(Guest written by Matt)
So I had quite a bit of extra time this weekend and decided to watch this DVD set I’ve had sitting on my shelf unopened for at least five years. I actually have several of these unopened WWE sets and I suspect I will end up watching some more of them over the coming summer.
I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Triple H for many years. I’ve enjoyed many of his feuds and matches and I even considered him my favorite wrestler for a period of time in the early 2000s. On the other hand, all his bullshit politics have pissed me off for many years, starting with the Kliq in the mid-late 90s and then even more so as the 2000s dawned and he became one of the most powerful men in the company. My hatred of The Game’s politics often overshadowed the great feuds and matches he was having, especially in the height of his career in the early-mid 2000s. And with you hating him even more than I did, it was always hard for me to admit to liking anything Triple H did. As the years have continued to pass, I have been able to get over much of my old biases and just sit back and enjoy great wrestling. That’s what has finally allowed me to become a big Shawn Michaels fan, for example. I’ve finally matured enough as a fan and a person to put all that crap in the back of my mind and to enjoy how much hard work he put in every night to entertain the fans.
As for Triple H, he isn’t quite in the same category as a Shawn Michaels. One thing I noticed right away in this DVD set, is that almost all of the matches featured have something in common. They are all weapons filled brawls and/or stipulation matches. Triple H was the embodiment of the late Attitude Era/early Ruthless Agression Era, and was always most at home in these type of matches. Put him in the ring in a regular match and its really hit and miss, largely depending on the talent of the man across the ring from him. But give him a sledgehammer and stick him in a hell in a cell and The Game instantly becomes a ring general. When the ultimate history of pro wrestling is written, no one is going to be raving and ranting about Triple H’s scientific ability, but they will remember the insane brawls and how great they were, in moderation anyway.
As for this DVD set specifically, it was released in 2008 and is the second of three Triple H DVD sets to be released in the last decade. I have the first one: “Triple H: The Game” which I watched about ten years ago and barely remember it. But most net fans have argued that set is much better than “King of Kings”. And “Triple H: Thy Kingdom Come” (released last year I think) is generally considered the best, especially for hardcore Triple H fans. The King of Kings set is somewhat unusual in that it really doesn’t have a documentary feature. The focus is on the matches, and Triple H does interviews between the matches which kind of flow like a half-assed documentary, but don’t tell much in the way of new stories. Also, the match selection is bizarrely random. It includes some true greats, but also some strange choices. And stranger still is the total absence of many of the best matches and feuds of Triple H’s career. In fact entire sections of his career are left out, such as the late 2000/early 2001 era, which I personally consider to be the best of Triple H’s entire career. I’m thinking those eras were covered quite well in the “Triple H: The Game” DVD and perhaps he didn’t want to repeat anything. But still, why matches like Marc Mero vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and Triple H vs. Edge vs. John Cena? Why include those on a special DVD set?
Overall I enjoyed the set but it won’t go down as one of the all-time great DVD sets. I’m thinking you might hate it, since you still seem to hold a grudge against Triple H, even though most of that bullshit happened years ago.
The DVD jacket itself is hilarious and disgusting at the same time. The plastic outer case shows Triple H dressed in his King of Kings outfit and it doesn’t look too bad. But when you slip out the actual DVD case, underneath is shows a bunch of impaled skulls and Triple H now has a Skeletor face. What the fuck? Reminds me of those stupid Marilyn Manson CDs and all their fucked up cover art.
Anyway, the first DVD opens with a long video segment showing Triple H beating the hell out of tons of guys and bloodying them in many cases. Then it goes to Triple H talking, which continues through the entire DVD in between matches. He takes about two minutes to discuss training with Ted Arcidi and Killer Kowalski, and his entire WCW career. Then he talks about being called up to the WWF and becoming Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Then it goes to the first match.
Raw May 22, 1995
Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeats John Crystal
So this is the debut of Hunter Hearst Helmsley, in the WWF anyway. I think this match was also on the “Triple H: The Game” DVD as well. It is just a jobber match, nothing more and nothing less. And I don’t really get the point of including it. I must say though, I laughed at “Hunter Hearst Helmsley”, what a stupid gimmick it really was, and what geeky music.
Next, Trips talks about winning the intercontinental title and about how important that belt used to be, and how it used to be the workhorse title of the WWF. He talks about how much he learned from Marc Mero because Mero wasn’t that great in the ring and forced him to become a “ring general” in order to continue to look good.
Raw October 21, 1996
Intercontinental Title: Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeats Marc Mero
I missed this Raw live at the time, though this isn’t the first time I have seen this match. It is historical for sure, but not a particularly great match, and I’m again surprised it was included on this DVD. Mr. Perfect turning heel on Mero was very obvious during the pre-match interview, but I doubt I would have picked up on it at the time. This is 1996, “The Year Of The Resthold” and this match is mainly just armbars and headlocks, until Perfect taps Mero on the head with a chair and pulls Helmsley on top of him for the pin.
Next Triple H talks about the Curtain Call and how he was supposedly de-pushed for awhile following it. Of course it’s been long since debunked this bullshit, pointing out how Helmsley continued to be pushed hard following this incident, and it was really only 95 and early 96 where he was forced to “pay his dues” (in other words, before the Curtain Call happened).
King of the Ring June 8, 1997
King of the Ring Final: Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeats Mankind
Now this match was great. Once again, its not the first time I have seen it, but I don’t think we saw King of the Ring live at the time. Triple H really pays a lot of respect to Mick Foley on this DVD, and these two did have a lot of great battles. The early going of the match is a lot of stalling and slow brawling, but it eventually picks up the pace, and the two just beat the hell out of each other inside and outside of the ring. I’ve always hated Chyna, but she wasn’t as bad in this early role as a silent bodyguard. Its funny that she hits Foley with what appears to be a giant candlestick (like in Clue) and Hunter picks up the win. He then beats the crap out of Mick with the crown after the match, and Trips explains he did this against McMahon’s wishes because he didn’t want to wear it.
Next Triple H talks about the Attitude Era and how his emerging Triple H character was an amplified version of himself. (How many times have we heard that? And why doesn’t WWE do that anymore?) He also talks about the formation of DX and how Vince was supposedly against it early on, but once it started making money, he changed his tune.
Wrestlemania 14 March 29, 1998
European Title Match: Triple H defeats Owen Hart
I really hated this match at the time, and even a few years ago when I watched all the Wrestlemanias, I continued to complain about it. The number one issue of course is that Owen really deserved to win the belt. He was one of my favorites back then and I was so sure he would finally be getting a big push as a result of carrying on the Hart Family name in the WWF. But instead, he gets royally screwed and his career never really recovered. I still agree with my old attitude and as such I still get pissed off by this match. But given that so much time has passed, I now found myself able to appreciate it as a pretty solidly worked bout. The DX Band were laughable of course, and Triple H still looks kind of Hemsley-ish so he’s a character in transition. But the match is an insane brawl early on, and then descends into a back and forth battle. You’re so expecting Owen to come back and win the belt in the end, but instead Chyna interjects herself and bloodies Owen, allowing Trips to get the cheap pin. I now kind of like this match and think it makes sense on its own. But really Owen should have finally won the belt in a rematch later on. Instead, the match was used to elevate DX further, and bury the last remnants of the Hart Family legacy, and that is bullshit.
Triple H then talks about X-Pac’s return (but never mentions the New Age Outlaws, LOL) and the goofiness of 98 DX and all those “Invading WCW” segments. He then shows a clip of him turning on DX and becoming a main event heel in the process and talks about how in the end those guys were holding back the further development of his character and rise into the main events. (At the time, I loved Triple H turning on those ass clowns and it made him one of my favorite wrestlers for awhile.)
Raw August 23, 1999
World Heavyweight Title Match: Triple H defeats Mankind
This is another case of a good match associated with bad politics. Steve Austin put over Mankind the day before at Summerslam in an extreme show of respect, and then the very next night Trips just won the belt anyway. Why not just have him win it at Summerslam then? Or how about giving Mick a brief run with the belt for a couple months before losing it to Trips? That’s bullcrap, and one of the many reasons why Danny stopped watching WWF around this time. Anyway, the match itself is really quite good. Its again an insane brawl with lots of cheating and weapons use, and The Game’s style is definitely evolving into what it will be in the later Attitude Era and beyond. Almost the best part of the match is the guest commentary of The Rock who throws in a ton of “shoots” about Triple H and the company holding him back and making him wrestle Kiss My Ass matches with Billy Gunn etc. Shane McMahon then enters the match as a replacement referee and screws Foley, right after Triple H smashes The Rock with a chair. (Too bad none of the classic battles between the Game and the Rock are featured on this DVD set.) And Triple H then picks up the bullshit win. (I guess he was an effective heel as I hated this so much at the time.)
Next Triple H talks about how much he respects Steve Austin and loved working with him many times over the years. (Triple H’s feud with Steve Austin in early 2001 led to some of the best matches of his entire career, but that feud is completely absent from this DVD set. I think their classic battle from No Way Out 2001 was on the previous DVD.)
No Mercy October 17, 1999
World Heavyweight Title Match: Triple H defeats Stone Cold Steve Austin
This match of course happened during a time when we were completely spoiled and hated the current product. We even hated Austin, even though he was still having great matches all through this period. This match was No Holds Barred and is exactly what you would expect from the Attitude Era. Just one big insane brawl fought all over the arena, but not so much in the ring. One weird thing is the Gund Arena had this weird hardwood floor near the entrance way where they did a lot of fighting. My favorite moment is where Austin clotheslines Trips with a giant giraffe neck camera. Most of the match is Austin beating the shit out of Triple H with weapons. Its really exciting at first, but then kind of runs its course after the first ten minutes or so. Jim Ross’ head is absolutely exploding throughout this one. In the late stages of the match, it finally ends up in the ring where Rock comes down with taped ribs and lightly taps Austin with the sledgehammer “by accident” and Triple H gets yet another cheap win. I like it in this case though as Austin was injured and needed some time off. There was no good reason for him to win, and his damn John Cena like smirk and invincibility were definitely getting to be too much.
The next part of Trips recounting the McMahon-Helmsley Era. He claims it was Chyna’s idea for him to marry Steph in storyline and he didn’t even really know Steph at the time. (I wonder if this was true? Or was Triple H just making a bad joke?)
No Way Out February 27, 2000
WWE Title Hell In A Cell: Triple H defeats Cactus Jack
This was probably the best match on the entire DVD set and one of the best of Triple H’s entire career. I think Mick Foley talked about this match during that comedy show we went to a few months ago. Its actually an improvement upon the Hell in a Cell between Mick and Undertaker from two years prior, and is full of blood, weapons and brutality, and death defying stunts (from Mick anyway). This is the perfect kind of match for Triple H in that he’s got a guy on the other side of the ring willing to take an insane number of hits and bumps and to make him look like a million bucks. And on top of that, he really doesn’t have to wrestle, just beat Mick up with weapons. By the time I got through this insanity, I was starting to get sick of these type of matches.
Triple H then skips over the late 2000/2001 era of his career (most likely covered on the previous DVD), only briefly mentioning his tag team with Steve Austin in late 2001 and his injury at that time.
Royal Rumble January 20, 2002
Triple H wins the Royal Rumble Match
This was probably the most pointless inclusion on the entire DVD set. It joins the Rumble in progress at number 22 when Triple H enters and the whole thing is just fifteen minutes long. I really do like the 2002 Royal Rumble, its one of the better Rumbles of that era and better than much of the crap that followed in later 2002. But seriously, what was the point of including it here, other than just for historical purposes? Have another match, damnit!
Disc 2 starts with more clips of Triple H beating the crap out of guys to bolster his own ego.
Then he talks about his best buddy Shawn Michaels, the falling out they supposedly had in real life, and Shawn’s return to the company as a wrestler in 2002. I can remember hating Shawn and his feud with Triple H so much at the time, but so much time has now passed, I can finally appreciate the great matches it led to (and not so great as well as in the case of Royal Rumble 2004).
Armageddon December 15, 2002
2 Out Of 3 Falls (Basically a Three Stages of Hell Match) for the Heavyweight Title: Triple H defeats Shawn Michaels
This is a great match, but its another one of those matches where I almost feel guilty liking it because you can cut the politics with a knife. Trips and Shawn put the pushes of new guys on the backburner for almost two years so they could main event against each other. This is probably the best match between these two from this era, though it kind of seems almost over the top. I forgot how insane some of these weapons battles were. The first part is just a regular match but they still manage to beat the crap out of each other with weapons, with Triple H pedigreeing him through a table for the win. The second fall is inside a steel cage where Shawn picks up the pin. And then the third stage is a ladder match where Triple H grabs the belt and wins the title back.
After this, Triple H briefly discusses Evolution (and the group really was only in the WWE briefly as they rushed the breakup) and the rise of Batista. He makes it out like Batista is one of the best wrestlers of modern times and how important it was for him to give the Animal a rub on his rise to the top.
Vengeance June 26, 2005
Hell in a Cell Match for Heavyweight Title: Batista defeats Triple H
Finally, Trips loses a match on this DVD set! About damn time. Anyway, the match between these two at Wrestlemania 21 was a slow, plodding mess. But this match is actually quite good. It plays to both men’s strengths as it is once again, an insane weapons filled brawl. It isn’t quite on the level of the HIAC match with Foley, but still a great straight up brawl with lots of blood. Batista is hilariously wearing white trunks and boots in this match, like Triple H at Mania 20, or Lex Luger in his NWA days.
Triple H then talks about Ric Flair being his idol and what an honor is was to finally wrestle him. (I call bullshit on this as Triple H once flat out said Flair should just retire.)
Survivor Series November 27, 2005
Last Man Standing Match: Triple H defeats Ric Flair
If the old time Ric Flair pisses you off, you would love this match because 90% of it is just Triple H beating the piss out of him with sledgehammers, tables etc. and Flair really bleeds a gusher. Flair looks terrible out there and is just a punching bag for Triple H. Its really sad in a way but also awesome because the match is so fast paced and brutal, even if its completely one sided.
Triple H then talks about newcomer John Cena (LOL) and how he had to take the kid down a peg or two because he thought he was ready for the main events right away but was terrible in the ring. (What’s changed other than the two being bossom buddies?) He then talks about how Cena worked hard to improve his moveset and become a legit athlete and how he now respects Cena and was proud to put him over.
Backlash April 30, 2006
Triple Threat Match for WWE Title: John Cena feats Triple H and Edge
This match is okay, but not really worthy of including on this DVD set in my opinion. Cena is his usual annoying self with five moves and stupid dance antics. Edge carries the load. And Triple H bleeds, and eventually eats the pin. That’s about it. The match follows the usual triple threat formula where one guy lies outside the ring while the other two fight it out, then they switch it up. I’m guessing the only reason this match was included on the set was to make it look like Triple H puts over new guys. (Too bad most fans hate Cena a lot more than the Game.)
Bonus Features
In Your House 5 December 17, 1995
Hog Pen Match: Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeats Henry O Godwinn
We remember this match quite well. What a huge memory! This whole show was so great as it included lots of zany gimmicks and surprises. I remember at the time being so surprised that Hunter won because I still thought in terms of the 80s where good guys always had to win these type of matches, and workrate was irrelevant if you were a heel. Now I think it made far more sense for Hunter to go over and continue to rise up the card.
Burlington, Vermont November 1, 1992
Flying Tony Roy defeats Terra Ryzing
This is Hunter’s first ever match and it takes place in a weird high school gym in Burlington, Vermont. Jim Ross and Triple H provide dubbed over commentary and its basically all Ross asking the Game questions about how he broke into the business early on, which is pretty cool. Ryzing has a blonde Sting-like mullet and blue tights and is actually pretty good in the ring, at least for this indie show. Roy, the highflier gets worn down, then makes a comeback and pins the future Game with a sunset flip. Not bad for what it is, I guess.
the RepoDan Wrestling Institution 