The clocks indicate that it is, in fact, time to play the Game. Triple H has had quite the career in WWE, debuting as an English Snob and retiring as a leather jacket wearing dad.
The Game unfortunately revealed today that he will be retiring from in-ring competition due to a battle with viral pneumonia, so what better time than to look back at the greatest times that the Cerebral Assassin stepped into the squared circle.
10. Triple H vs. Batista – Vengeance 2005
One of the best storylines in WWE history was Batista’s rise in Evolution. After much buildup, ‘The Animal’ finally challenged Triple H at WrestleMania 21 and won the World Heavyweight Championship. Things could not be settled there and a Hell in a Cell match was booked for Vengeance.
This stands as one of the best Hell in a Cell matches ever as these two brutally beat each other. Many of Triple H’s best matches have an additional stipulation on them as you will see on this list. This is one of the best examples of that as Triple H brought the aggression he is best known for.
9. Triple H vs. The Rock – SummerSlam 1998
Prior to his rise to the main event scene, Triple H and The Rock feuded over the Intercontinental Championship. You wouldn’t think of these two as Ladder Match performers by any means, but they showed a different style of match fans had not seen before.
Neither man has ever been much of a flyer so instead, they brawled and used the ladder as a weapon. The emphasis was put on drama rather than stunts and it resulted in one of the biggest matches of SummerSlam 1998. It wasn’t long before both men would find themselves on top of the business and doing battle over a much more prestigious prize.
8. Triple H vs. Daniel Bryan – WrestleMania XXX
Triple H has often been criticized for having slow and boring singles matches. Truthfully, much of that criticism has been earned but one match that stands out is his WrestleMania XXX battle with Daniel Bryan. Bryan had been tormented by ‘The Game’ and The Authority since SummerSlam and now everything had come to a head.
Bryan is one of the best in-ring performers in WWE history and the mix of new-wave wrestling and old-school wrestling was perfect on this night. The match was never boring and we saw a match people were genuinely invested in. People lost their minds when Bryan finally got the win and this stands as one of Triple H’s best modern matches.
7. Triple H vs. The Undertaker – WrestleMania XXVIII
There is debate over which of Triple H’s WrestleMania matches with The Undertaker have been the best. For now, we will place his WrestleMania XXVIII encounter here. This was the culmination of years of storytelling as Shawn Michaels served as the referee. They billed this as the ‘End of an Era’ and while that may not have been true, it felt like a big deal.
The drama in this match was excellent as Michaels struggled with whether to help his partner. This match stole the show as Undertaker’s streak reached 20-0. This may have been better than their first match but that focused more on Triple H’s role than this one so it will place higher.
6. Triple H vs. Dean Ambrose – Roadblock 2016
Dean Ambrose was never pushed to the highest level in WWE but this match was one of his highlights. He has said that he thinks this will be one of the last old-school matches in WWE. Considering how wrestling is evolving, he may be right.
At the Roadblock WWE Network special, Ambrose challenged Triple H for the WWE Championship. This was another of Triple H’s best modern matches. They didn’t have a ton of high spots, mostly limited to Ambrose crashing and burning through the announce table but otherwise, they just wrestled. And these two are very good at that wrestling stuff.
5. Triple H vs. Cactus Jack – No Way Out 2000
Triple H entered Hell in a Cell for the first time at No Way Out 2000. At the time, this was known as Mick Foley’s match for a long time but this match was a passing of the torch moment. ‘The Game’ had been WWE Champion for most of the prior six months but it was his rivalry with Foley that truly made him a star.
This was billed as a career-threatening match for Foley so there was increased emotion from the fans. This was one of the more hardcore Hell in a Cell matches in history with fire and barbed wire abundant. Their chemistry was always top-notch as you could make the argument that Foley was Triple H’s greatest rival.
4. Triple H vs. Steve Austin – No Way Out 2001
It is hilarious to think that Steve Austin, the hottest star in wrestling, lost to Triple H ahead of the biggest WrestleMania ever at the time.
It had been revealed that Triple H was behind the hit-and-run that had put Steve Austin on the shelf for a year and it was time for their rivalry to culminate. They came together in a Three Stages of Hell match at No Way Out 2001. This match was phenomenal with each man earning a fall before settling things in a Steel Cage.
Austin and Triple H always worked well together. This just happened to be their best match. While the insane booking decision here is distracting, it doesn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of the match too much.
3. Triple H & Steve Austin vs. Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit – Raw (May 21, 2001)
It is difficult to find this match due to Chris Benoit’s involvement but it is a classic. One of the best Raw matches in history, Triple H and the now heel Steve Austin took on Chris Jericho and Benoit for the World Tag Team Championships.
This is famously the match where Triple H tore his quad for the first time. While that is what it is best known for, this was a fantastic performance. The fans were out of their minds to see the Canadians take down the top heels in the company.
2. Triple H vs. The Undertaker – WrestleMania XXVII
We spoke earlier about whether the first or second Undertaker vs. Triple H WrestleMania match was better. (Yes, I know the real first WrestleMania match was at WrestleMania X-Seven) This one places higher on this list as this was Triple H’s match.
When ‘The Game’ hit a Tombstone and crossed Undertaker’s arms for the pin, the world froze. The fans all thought they had seen the end of the streak. While that was not the case, this was an all-time classic nearfall. The rest of the match was also great and this truly needs to be seen to be believed.
1. Triple H vs. Cactus Jack – Royal Rumble 2000
While the Hell in a Cell match was the end of their rivalry, the Street Fight Triple H and Mick Foley had at the Royal Rumble in 2000 was a defining moment in Triple H’s career. People had yet to see him as a bonafide main event star or even see him as being tough for that matter. That changed here.
Foley and Triple H beat the hell out of each other in Madison Square Garden. Thumbtacks and barbed wire were recurring characters in this brawl and by the time Triple H walked away the victor he had earned the fans respect. This was voted the rivalry of the year in pro wrestling and it could easily claim to be the rivalry of Triple H’s career.
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