When did Triple H become the Internet darling??

It's amazing to think that very early on in this new century Triple H was considered public enemy number one in the eyes of the Internet wrestling community. Considered by many to have surpassed even Hulk Hogan in the politicking stakes... He'd literally slept his way to the top after he'd finished with Katie Vick...

Fast forward to 2011 & he is most peoples pick as the man we hope will turn around the WWE's fortunes.

If you'd stop watching wrestling for a decade & returned just now how on earth would you explain this?????

Can anyone see Cena being the great hope for WWE in 2020??

I don't think anyone ever doubted HHHs ability or mind for the business. My guess would be that its a simple case of absence makes the heart grow fonder, so the 10 or so months that he was off screen and the sporadic appearances he has made sense have increased his popularity, amongst his recent talent acquisitions. Regarding the politicking, I have wondered to what extent that is true and what is hyped up by the IWC.

On your other point, I'll make a bold prediction and say Cena will be remembered as one of, if not the greatest, superstar of all time. He just needs to freshen up the character a bit to get the respect he deserves

Triple H is a wrestling GOD.

To be honest I think it's more to do with the fact that Vince has gone completely batf__k insane rather than anything the Game-uhh has done.

Admittedly the early signs are promising, with the signings of Awesome Kong, Sin Cara and Jon Moxley and a shake-up of the talent department in general. These are all things that are being credited to Gamelicious, whether or not he actually had a hand in them or not remains to be seen - if it's all a raging success then he'll take the plaudits, if it's a huge failure he'll be distanced from it all and it'll be blamed on Zack Ryder.

Do I still think Triple H is a giant tool? Yes.

Do I trust him to do the right thing for the WWE, rather than himself or his friends? No.

But the simple fact is that Vince is attempting to move further and further away from the wrestling banner, and we all know that Trips is the heir to the throne. So we're (perhaps foolishly) hoping that Terra Ryzin can return WWE to how it's meant to be, because like it or not (I don't particularly like it) he's our only hope now.

theundisputedY2D2 wrote:To be honest I think it's more to do with the fact that Vince has gone completely batf__k insane rather than anything the Game-uhh has done.

This.

However as a HHH mark (there I said it) I've never held him in contempt the way some of the IWC has in the past. Do I think he will be the saviour of the WWE? Who knows!? I can't say for definite that things will drastically improve with him at the helm-sley (see what I did there ); anyway joking aside I do believe him to sincerely be passionate about the business and I am sure he will want to do the right thing for the company. I've always been impressed by his work ethic - and even though he's done a lot in the past to try and secure his own legacy nevertheless he has worked tirelessly for the WWE for many years now. He joined the WWE because he wanted to wrestle frequently; he actively sought the frenetic and demanding touring schedule of the WWE because he loved to wrestle so much! So I think with his experience and commitment he will have a good idea of how to improve the product.

talkingpoint wrote:I can't say for definite that things will drastically improve with him at the helm-sley (see what I did there )

Outstanding. Have a biscuit!

I would say it is more that he is stepping back. Will he play as much politics when he is in an office job and running the show? Hopefully not.

His ego has always meant he helped himself and his friends bury up and coming talent that threatened to take their spots. If he is out of the active roster...or even just making sporadic appearances then there is less chance that this will happen.

He will have his favourites....he will help them further their careers....possibly/probably at the expense of others; however I think he will be fairer. Let's face it, every manager of every industry will have their go-to guys.

I have to agree with Y2. I think it is also the fact that VKM seems to have an apathy towards the product and the early signs of HHH being officially involved behind the scenes are promising. It gives us hope that there is someone at the heart of it that can push it in the right direction.

It may also be that Vince splits his brand away from the wrestling side and leaves HHH to the wrestling business. After all, even going back to 99 and Beyond the Mat Vince commented that he was in the business of "making movies". I doubt he sees wrestling as anything more than a vehicle for keeping WWE in brand conciousness and producing talent for his in-house movie team.

Providing HHH continues to produce a requisite number of Cena's for this purpose I think he will be left to run the rest of the wrestling side of the business as he sees fit. Yes VKM has a huge ego, but he doesn't see the wrestling bit as important...

Do I think that things will massively change? No, not really. The PG era is going to stay for now, at least on Raw/SD, though the PPV's probably won't be watered down in the same way.

Also, following the heavy story-led run up to WM it is nice to see matches as opposed to promos and recaps take a more central place in proceedings and one aspect of the route that HHH has come from is that he is going to realise that while promos etc are important, that the action has to be central to things.

It will also be interesting to see if he is going to be an on-screen authority figure (like McMahon from 97 - 03) or behind the scenes with GM's etc. Could he be the Raw GM?? - The logic would be a bit flawed looking back, but it would be a reasonable fit now... (especially if Foley could be tempted back as the anti-HHH).

Overall I think that attitudes have mellowed to him as people forget the politiking and remember the loyalty to the business that some other high profile guys haven't shown. He has used others as a stepping stone in the business; but has never used the business as a stepping stone and I think that fans respect that.

In terms of how he is likely to run it - as DT says, every manager has their favourites or the guys that they trust to do a job (just as in football) and I would expect it to be no different. I do think though, that there will be a chance for guys with less of a WWE look to make it big as well. It is probably what has hampered CM Punk and Daniel Bryan up until now after all.

HHH populairty always seems to grow when he's not around, and he has been absent quite a lot these last few years. That popularity usually evapourates pretty quick when he returns as you realise why you didn't like him so much in the first place. There always seems to big this huge furour about him coming back from a long stint out, as if he is going to be the saviour, but of course that's never the case and shows up how desperate some fans (me included) are for a reason to make them love WWE like they once did.

Also, I think there are sections of the IWC where they like to do the oppposite of what's cool - in this case it's Poopie on HHH on the tinternet.

Some interesting very valid points....

He has gained respect for the loyalty he's shown the business

His ability & determination to return from several serious injuries has endured him to the smart fan.

The injuries in recent times have watered down his character meaning he's fairly fresh & still relevant

On the business side....

The return of the vignettes & the signing of new talent

The general state of the product at the moment meaning a saviour is needed

It really annoys me cos people think the product is bad but even when something good happens the IWC hate it anyway so what's the point?

HHH like many have stated, has a good mind for the buisness and as Vince seems to be taking it away from Wrestling as a whole, they are holding hope that HHH may bring it back in eventually. He is not the internet darling, people either like him or they don't but that don't mean they don't respect him for who he is or what he has done or even what he can do.

Miky I appreciate your enthusiasm but without sounding patronising your a bit young to appreciate how much better wrestling was in the late 80's & 90's to today's product... & I dare say at aged 7 you didn't understand the Triple H character who envolved from Shawn Michaels bag carrier to main event McMahon-screwing ego maniac

I'm not denying that i'm too young to remember that. I still understand that people will find that better because that's when they were younger and its pure nostalgia for them, like you which is fair enough.

What i'm saying is, no matter what happens and because of what you said the IWC will never be happy, they always complain. I understand and people could say this is my era and i appreciate the stuff i watch more than most, but that don't mean i don't understand, so i would appreciate you wouldn't cancel out my opinion just because im younger.

Fair play pal.... You do seem to have a lot of passion for wrestling like I showed when I was your age. Keep it up buddy

I do have a passion for wrestling and i know that i am a complete mark for Cena and alot of people wonder why, but i just appreciate him as a person and i do enjoy his character aswell. I'm also a mark for HHH even though i do know about some of his supposed antics over the years, so i am very open minded to things.

theundisputedY2D2 wrote:

talkingpoint wrote:I can't say for definite that things will drastically improve with him at the helm-sley (see what I did there )

Outstanding. Have a biscuit!

Thank you it was delicious!

Well deserved my friend, well deserved!

I love Mikey's innocence, just don't talk to any strangers you

Yes he's much better off talking to his internet friends.

LOL touchè

I still hate Triple H, if that helps

It's alright crips, me and you will get through the Triple H love-in and when everybody starts hating him again because he's made himself champion we'll be stood atop the mountain of smugness basking in the warm glow of 'I told you so'.

Triple H is a very very smart man. He has previously been able to cover his backstage shenanigans by using his character to get himself 'over' onscreen. Whether its the comedy DX skits, or the powerful heel promos, you cant deny he is a good talker and makes the audience listen. He is a decent performer in ring and i think his ability on both the mic and in ring, paired with his constant will to put others over at Wrestlemania after Wrestlemania help earn a bit of respect from the IWC and its helps balance the scale with for the fact he is a 13 time World Champion and all of his previous backstage antics.

I personally dont mind the guy and his passion for the business cant be questioned. Ok so he's 'looked out for number one' at times but lets be honest, who wouldnt? I also feel he'd be a multi time world champion even if he hadnt had the backstage pull, ok maybe not 13 times but his talent merits world title reigns that is for sure.