Hunter Hearst Helmsley
I am that damn good…I am the Game
-Triple H

We can actually argue pound for pound who is the best wrestler in the industry. We can sit and debate who is the best in the sport. However, one thing remains the same. We know without a shadow of a doubt….Who are the prime time players and who is THE GAME!!!!!

Let’s look at the evolution (no pun intended) at Paul Levesque, Triple H.
Killer Kowalski’s wrestling’s school has produced many great wrestlers. Hunter is no exception. During his days in the (IWF) he started using the name “Terra Ryzing” (yes this is where the name came from) during his tenure in IWF Hunter won the tag team gold as well as singles gold. A preview to his many title reigns to come in the WWE.
After a stint in the IWF we find Levesque in the good ol’ WCW still using Terra Ryzing. This moniker in the WCW was short lived. He quickly transitioned into Jean-Paul Levesque…This was the beginning of the soon to be infamous blueblood persona. He was paired with “lord” Steven Regal at the time to further enhanced the “royalty” angle. While this tenure in WCW was also short lived, we were introduced to the Pedigree there.
Enter the WWF…Enter Hunter Hearst Helmsley; “The Connecticut Blueblood” This era was probably the launching point for the Hunter we see today as he perfected his mic skills and his in and out of ring performance. During this time we saw him briefly being managed (escorted) to the ring by different Valets. Most notable Sable; this led to the Marc Mero feud and the introduction of Chyna. During this time Hunter received the first of many pushes within the ranks of the WWE however this was stalled on May 28, 1996 when he faced an unknown wrestler (jobber) and a botched Pedigree inflicted serious injury to the neck of the wrestler. In the same year a seed was planted called the Klique…. However promised money from “billionaire Ted” sent members Hall and Nash to WCW. An incident, that will probably go down in history as one of the , most “unscripted” real moments in time saw Hunter, Shawn Michaels, and departing Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall say their goodbyes in front of a live audience in of all arena’s the world famous Madison Square Garden. His punishment for his involvement set him back in the ranks. His skill though couldn’t be denied as Monday night wars began to start. He won his first title, Intercontinental Belt in 97 while being managed by the late Mr. Perfect.

1997, the year that seemingly changed the sport introduced the famed group D-generation X: Members Hunter, Chyna, Shawn Michaels, and the Late Rick Rude. The original version didn’t last long due to Rick Rude leaving for WCW, Shawn Michaels suffering a real injury to his back. However due to the popularity of the group and the popularity of rival WCW”S NWO, DX could not die; Hunter introduced returning Klique member X-PAC and tag team “The New Age Outlaws” (Billy Gunn and the Road Dogg). This DX didn’t mess around. This feud with the WCW led to one Monday night episode where the WWE was live in Virginia and Triple H led DX “visited” a near by arena where WCW was live also and demanded Their “people” Hall and Nash be set free. They actually almost got in the arena, which would have made for and interesting moment in live television.

At this point to really be put over, Triple H needed Gold…enter feuds with the Rock and the Nation of Domination. He won the Intercontinental title in a ladder match but a knee injury forced the reign to be shortened. After this comeback we saw Chyna turn on Triple H as she joined the “Corporation” faction. Hunter needed more edge, Wrestlemania XV saw Hunter defeat Kane with the help of Chyna…DX reunion; NO WAY we witnessed Triple H turned on former DX member and friend X-PAC to join the corporation. This would be the first of many alliances/feuds with the McMahon’s and subsequent marriage to Stephanie…Sorry Test. Triple H was now the man. He held Championship Gold with this new push and new look….The GAME WAS BORN. He battled The Rock, He fought Chris Jericho, and He was involved in the storyline with Stone Cold and Rikishi in the rundown of Austin with the car. This later led to a returning Austin lifting Triple H’s car with a forklift and smashing it. Who can forget the Wrestlemania Match in 2001 which pitted Triple H VS the Undertaker (one of his 15-0 victims).

We saw the McMahon-Helmsley era continue and the start of we saw the “Two-Man Power Trip of Austin and Hunter win the Tag Team Titles. May 21, 2001 in front of a live Raw audience we saw the Tag Champs defend their titles VS Jericho and Benoit. In an attempted save Triple H tore his quad muscle and was helped back stage by Stephanie McMahon, this blow ended the Era, ended the Tag team championship reign and kept Triple H out of action for almost a year.

In 2002 Triple H came back renewed, The game won that years Royal Rumble and went on to win the belt again at Wrestlemania X8. After losing the title and being drafted to smackdown. Triple H was brought back to Raw in what was to be a DX reunion after the failed attempt of Eric Bischoff WWE brand of the NWO. This led to Triple H being teamed with long time friend Shawn Michaels who came back from a lengthly back injury. The Cerebral Assassin (hammer in tow) turned on his partner which led to a feud amongst friends. During this time Triple H defeated many superstars as champ and solidified his name as one of the greatest champions.

“Evolution” of the “Four Horseman”….We saw Triple H head this stable with Ric Flair, Batista, Randy Orton they ran over all the competition until they disbanded… with the firing of then champ Randy Orton and Batista coming into his own. Shortly after this we saw The Game go to the sideline for a brief stint only to come back to battle with then turn on Ric Flair, again (sledgehammer in tow) which led to their match in North Carolina for Triple H’s title. Randy Orton was fired from Evolution because he wouldn’t surrender the Title to Triple H.

During the next few years in and out of the ring Triple H made a name for himself. Husband to Stephanie since Oct 2002 in real life….not the time when they “got hitched” in Las Vegas on RAW he began to learn the Business behind the scenes but the ring keep calling.
In 2006 we saw Triple H battle John Cena at WrestleMania to a hyped crowd only to “lose”. HHH still on fire rekindled the feud with the McMahon’s which led to the reunion of DX two remaining members Michaels and HHH. Another Quad injury brought a quick end to DX however even till this day you can see the Green and Black attack appear together crotch chopping and putting their X’s in the air.

Some superstars come into this business and only reach a certain status, other superstars are put into a certain status and never elevate. “Paul Levesque”, “Terra Ryzing”, “The Connecticut Blueblood”, “Hunter Hearst Helmsley”, “Triple H”, “The Game”, “The Cerebral Assassin”…demanded and took the main event status. He pedigreed his way to 10 championships with victories over every major superstar and he has used his famous sledgehammer to knock his way into superstardom.

And if you ain’t down wit that, I got two words for you ……Next Week

-Martin A. Bryant