"Anybody who tells you that they go to WrestleMania and don't get that feeling or that butterfly or that different excitement, they're in the wrong business, because if you don't have enough passion to feel it for this one, there's nothing in you." -Triple H, WrestleMania X-7 Magazine.
- Triple H, Wrestlemania X-7 Magazine
One fan at a time, the cavernous Toronto Sky Dome began to fill. Showtime was less then a hour away and Triple H quietly prepared by himself in the backstage area. The very picture of his "Cerebral Assassin" nickname, he sat alone, contemplating the moment.
Just a few short months ago, he had been held captive - or so it seemed - in Birmingham, Alabama, rehabbing a torn quadriceps muscle. Now, his WWE Undisputed Championship match with Chris Jericho had attracted a sold-out crowd of nearly 70,000 to the biggest date on the WWE Calendar, Wrestle Mania.
A few hours and a Pedigree later, Triple H walked out of the SkyDome with the WWE title around his waist and the luster restored to his name. After a career-threatening injury and excruciating comeback, Triple H was again on top of the sports-entertainment world. As one of the longest-tenured WWE Superstar, Triple H has competed in more consecutive WrestleManias than anyone on the roster. When he steps through the ropes at Seattle's SAFECO Field, he will be taking part in his eighth straight 'Mania, a remarkable feat. The life of a sports-entertainment performer of course has its perks, but what many fans don't know is that most Superstars never go a day without feeling the aches and pains inherent to their sport. So the fact that in today's extremely competitive and ultra-physical environment a Superstar like Triple H can remain healthy enough to compete in eight straight WrestleManias is a huge testament to his superior conditioning and renowned fitness regimen.
"This is a very tough business," Triple H once said in a WWE interview, "and if you want to be in it, you make your way through the pain."
It's been a while since Triple H became a marquee name. But it wasn't always this easy for the man now considered among WWE's all-time greats. At one time, the man now known as "THE GAME" was struggling to advance to a heavy-weight contenders' spot.
In his very first match at the crown jewel of sports-enterainment, Triple H - then known as Hunter Hearst-Helmsley - was soundly defeated by Ultimate Warrior in a match that lasted less than two minutes. It was a rude awakening into WrestleMania competition for the youngster who grew up watching the sports-entertainment spectacular and idolizing the Superstars who weekly graced his television screen.
Right there, he realized that he couldn't stand being just another wrestler: he wanted to be the main attraction on the biggest night of the year, and he wanted to make it an annual occurence. So he shifted into high gear, immersing himself into studies of champions past and present. Less then seven months after his first 'Mania setback, he took a giant step forward when he won his first major title, defeating Wildman Marc Mero for the Intercontinental Championship. Since then, its been full steam ahead for Triple H, a man who was consistently remained at the top of an ultra-competitive business while others have come and gone.
"I always felt that I had the ability and talent, [and] that if given the opportunity, I could run with it and be on top, that I could carry the ball," he said in WWE's 2002 publication of The Game. "There's a lot of great boxers in this world who are never given title fights. You have to be given that opportunity. You have to be put in that spot. To be put in that spot, to work as hard as you can and be given that spot is what it's all about."
And while he has had one of the most outstanding careers in recent history, he has faced more than his share of adversity along the way. An infamous Madison Square Garden incident with his fellow "Kliq" members Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels and Scott Hall got him into hot water with the company. He suffered a ruptured quad in the spring of 2001 that threatened his career. And he is a lighting rod for many internet wrestling websites which somehow proclaim knowledge of the inner workings of WWE.
Through it all, "The Game" has kept moving forward, continuing to evolve into a worldwide phenomenon. He has been a World Champion on seven occasions, a number exceeded by only a handful of others, among them Triple H's idol Ric Flair(16), Hollywood Hulk Hogan(12) and The Rock(9). He has built his legacy through dedication, blood, sweat and an incredible knack for creating memorable moments.
Several of those have come during WWE's yearly spectacular. At WrestleMania XVI, he became one of a select few WWE Champions to enter and exit 'Mania with the gold, when he defeated The Rock, Big Show and Mick Foley in a Fatal Four-Way match. The contest was also memorable because it was the career finale for Foley, who finally got to live his dream of headlining a WrestleMania, only to bow out after a pair of Triple H Pedigrees. That match was also significant for Triple H because the venue - The Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California - was the same one where he had been crushed by the Ultimate Warrior. Now, four years later, he not only stood at the top of the sports-entertainment world, he had caused the retirement of a legend in the process.
In 2001, "The Game" and Undertaker fought in a legendary No-Hold-Barred Streetfight, which, despite little buildup, proved to be one of the night's show-stealers. With two of the most intense competitors in WWE history going head to head, the atmosphere in the Reliant Astrodome was charged as the duo kicked up the brutality level to unseen heights and tested the physical thresholds of pain. Though Undertaker ultimately emerged with the win, the gusty performance of both men are remembered.
And in last year's epic in Toronto, the "Cerebral Assassin" finally disposed of his ex-wife, Stephanie Mcmahon, as well as the perennial thorn in his side, Chris Jericho, Pedigreeing each into oblivion on his way to another WWE Championship.
Much like the Undertaker, who will be competing this year in his 11th WrestleMania, Triple H has made himself an institution at the spectacular, and the fans have become accustomed to expecting great moments from him. But if there is one thing missing for Triple H's amazing resume, it is the lack of a signature moment at the sports-entertainment spectacular, a moment that remains forever etched in fans' minds. Of course, such moments are few and far between. Most of the time, they involve the unexpected, something that simply can't be planned for. For that reason, they're magical. The Hulkster had his legendary match with Andre The Giant at WrestleMania III. Stone Cold Steve Austin capped his triumphant climb to the top before a raucous crowd at WrestleMania XIV. The Rock showed that he truly is the "Great One" when he toppled Hogan in a matchup of legends in Toronto last year.
Until now, Triple H's greatest 'Mania moment remains his Fatal Four-Way win in Anaheim. In it, he became the first heel to win in the main event of WrestleMania. Much like an NFL team with home-field advantage, the playing field had always been skewed towards the crowd favorite, until Triple H changed that with his history-making win.
Make no mistake about it, Triple H is already among the greatest in WWE History. He has built an incredible legacy of success. He has repeatedly proven himself one of the toughest men in the business. He has had some undeniably great 'Mania matches, but scarily, his true legacy still remains ahead. Perhaps it awaits him in Seattle.