the case with Eugene, a "special" younger wrestler who looks up to him. Triple H used him as a disposable pawn while pretending to be his friend. |
| 272 | * ManlyMan: His singles competitor persona from 2005 to 2011. Gone are the [[BadassInANiceSuit custom three-piece suits]] of Evolution and the [[DepravedBisexual sexual ambiguity]]/[[VulgarHumor juvenile humor]] of Wrestling/DGenerationX. Instead he's a hammer-wielding badass with a Music/{{Motorhead}} VillainSong and a bad attitude. |
| 273 | * ManOfWealthAndTaste: As the "Connecticut Blueblood" (an upper-class {{heel}}) and as part of Evolution (where, taking a page from the Four Horsemen, delivered beatings to the faces and then bragged about it while in fine suits). |
| 274 | * TheMentor: To Wrestling/{{Batista}} and Wrestling/RandyOrton, both in Wrestling/{{Evolution}} and in RealLife. |
| 275 | ** Toward many current and former Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} talent, including Wrestling/FinnBalor and Wrestling/KevinOwens. |
| 276 | * MetaGuy: He is fond of LeaningOnTheFourthWall. |
| 277 | * {{Metalhead}}: As if having Music/{{Motorhead}} do his theme songs wasn't enough of a clue, according to reports, he personally scouts relatively obscure metal bands to do a lot of WWE and NXT's theme music. |
| 278 | * MusclesAreMeaningless: For a guy who built himself as much as he has, he's never done too many power moves. A logical explanation comes in the form of a rumor that surfaced from his relationship with Chyna in the 1990s. Anecdotal evidence implies that Triple H is so ripped because he couldn't deal with the fact that Chyna was stronger and more muscular than he was. |
| 279 | * NiceJobFixingItVillain: Yeah, firing Big Show was not such a good idea, since in his mind he has nothing left to lose, so now he was free to invade WWE programming as much has he felt the need. |
| 280 | * NobleDemon: As much as he talks about what a dangerous guy he is, he's not that different from any other face. |
| 281 | * NoFourthWall: All the damn time. |
| 282 | -->'''Triple H:''' It's like, 11:08, guys. We're off the air! |
| 283 | * NotWhatItLooksLike: In 2000, Triple H (married to Stephanie [=McMahon=] in kayfabe) was backstage with Wrestling/TrishStratus, as he taught her some basic wrestling maneuvers. Eventually, he teaches her how to reverse a [[http://i.ehow.com/images/a04/s1/1g/do-pro-wrestling-moves-800x800.jpg basic standing hammerlock]] by reaching down and sweeping the opponent's leg. Then, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGLRhkkcZIY&feature=player_detailpage#t=69 as soon as Trish bends over,]] in walks Stephanie [=McMahon=], [[AccidentalPervert while Triple H is in a very... compromising position with Trish]] (and the look on Hunter's face is absolutely priceless). Despite Triple H's innocence and [[ICanExplain attempts to explain the situation,]] Stephanie throws a tantrum and storms out of the room in tears. |
| 284 | ** 11 years later, on RAW's 1000th Anniversary, it happens again -with Trish no less. while she's showing him yoga moves. He bends to touch his toes with Trish behind him to help push him down while Hunter tells her it's tight & hurts. Cue DX. Road Dogg quickly says they'll be outside after flubs of saying things like they'd be by the backdoor & in the rear. Hunter goes after them, trying to explain, but they don't listen. |
| 285 | * NumberTwo: He's currently kayfabe COO, making him this to Vince (who of course is the owner, chairman, and CEO of WWE in RealLife and kayfabe), as well as the future heir to Vince's throne. They've only had a couple of interactions though. |
| 286 | * OddFriendship: Wrestling/TheKliq. While Michaels, Hall, Nash, and Waltman were established wrestlers at a near-equal level, Triple H was a newbie who didn't party. Now, things have changed, and it's still hard to believe that the massively successful HHH and one of the best wrestlers ever in Wrestling/ShawnMichaels are friends with the troubled X-Pac and Wrestling/ScottHall, whose jump to Wrestling/{{WCW}} was a major turning point in their careers. |
| 287 | * OhCrap: |
| 288 | ** His reaction when he lost the WWE belt to Chris Jericho in 2000. |
| 289 | ** His epic reaction shot to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68gwIbZ6jQ8&feature=related being informed]] he'd be facing not Mankind, but ''Cactus Jack'' in the 2000 Royal Rumble. CMOA for Wrestling/MickFoley, but Hunter's reaction just makes it. Specifically, Foley credits this as selling the angle; had Hunter laughed it off, it would have bombed, but because this was perhaps the most scared he looked in his career, it was one of the high points of the Wrestling/AttitudeEra. |
| 290 | *** Of course, given how [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2ohpJkHp-U Cactus Jack made his WWF debut]] by replacing Dude Love in a street fight against him over two years prior, Hunter already had his share of bad memories of Cactus Jack. |
| 291 | ** How he reacted to Wrestling/TheUndertaker at both [=WrestleMania=] 27 and 28 in their matches when he sat up/kicked out after numerous chairshots, hammershots, and [[FinishingMove Pedigrees]]. |
| 292 | * OlderThanTheyLook: He's entering his late 40s but still in great shape. |
| 293 | * OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: "Triple H" is actually short for the name he used during his first major run in the WWF: Hunter Hearst Helmsley. He's still referred to as "Hunter" sometimes, though it's probably because Hunter is an [[RuleOfCool awesome]] [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast name]], and [[DoNotCallMePaul he calls himself "Hunter" in real life]]. |
| 294 | * OnlySaneMan: Has this reputation in The Kliq, as well as in the [=McMahon=] family. Considering that he ''married'' into the [=McMahons=], this is very justifiable. |
| 295 | * PapaWolf: Do not bring his children into a feud. Just don't. As Wrestling/PaulHeyman found out, [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown it can only end badly]]. |
| 296 | * ParentalSubstitute: He and Vince [=McMahon=] are quite close, and according to the nastier rumors floating out there, [[WhyAreYouNotMySon closer than Vince and Shane]], all but confirmed by his {{kayfabe}}-tweaking "I love you, Pops" to Vince upon relieving Vince of his duties in kayfabe in July 2011. |
| 297 | * PetTheDog: [[https://media.giphy.com/media/W5lPD7QcIqS0U2vf5A/giphy.gif A literal case with Lucy]] during his divorce from Stephanie in 2002/ Hunter loves her dearly and when Jericho gets her run over, a fearful Stephanie knows Hunter is going to kill her. |
| 298 | * ThePlan: Sometimes skirts into GambitRoulette territory. |
| 299 | * PlatonicKissing: with Shawn on a few occasions, [[https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/silverfang2/29185537/1349750/1349750_900.png most notably during Shawn's retirement sendoff]]. |
| 300 | * PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Told Wrestling/BookerT that people who look like him, have hair like him and dance like him don't belong in main events. He would later claim that this statement was about former WCW talent, though the racial implications were still there. |
| 301 | * PowerStable: The Kliq (as the TagalongKid), then Wrestling/DGenerationX (as its Leader and Co-Founder), which was then merged with Wrestling/TheCorporation (forming the [=McMahon-Helmsley Faction=], him as again the Leader), and later Wrestling/{{Evolution}}. |
| 302 | * PunctuatedForEmphasis: |
| 303 | ** While part of [[Wrestling/DGenerationX DX]]: "Are you ready? No; I said, '''ARE? YOU? REEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAADY?!''' |
| 304 | ** During his early days in the WWE: "... And I am That. Damn. Good!" |
| 305 | * PunnyName: "Terra Ryzing" |
| 306 | * RankScalesWithAsskicking: Seems to work for him in varying degrees since becoming the onscreen Chief Operations Officer. He's managed to put down guys like Wrestling/BrockLesnar and Wrestling/{{Sting}} at ''[=WrestleMania=]'' but also couldn't beat [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]], Wrestling/TheUndertaker or Wrestling/RomanReigns. Then again, he won not only the ''Royal Rumble'' in 2016, but the world championship in the same fell swoop. |
| 307 | * ReallyGetsAround: Was with Chyna first, then later married Stephanie. After the divorce (Kayfabe 2002), he's been shown to have an eye for the ladies. Mostly during his time with DX in 2006. |
| 308 | ** Seemed to have something with Kelly Kelly during Survivor Series 2006. She's shown at ringside smiling at Hunter who approaches her with a smile & wave just before she flashes him. |
| 309 | ** While on Vince's private plane with Shawn, Hunter says the seats turn into a bed. When Shawn questions how he knows, he starts to explain about him and a chick but drops it. |
| 310 | ** Prior to the above, he & the Stewardess were seen eyeing each other up as they squeeze by on the aisle. |
| 311 | ** There's also a very (in)famous scene during DX's ban from RAW in 2006. They have a BBQ & party outside with numerous groupies. Later, Hunter is shown to be getting service from two girls under a table. Candice comes over to talk to him and one of the girls turns their attention to her. |
| 312 | ** There's also a scene during his time with Evolution where they have a party in the ring with numerous ladies present. A happy HHH begins to remove his shirt and the ladies gather around to help and touch him. But he seems receptive to the attention. |
| 313 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: |
| 314 | ** Amazingly enough, most backstage accounts seems to imply Trips is this whenever he's not trying to put himself in the spotlight. |
| 315 | ** His current role as Chief Operating Officer seems to have him shaping up as one of these, giving certain heels their comeuppance, including letting Wrestling/ZackRyder squash Wrestling/MichaelCole on live television, bringing back Wrestling/JimRoss, and letting Wrestling/JohnMorrison get his hands on R-Truth. |
| 316 | ** Despite his heel turn at ''[=SummerSlam=] 2013'', he still shows flashes of this trope. As is the norm for powerful heels, he does have a tendency to lie and make life a living hell for babyface wrestlers (often for no good reason), but he's also done the same to fellow heels, including Wrestling/TheShield, Vickie Guerrero, and Wrestling/RandyOrton. He's shown a bit of favor to faces like Wrestling/RobVanDam and Wrestling/JohnCena as well. |
| 317 | * RedBaron: "[[TheAce The Game]]", "The Cerebral Assassin", "[[TheEmperor The King of Kings]]." |
| 318 | * RetiredBadass: Due to a heart issue that left him with a defibrillator in his chest in 2021, he officially retired in 2022. Before that he was semi retired. |
| 319 | * TheRival: The Rock, Mick Foley, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and Shawn Michaels during the late 90s/early 2000s. Since then, Batista, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, and Brock Lesnar have been added to the list. |
| 320 | * RoguesGallery: [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]], Wrestling/ChrisJericho, Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin, Wrestling/KurtAngle, Wrestling/{{Kane}}, Wrestling/TheUndertaker, Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, Wrestling/VinceMcMahon, Wrestling/RandyOrton, Wrestling/{{Sheamus}}, [[Wrestling/MickFoley Cactus Jack]] and Wrestling/{{Batista}}, Wrestling/{{Goldberg}}. He tends not to make a lot of friends, whichever side he plays. |
| 321 | * SatelliteCharacter: Basically his status in D-Generation X while Shawn Michaels was leader. They shared the same screentime, but were mostly described as "Shawn Michaels and his friend Triple H" or variations thereof. He eventually grew out of it when Shawn had to leave, and Triple H became the leader of DX. |
| 322 | * ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Both in-character (as part of the [=McMahon=]-Helmsley Regime) and in RealLife (due to the Kliq and his marriage to Stephanie [=McMahon=]). |
| 323 | * SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: With Shawn especially during the final run of DX. Hunter is more aggressive and hotheaded. Shawn has his moments of anger, but as opposed to Hunter's rage, he can be more prone to pouting and / or storming off. Outright stated by Hunter during on DX Last Stand DVD. |
| 324 | -->'''HHH:''' ''[to Shawn]'' I'm the macho guy of the team. You've always been the chick in this relationship. |
| 325 | * SharpDressedMan: In Evolution and in RealLife during semi-retirement due to his corporate position. |
| 326 | * ShootTheDog: |
| 327 | ** Done to finally end the Evolution stable when he attacked Wrestling/RicFlair with a sledgehammer after a victorious tag team effort against Carlito and Chris Masters. Evoked the trope the following week on ''Raw'' when he said Flair was too old and too mediocre and was damaging his own legacy so [[YouHaveOutLivedYourUsefulness he "...took Ric out behind the barn and shot him]]." |
| 328 | ** The reason why he challenged The Undertaker at ''[=WrestleMania=] 27'' - he wanted to end The Streak as well as believing that Taker was way past his prime. |
| 329 | ** The following year, Taker's {{pride}} in refusing to accept a PyrrhicVictory would lead Taker to persistently demand he try this again - persistently, because a little more time in his new position caused Triple H to see business and nostalgia as more important than another fight. |
| 330 | * ShoutOut: In real life, WWE does not have a position of "chief operating officer". But Wrestling/RingOfHonor does! |
| 331 | * SleevesAreForWimps: As a heel in the early-to-mid 2000s, he would always wear the typical striped referee shirt, with the sleeves cut off, when he was assigned to officiate a match. |
| 332 | ** In Degeneration X, HHH always wore a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. |
| 333 | * SpotlightStealingSquad: |
| 334 | ** Especially during his 2003 and 2011 runs. Has progressively pulled this on the CM Punk story. Watch any promos promoting the upcoming match and how he's turned Punk from being an AntiHero rebel who spoke what everybody felt into a straw man complainer and turned the storyline into defending his wife's honor. |
| 335 | ** By necessity for the 2016 build up to ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'', which is why Hunter won his fourteenth world title despite having expressed no interest in winning another one ever since he became more of a backstage official and an office executive. With the exceptions of Wrestling/RomanReigns and Wrestling/DeanAmbrose, every single full-time main event talent on the roster was injured (or in the case of [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] retired) and would miss ''Mania''. There was literally no other major heel to hold the title for Reigns to challenge for it besides Wrestling/BrockLesnar, but Lesnar had transcended beyond the traditional dynamics of face and heel and had become a tweener in the eyes of the fans, one who would be cheered above Reigns no matter what he did. Then, after ''Fastlane'', Reigns had to be written out so he could get facial reconstruction surgery for a deviated septum -- he would still be able to do the match but still had to miss a significant portion of the build. Since Lesnar, [[spoiler:Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon]], and Wrestling/TheUndertaker were only booked for a couple of shows, that meant Ambrose and Hunter had to carry ''Raw'' by themselves and start a mini-feud for the upcoming ''WWE Roadblock'' Network Special, since their respective opponents (Lesnar and Reigns) were unavailable. |
| 336 | * TheStrategist: |
| 337 | ** He's called "The Cerebral Assassin" for a reason. As a character and in real life, Triple H has mastered the psychology of professional wrestling. In [[Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield JBL's]] words (regarding potential ring rust on the part of Triple H), "This is a 13-time world champion. The brain doesn't rust!" |
| 338 | ** This also applies to his taking control of talent relations and creative, as he's addressed many longtime fan complaints, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvnquqOuijE improved TV ratings and locker room morale]] and persuaded multiple wrestlers who said ScrewThisImOuttaHere because of Vince [=McMahon=]'s antics to come back. Some fans have taken to calling his time in charge of WWE as the "Cerebral Era". |
| 339 | * SuperDeformed: Some DX merchandise has a chibi Shawn and Hunter on it. Particularly hilarious are the t-shirts of chibi Shawn and Hunter ''mooning'' people. Even funnier in that Triple H said in an interview that when shown the new shirts for approval, no one showed Shawn what was on the back (the chibi asses). |
| 340 | * SwornBrothers: Wrestling/TheKliq, but especially Shawn Michaels. [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Heaven help you]] if you mess with Shawn Michaels and Triple H is around to witness it. Highlighted during Triple H's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9OjrCRFDBA promo]] at the end of the NXT invasion of [=SmackDown=] at the end of the November 1st 2019 episode, where he talked about how to build an army for a war and first stated that "you look to your blood" while walking over to exchange a Kliq salute with Shawn, who was perched on the ringpost. |
| 341 | * TagalongKid: On the November 10, 1997 ''Raw'', Jim Ross did a WordAssociationTest with Jeff Jarrett. When JR asked Jarrett about HHH, he said, "Tagalong." |
| 342 | * TakeThat: |
| 343 | ** His original incarnation as a stuck-up blueblood was because Vince [=McMahon=] recently purchased a new home in posh Stamford, Connecticut, and his neighbors didn't take too kindly to the kind of "low-brow" entertainment the WWF put on. |
| 344 | ** Hunter has also said numerous times in interviews that Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} is a terrible wrestler. |
| 345 | ** Too many times to count in D-Generation X, though of particular note is the time he asked Chris Masters what he could write a book about - "how to lose 30 pounds in a week?". |
| 346 | * TakeThatAudience: Has gotten to be very good at delivering these while in his Authority corporate role. During [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan's]] ascent in early '14, he seems to love nothing more than to mock the crowd's propensity for cheering on so-called "internet favorites" and behaving like crybabies when they don't get what they want. |
| 347 | * ThanatosGambit: The early parts of The Authority run happened to coincide with Paul Heyman's betrayal of CM Punk sparking the two men's subsequent feud with each other. Triple H promptly kept himself out of their way by approving any matches either Punk or Heyman and his clients requested against the other. He even lampshaded at one point that regardless of who comes out on top in their feud, he wins, as this all ensured that two longtime thorns in the side of the [=McMahon=] family would be non-factors as he and Stephanie established their newest regime — and at least one of them would end up knocked on his ass. |
| 348 | * TheatricsOfPain: |
| 349 | ** While it's been overshadowed by his metaphorical shovel and burials of many potential stars, when Hunter wants to put a guy over, ''he will put that guy over''. Hunter is almost as good a seller as Wrestling/DolphZiggler is and his best friend Wrestling/ShawnMichaels was, flopping around a la Wrestling/RicFlair and stumbling about and acting like that chair shot Wrestling/RomanReigns just gave him dislocated his knees. Even his detractors will admit that there's some real talent there. |
| 350 | ** Related to this is how he sells in promos or reacting to his opponents. Wrestling/MickFoley is truly one of the greats but Haitch put over Cactus like he was some feared unstoppable monster and not one to make fun of. He could have shrugged off Undertaker's suggestion that Shawn was better, instead he rages that yes he will end the era at Wrestlemania, in Wrestling/HellInACell. Anything less and these angles would have tanked, but Triple H really putting his all sells them. |
| 351 | * TookALevelInJerkass: As part of his heel turn in 1999, Triple H started exhibiting sociopathic traits he'd never exhibited at any point previous more and more every week. |
| 352 | * {{Troll}}: A big part of his 2010s heel character. From "Aww, did someone not get what they wanted?" on the ''Raw'' after ''Royal Rumble'' 2014 to saying he should vent his frustrations with angry tweets and then vow to never watch again (along with his friend Mark). |
| 353 | * TrueCompanions: Wrestling/TheKliq, which also included [[RealLife real-life friends]] Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, Wrestling/KevinNash, Wrestling/ScottHall, and Wrestling/SeanWaltman. |
| 354 | * UnderwearOfPower: |
| 355 | ** He started wearing this when he was pushed to main event status. |
| 356 | ** He had actually worn one in WCW, but switched to the long trunks in his "Blueblood" persona. |
| 357 | * UnholyMatrimony: In kayfabe with Stephanie (later also his wife in real life), forming the [=McMahon-Helmsley=] faction and later the Authority. |
| 358 | * UnkemptBeauty: His DX look, jeans and t-shirt with ruffled hair, earns him more fangirl love than his [=McMahon=]-Helmsley SharpDressedMan. |
| 359 | * TyrantTakesTheHelm: First in 2000 when he married Stephanie and controlled ''Raw'', then again in 2013 when he screwed Daniel Bryan out of the WWE Championship title. He claims what he's doing is "Best for business"... |
| 360 | * VerbalTic: His infamous ending of many sentences with "uh", especially when getting dramatic. "I am... the GAME-uh!" Has been mocked a couple times by [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] during their feuds. |
| 361 | * VillainousBreakdown: |
| 362 | ** Had one on the March 10, 2014 episode of ''Raw'' when [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] organized a ''protest'' that occupied the ring and brought the show to a screeching halt. He managed to maintain some composure...until Bryan revealed he didn't ''just'' want him at [=WrestleMania=], but that if he won, he gets a title shot. Hunter ''lost it'' and had to be held back by security to keep him from trying to rip Bryan's head off in rage. |
| 363 | ** Happens at ''Survivor Series 2014'' when Team Authority begins losing (which means the Authority would be stripped of their power). He drops any pretense of playing fair and throws every YankTheDogsChain and tactic he can think of, up to and including punching out multiple refs until he finally calls in a crooked one. When even ''this'' fails and Team Authority is defeated, all he can do is hold his head in shame. |
| 364 | * VillainProtagonist: Oh yeah. He's a heel as of mid-2016 and he's been a main eventer for 15 straight years and counting. |
| 365 | * VillainSong: Both of his more recent entrance themes, courtesy of Music/{{Motorhead}}: |
| 366 | ** "The Game", his most iconic one so far, which sums up how much of a villanous badass he is in three minutes; and |
| 367 | ** "King of Kings", which he used almost exclusively during his recent heel authority figure run. |
| 368 | * VillainsWantMercy: He has shown this on a few occasions as a Heel & [[AintTooProudToBeg Face]]. A famous heel case was being at Austin's mercy on the forklift. Hunter screams for Austin to put him down, not to do something he'll regret, and that he regrets running him over him. |
| 369 | * VillainTeamUp: In 2001, with the now heel Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin (as the Two-Man Power Trip). |
| 370 | * VitriolicBestBuds: |
| 371 | ** Wrestling/ShawnMichaels. Anyone else mocks Shawn's receding hairline and new religion, they're headed for a beatdown. |
| 372 | ** A perfect example is his [[http://atlanta.sbnation.com/pro-wrestling/2011/4/2/2087732/wwe-hall-of-fame-induction-ceremony-2011-triple-h-shawn-michaels Hall of Fame induction speech]] for Shawn. Height, fashion sense, receding hairline, all are legit targets - and then you get down to the end, where he talks about how close he and Shawn are. |
| 373 | --->'''Triple H:''' You know, the only reason Shawn asked me to do this tonight is to force me to say something nice about him. |
| 374 | * VocalEvolution: |
| 375 | ** Either this or VocalDecay; when he first started, his voice was kind of high and nasal. As time as gone on, it's bottomed out and gotten more growly. |
| 376 | ** As about fifteen years have passed, this could be purely coincidental (read: age), but it's likely that some of this has to do with his CharacterDevelopment from his snooty Connecticut blueblood gimmick to the macho, sledgehammer-wielding brawler that he's been for the majority of his career. |
| 377 | * WarriorPrince: Plays this pretty straight in regards to the WWE itself. |
| 378 | * WeUsedToBeFriends: With Kevin Nash in kayfabe. |
| 379 | * WhamLine: Triple H taking over. |
| 380 | -->'''Triple H:''' Vince, you have been relieved of your duties. |
| 381 | * WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant: Hunter Hearst Helmsley was a parody of wealthy Connecticut {{Blue Blood}}s. |
| 382 | * WouldHitAGirl: He would habitually beat the crap out of his [=Kayfabe=]-at-the-time ex-wife. Justified in that her character was made out to be thoroughly deserving of every single beatdown-- i.e., she was a heel. |
| 383 | * WorthyOpponent: |
| 384 | ** Shawn Michaels stands out more than anyone else. Even after reforming DX, the two would still come to blows but walk out as friends. |
| 385 | ** The Rock and Triple H were engaged in a long and acclaimed feud in the Attitude Era, with each guy coming on top for several times. This rivalry was verbally referred to at their confrontation in ''[=WrestleMania=] 31''. In Austin's absence, they managed to work so well together that 2000 was WWE's most profitable year financially. |
| 386 | ** The Undertaker as well. He actually stated that the reason he wanted to face the Undertaker at ''[=WrestleMania=] 28'' is because they are the last two prominent wrestlers from the pre-Attitude Era days and he felt the need to put on one more era-defining match before they both retire. During the buildup to said match, [[https://youtu.be/N90tRd0CzUs Triple H went so far as to cut a promo of some of the Undertaker's biggest moments]] to remember the man he was at his height, rather than the 'Taker needing to be helped up the ramp after their match at ''[=WrestleMania=] 27''. |
| 387 | ** Chris Benoit. So much respect Hunter had for him, that he tapped out clean to the Crossface on three separate occasions within a year at a time when the IWC was vocal in thinking that Triple H was only looking out for himself. |
| 388 | ** Daniel Bryan is a subversion of sorts, as Triple H repeatedly stated that Daniel was a "B-Plus Player" on-screen, but in reality is very proud of all the hard work he has put in, and had no problem putting him over at ''[=WrestleMania=] XXX''. |
| 389 | ** Batista has the distinction of being the only man to defeat Triple H one-on-one in three straight PPV championship matches, is one of only two men (The Undertaker) to pin Triple H inside Wrestling/HellInACell, and is undefeated against The Game. In kayfabe, since Triple H was a {{heel}} at the time, he refused to admit that Batista was playing this trope straight. |
| 390 | * WrestlingPsychology: Even his detractors will (usually) admit he's got quite the grip on this and can really use the crowd to build his matches. |
| 391 | * XanatosSpeedChess: Executed brilliantly on the June 2, 2014 episode of ''Raw''. At the beginning of the show, Batista suddenly and unexpectedly declared his official departure from Evolution and, apparently, from WWE itself. With the group only having Triple H and Wrestling/RandyOrton remaining, it looked as if the two had finally lost the war to Wrestling/TheShield. By the end of the night, however, Triple H proclaimed, like the mastermind that he is, that there's ''always'' a "Plan B." That was Seth Rollins' cue to beat the living hell out of Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose with a steel chair. Evolution went from losing a member of its group to stealing a key member from its enemy, all in the span of less than three hours, without Triple H being able to pre-plan anything before that night. Evolution stayed alive by adapting, and The Shield perished, when it looked like the exact inverse was going to occur after Batista quit and The Shield thought they had won. Say what you want about Triple H's heel persona in {{kayfabe}}, but the man is the quintessential pro-wrestling [[TheChessmaster chessmaster.]] |
| 392 | * YankTheDogsChain: The man has had to fight accusations of being a creator's pet and a SpotlightStealingSquad for years. When he began to work behind the scenes, smarks began to love him for defying WWE's apparent "Big Guys and Eye-Candy" policy by having his first major decisions be hiring lucha star Wrestling/SinCara (formerly Mistico) and BrawnHilda [[Wrestling/KiaStevens Kharma (formerly Amazing/Awesome Kong)]]. Unfortunately, both of those acquisitions have kinda blown up in his face, as Sin Cara missed a lot of time between a Wellness Violation and injury, as well as being a patron saint of botching.[[note]]In December 2013, Luis Urive, the man behind the Sin Cara mask, left the WWE. The Sin Cara character is being played by Wrestling/{{Hunico}} as of 2015.[[/note]] Kharma, in the meantime, was put out of action for nearly a year due to a surprise pregnancy; she would go on to lose her baby and was eventually released by the company. |
| 393 | * YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Infamous for doing this to kayfabe underlings and stablemates. Nearly equally infamous for having it come back to bite him in the ass at some point later. |
| 394 | ** Kicked Wrestling/RandyOrton out of (the original) Evolution, resulting in Orton's transformation into the Viper and his tormenting of the [=McMahon=] family for the better part of ''ten years.'' |
| 395 | ** Conspired to do the same to Wrestling/{{Batista}} - instead earned the Animal as an enemy and lost his title. |
| 396 | ** Did so to Wrestling/ShawnMichaels. Several times. |
| 397 | ** Put a hit out on Wrestling/TheShield when they showed signs of rebellion against The Authority. He was found out, resulting in his former protectors going full rogue and costing him the WWE World Heavyweight Championship after Daniel Bryan had been essentially offered to Trips on a silver platter. |
| 398 | ** [[spoiler:Appears to have done this to Wrestling/SethRollins as well, directly screwing him in favor of [[Wrestling/KevinSteen Kevin Owens]] to put the WWE Universal Championship on the latter for reasons unknown.]] |
| 399 | * YouAreNotAlone: Part of another FriendshipMoment with Shawn when he falls on hard financial times & begins working for JBL. Hunter questions why Shawn didn't come to him for help and Shawn explains he didn't want that hanging over their friendship. An unimpressed Hunter tells Shawn he's being prideful, insisting that helping is what a friend does, and he's there if Shawn needs him. Shawn stands by his belief of needing to work things out himself and Hunter can only say he hopes Shawn knows what he's doing. |
| 400 | |
| 401 | ---- |
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