The "Cerebral Assassin" has emerged as the most dominat force to be reckoned with in the World Wrestling Federation. He has won over fans and gone from being one of the Federation's most hated competitors ever to being one of it's most adored and worshipped. ut his past reveals many things that could easily come back to bite him right on the @$# if he isn't careful.
One thing must be completely understood in order to truly comprehend the situation at hand: Triple H was once an evil and manipulative S.O.B.
Now, he may be basking in the adulation of the fans, but let's take a look at the man who originally becam known as "The Game" back in the summer of 99. The man who had Stone Cold Steve Austin run down by a car. The man who ummeled Mick Foley into retirement with a flaming 2X4. The man who aligned himself with Vince McMahon when it suited him politically.
But most importantly, let's remember the man who stole Stephanie McMahon from her fiance Test in November '99. The man who drugged her and married her against her will at a Las vegas drive thru chapel just to play with her father's mind, who didn't reveal this act until Stephanie was literally about to utter her marriage vows to Test.
Triple H seems to have finally had a change of heart, abandoning his old ways while still retaining his killer instinct and will to win. But given his track record and well-documented psychological tactics, it's only normal to view him with a somewhat skeptical eye. In fact, stepping back to look at the big picture lends a perspective to the McMahon-Helmsley relationship that definitely gives one pause.
The degree to which the estranged couple traded places is remarkable, and almost defies explanation. And when you know Triple H like most astute Federation fans know him, you can't help but wonder if maybe he brought the whole thing on himself. He thought he was the living personification of evil, and he was close tot he truth. But he made the mistake of entering a world of evil beyond even his comprehension. He made the mistake of involving himself with a McMahon.
At the start of this whole situation, poor, little Stephanie McMahon was the victim, remember? The sweet, innocent girl swept up in a classic love story with the handsome Test. Her virtue seemed so overpowering that it even managed to transform the evil Vince McMahon into an apparently changed man. But then the devious Triple H stepped into the picture and tore it all apart. Poor Stephanie was terrified of and disgusted by the man she had unwittingly married. And he was enjoying every minute of it.
To the viewer, the situaton was clear: Triple H was going to milk his politically motivated marriage for everything it was worth. Before long, he had succeeded in warping his new wife to his way of thinking. At Armaggedon '99, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley revealed in a dramatic fashion that she was a willing acomplice of her husband. The once sweet and fresh-faced girl turned onher own father in his match with Triple H, leading to "The Game's" victory that night. The McMahon-Helmsley Era had begun.
Mostfans were shocked by the startling transformation of Stephanie. They blamed it all on Triple H's malevolent influence. But many inside the sport knew that the kernel of evil that existed within her from the beginning. Triple H might have awakened it, but it was always there. Even "The Game" himslef probably had no idea of the monster he had created. To most, she seemed the victim. And at the start there may have been an element of truth to that view. But things changed in one h@ll of a hurry.
While Triple H was busy reaping the obvious advantages of marrying into the McMahon family, Stephanie began slowly but surely to turn the tables. The first step was the implosion of D-Generation X. Co-founded by Hunter, DX had been wreaking havoc in the Federation for over two years, and always managed to stick together regardless of the circumstance - that is, until Stephanie came into the mix. Some have compared her o Yoko Ono, the wife of John Lennon who is rumored to have played a part in the break-up of the Beatles. It's a comparison that's hard to refute.
At the start of the McMahon-Helmsley Era, Triple H's DX cronies (at the time X-Pac, Tori and the New Age Outlaws) had to cope with being a part of a larger group. Like it or not, they had ben absorbed, and in the end, this proved their downfall. Billy Gunn was the first to go, the victim of a vicious DX beat down at the start of 2000. As Stephanie continued to express her disapproval of her husband's friends, the friction within the group grew. Over the next several months, X-Pac and Road Dogg started distancing themselves from Triple H,ad when their tag team self-destructed in the summer of 2000, it signaled the end for the d-generate clique.
The dominance of the so-called McMahon-Helmsley Faction reached it's zenith over the course of 2000 and early 2001. Triple H was unstoppable, reigning for many months as Federation Champion. But all th while, Stephanie's powers of manipulating were increasing. At Wrestlemania XVI, she managed to win her father over to her side, despite breaking his heart only months earlier. Through her influence, a forced alliance was forged between Triple H and his father-in-law Vince McMahon. Apparently the "Cerebral Assassin" forgot that his hatred for Vince was one of his reasons for marrying Stephanie in the first place.
As time went on, it seemed like Stephanie had more to gain from the union that Triple H. She began playing with his emotions, using him to take out her aggression on other Superstars. The most memorable example of this wuld be the Triple H-Stephanie-Angle love triangle, in which Jurt Angle seemed to have stolen the affections of Mrs. McMahon-Helmsley. In the end, it was all a test of Hunter's devotion, as Stephanie demonstrated by taking a sledgehammer to Angle at Unforgiven 2000 during her husband's match with him. She had gotten what she wanted: Triple H had proved he would do anything for her.
The greatest test of the McMahon-Helmsley marriage came in the spring of 2001, when Triple H was put on the sidelines by a quadriceps injury suffered in the ring. At first, Stephanie seemed the picture of a dutiful wife, standing tearfully by her husband's side on his slow road to recovery. But once she revealed herself as the owner of ECW during the Alliance inasion, her husband's condition was put on the back burner. Stephanie's lust for power was more prevalent than ever as she broke her father's heart for a second time, joining with her brother Shane in an attempt to run Vince out of business. In all this, Triple H appeared the furthest thing from her mind. Even the most casual observer could tell at tis point that Stephanie's devotion to Triple H was dubious at best.
We're all familiar with the events that followed Triple H's triumphant return in January. He finally smatened up. He awoke one morning and realized he had gone from the player to being played. He allowed Stephanie to do to him what he had done to her. This realization indoubtedly led him to consider dumping her weeks before she announced her bogus pregnancy to the world. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that sham for what it really was: Stephanie's last-ditch attempt to keep Triple H around. She knew the jig was up, and thought up one last emotional power play. Luckily for Triple H, he was informed of the situation by his mother-in-law Linda, leading to the dramatic breakup of the Federation's first couple on Raw in Febraury.
Although at press-time Hunter and Stephanie were still technically married, the McMahon-Helmsley Era seems, for all intents and purposes, to be over. Triple H has emerged from his wife's bloodsucking clutches stronger than ever. If anything, the McMahon-Helmsley blowup has motivated him more than ever before, lighting a fire inside him that cannot be extinguished. Triple H, the master manipulator, has not taken kindly to being the victim of manipulation himslef. The fury he unleashed on his future ex-wife was like nothing seen before from this intense and volatile Superstar.
In fact, don't be surprised if the World Champion still has more than a few aces up his sleeve. After all he's pulled in the past, it's plausible that this has all been part of one grand scheme, and that Triple H has been pulling the strings all along. Or maybe, just maybe, we haven't really seen the end of the McMahon-Helmsley Era. It must be remembered that we're dealing with two supreme practitioners of the art of manipulation, and thus, we can never truly be sure of anything.