#2 - TRIPLE H
TRIPLE-H (6'5", 269, 12, 10)
PATH TO THE TOP 10:
225th in 1994; 84th in 1995; 79th in 1996; 31st in 1997; 24th in 1998,
in 1999; 1st in 2000; 6th in 2001; 10th in 2002.
TOP FIVE MOMENTS OF THE YEAR:
1. Was awarded the Raw championship by Raw GM Eric Bischoff on September
2, 2002.
2. Defeated Kevin Nash to retain the championship 1n a "Hell In A Cell" at Bad Blood.
3. Defeated Shawn Michaels in a best-of-three-falls match at Armageddc regain the championship.
4. Humbled Scott Steiner in their No Way Out clash to retain the champions
5. Beat Kane in a title vs. mask match on the June 23 edition of Raw
WHY HE'S NUMBER 2:
Other than a one-month interruption by Shawn Michaels Triple-H has
thoroughly dominated the Raw championship scene throughout the past year ... Triple-H lost the title to Michaels in a bloody six-way "Elimination Chamber
match at Survivor Series, but regained the belt one month later at Armageddon ... Following that victory, Triple-H systematically defeated any and all comers, including Booker T, Kane, Ric Flair,'Steiner, and Rob Van Dam ... He has benefited tremendously from the guidance of Flair, and Evolution has become the 2003 version of Flair's Four Horsemen ... An apparent rift between Hunter and Flair turned out to be a ruse designed by "The Game" ... Triple-H defied the odds to beat former pal Kevin Nash in a "Hell In A Cell" match at Bad Blood, in spite of the presence of his arch-enemy Mick Foley as guest referee ... He defeated Kane in the biggest match in Kane's career, forcing "The Big Red Machine" to give up his mask, even though Triple-H needed plenty of outside interference to get the job done ... While he has proven to be a more dominant champion than many would have expected, Triple-H continues to rely on outside interference and his ever-present sledgehammer in the majority of his title defenses, even when he's shown he's perfectly capable of winning on his own merits.
WHERE HE'S HEADED: Triple-H's biggest challenge on the horizon seems to be Goldberg, a man who has let the world know he's no fan of "The Game." However, at this point there seems to be little reason to believe Goldberg would present much more of a challenge than Steiner, Booker T, or Nash did. Like Flair, Hunter lives for his title, whereas Goldberg's motivations have always been murky (and some question whether he will remain in WWE over the long haul). Triple-H appears to be prepared to continue to dominate the title picture, especially now that Randy Orton is back to assist him. However, as long as Hunter's old enemy Steve Austin is a co-GM of Raw, he's always on the verge of being forced into a mattch that puts him at a severe disadvantage. Another X-factor is The Rock, who is back in the fans' good graces and is now expected back in WWE in the fall. Neither Triple-H nor Rock has been able to establish himself as the dominate force in their ongoing feud, and Rock stands the best chance of being the one to ruin Triple-H's good fortunes.