He Could be the Next: Mel Gibson
Acting Ability: Like the Undertaker, Triple H projects a depth of sincerity that few wrestlers can match. Even with outlandish storylines, such as drugging Stephanie McMahon for a quickly Las Vegas wedding, Triple H makes things seem believable. And he's more than a seething caveman spewing spring water all over the place. The ceremony on Raw in which he was supposed to renew his wedding vows with Stephanie featured a Triple H with panache and timing. He was able to build suspense simply with the expressions on his face, a feat only the best actors can accomplish.
Triple H shines in backstage vignettes. He is just as entertaining without yelling and with out spouting catchphrases, too. Helmsley avoids becoming an overbearing presence and allows the strength of the story to pull viewers along. That's the mark of a terrific actor.
How his departure would affect WWE: The company learned to live without Triple H during his hiatus from a torn quadriceps, which kept him on the sidelines from May 2001 to January 2002. Triple H's absence was palpable in the beginning with much of the burden shifting to Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho. When Benoit underwent spinal surgery in June and Jericho failed to gain his singles footing, WWE relied on the chaotic, often illogical Alliance storyline. Would that have happened if Triple H were still around? Maybe not. If Triple H weren't able to convey a logical angle through his promos, the flaws might have been detected earlier.
The Rock's departure proves WWE can survive the loss of any superstar. But Triple H is more than a marquee attraction. He is an asset behind the scenes, able to provide common sense and logic to storylines that often become convoluted at the hands of Hollywood writers. Come to think of it, he'd be useful on any movie set.
Rodney Hines' View: "Triple H represents the primitive male beast in the present day. Some knock Hollywood because leading men have become too feminized, looking at stars such as Ben Affleck, Hugh Grant, and Freddie Prinze Jr., just to name a few. On the other side of the spectrum, you have these grunting Visigoth's like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Steven Segal, none of whom is great at portraying real human emotion.
"Triple H could merge the masculine and the feminine the way so many leading men did in the 1940s and 1950s. You know, the macho men who said, 'I know you like it, baby,' then grabbed their dame by the hair and gave her a big, smooching kiss until their tobacco juice came oozing out. Also, Triple H has a witty side that women find irresistible."