Hi Scott,
A long time ago, maybe even close to ten years ago, you once mentioned this speech that HHH made to the WWE wrestlers backstage. It was kind of a motivational talk and referenced how the wrestlers were playing video games more than paying attention to what was happening in the ring, etc. It just made me laugh thinking of how clueless and out-to-lunch HHH was, especially since the speech was delivered around 2003, when he was basically in the midst of one of the worst main-event runs ever.
I wonder if you have a copy or something of your rant/take-down of that speech you could post. I remember reading it and thinking it was all a joke but it was actually close to what HHH actually said.
All best,
J
A long time ago, maybe even close to ten years ago, you once mentioned this speech that HHH made to the WWE wrestlers backstage. It was kind of a motivational talk and referenced how the wrestlers were playing video games more than paying attention to what was happening in the ring, etc. It just made me laugh thinking of how clueless and out-to-lunch HHH was, especially since the speech was delivered around 2003, when he was basically in the midst of one of the worst main-event runs ever.
I wonder if you have a copy or something of your rant/take-down of that speech you could post. I remember reading it and thinking it was all a joke but it was actually close to what HHH actually said.
All best,
J
I *vaguely* remember that speech, where he basically told the locker room that no one knew how to work and that they should be in the empty arena watching other guys instead of playing video games in the hotel rooms. If I'm remembering right, which I might not be, the idea was that Rock and Austin were on the way out and HHH and Undertaker decided they were going to step up and carry the promotion or something. As motivational speeches go it apparently wasn't the best. Someone else might have better recollection of it, though.
It is mentioned often that Triple H respects "the business" and has an old-school mentality about certain aspects of it. But then we read all the stories about how detrimental he has been in the past. Then how many of us fans believe that WWE will be better off with him at the top after Vince dies at the age of 182. I take the side of H being smart about the business but a bad people person.
ReplyDeleteI think Scott's best rant on this is in his second or third book
ReplyDeleteRight. I think "the business" is better off with him than without him. Is he going to piss people off sometimes? Sure...you can't please everyone.
ReplyDeleteI think all of the good workers at this time and have a hard time believing it was necessary. This would be right around the era of the Smackdown Six, Jericho and Christian. I guess I could see it being directed at RVD and the Hardys
ReplyDeleteIs this the one where Matt Hardy spoke up, basically saying in a kind way that the deliverer of the speech was full of shit, essentially resulting in him getting buried for life? Not that he needs help looking stupid, but this was one of those times where he should've just kept his mouth shut like the rest of the boys.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it was Wrestling's One Ring Circus (i think that's what it was called. It's the one with Test on the cover) Scott mentions the speech that HHH made, and how he finds it funny that it was made in front of guys like Flair, Benoit and Eddie, who can inmprovise a classic match on short notice. It was a good read
ReplyDeleteThat seems to be a check in favor of Triple H if Matt Hardy is opposing you.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Trips famously wanted Edge fired over Matt. So yeah, don't know how true that story is.
So, the gist of his speech was "look busy". Did it go something like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC8PzhNuh7w
ReplyDeleteI liked it better when the wrestlers did drugs and skipped the video games.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why we're all so aggrieved at HHH (allegedly) being self-aggrandizing and consistently booking himself at the top of the card. His actions are magnified by the demands of multiple weekly television programs, but has there ever been an active wrestler for a national promotion who was also the booker that DIDN'T put himself at the top of the card (and constantly)?
ReplyDeleteWhy would wrestlers in the top promotion on earth need to watch other matches to learn how to work?
ReplyDeleteThere's always something to learn if someone wants to. At the same time, once you're at that level you can probably afford to pick and choose what you watch. There's a middle ground. A lot of it is individual too - some guys could probably benefit from watching tapes more than others.
ReplyDeleteDelirious: For as long as he's been booking RoH he's nowhere to be found.
ReplyDeletePaul Heyman I think is another possible example, even though not a wrestler. Yes, he was Sabu's manager for a while, but the on-air authority stuff was left to Tod Gordon and Heyman on-screen was treated more like a producer. Once Gordon left, Heyman made appearances, but only as necessary.
Kevin Sullivan at various times in WCW - though it could be argued he did abuse his power with regards to Benoit.
I wasn't aware that Scott was present in the WWE locker room for this.
ReplyDeleteThis works so well at work. I'm amazed at how accurate George is.
ReplyDeleteMatt did speakup, but don't think it was during HHH's speech. It was during Vince's speech where he blamed the talent for the business decline around 02-03 and while Vince did say anyone was free to speak up, Matt made the mistake of speaking up and defended the talent and mentioned all the other factors that had to do with the decline of the business.
ReplyDeleteBecause then you get a huge push like Sheamus, who was at a house show he wasn't supposed to even be at!
ReplyDeleteNothing was worse than Dixie Carter's speech that she gave to the talent, the one they actually had the balls to air on television.
ReplyDeleteIt's like what Jericho said. When he was claiming to be the Best in the World he didn't truly believe it. In his words he said "That's the worst attitude you could ever have. Once you think you're the best you stop improving" There's always something you can learn. You can always get better.
ReplyDeleteIIRC, HHH made everyone come out to the ring while he stood in there by himself and gave the speech in front of the whole roster.
ReplyDeleteI thought that was later, like in 2006 or something, when the company banned video games in the arena. I remember he came out and said that it frustrated him that guys would come in and dick around in the back before the show, then wonder why they weren't improving and getting pushed. He said that if guys wanted to get better, they always had Steamboat, Arn, and others in the arena all day if they wanted that help or other advice.
ReplyDeleteI dunno, I thought it was a valid thing for him to say, esp. when we look at guys like John Morrison and Carlito who were always content to cruise along while leaving something on the table in terms of potential. I'd rather have that rant come from someone who really does live and breathe THIS BUSINESS (like HHH or Cena) than who doesn't. I kinda got Trips's side here, although there was definitely guys in the locker room then and later who didn't need to be told such a thing, but the people who he wanted the message sent to knew who they were.
HHH hated the Diva Search, therefore, I think he would be better for THIS BUSINESS once he's fully got the reins long-term just on that alone =)
ReplyDeleteThat's like trying to be a good writer without reading good writing. Or being a great fisherman without watching someone else do it first..
ReplyDeleteThat sounds right. And I think he made the point that HHH was being pushed beyond reasonability, or something along those lines.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna guess he had other reasons as well (great hair, solid matches, bitches love him, etc.)
ReplyDeleteYeah I mean...is he wrong? Sure it's a dick thing, but management isn't supposed to be nice.
ReplyDeleteTechnically, Triple H was right for wanting that at the time, Edge was insanely injury prone when he returned from his neck injury in 04, and isn't it like some locker room code that you don't bang some other guy's wife?
ReplyDeleteHindsight? Fuck Matt Hardy, the guy was nuts and I wouldn't blame any woman for cheating on him. And using that cheating in a storyline turned Edge into a SUPERSTAR.
This reminds me of a Honky Tonk Man shoot where he felt the boys would be better served smoking dope and getting laid than playing video games in the back before shows. The main quote that sticks with me is: "You mean you have some one like Trish Stratus walking around backstage and you don't want to stick your dick in that?!?"
ReplyDeleteYep, that's the one. I've got One Ring Circus and Tonight... In This Very Ring! in the drawer next to my commode for 'personal reading time' needs. It occurred in 2002 shortly after the Austin walkout, from the book's recollection of things.
ReplyDeleteHow many dates do most of these guys work a week? How often do they actually get to go home? Not to a hotel room, but to their actual *homes*? Like... you can't approach this from the same angle as being the manager of some 9-5 office or whatever.
ReplyDeleteI mean if these guys are *such* goof-offs, why they hire them in the first place?
But in the end, he was probably just trying to be all tough to impress his father-in-law. Probably worked too.
Dusty?
ReplyDeleteWell, we're only getting HHH's side here. I mean, you're taking him at his word that everybody was playing video games. I've seen more than a few speeches where small incidents are blown way out of proportion or isolated incidents are conflated to be widespread epidemics.
ReplyDeleteWe keep hearing about the videogame thing now, after they've been banned from the arena for a while, so maybe the lack of interest has less to do with the desire of the talent, and more to do with the messages being sent from up top that only certain guys matter.
London and Kendrick tell a story about visiting Titan Towers for a management/talent meet n' greet. They go in to see Shane and Snitsky is with them. Shane's real buddy, buddy with Snitsky, hugging him, slapping him on the back etc, and kind of indifferent to London and Kendrick, who realize that they'd better put their good foot forward. So they ask, real excited and such "How do make our name as tag team wrestlers?" because that's what they were made to be. Shane looked at them like they were nuts.
So what are Kendrick and London, two guys who did pitch ideas to creative, supposed to take away from that? They tried to show a good attitude, tried to kiss ass and show interest,but the ugly guy who's connected to Shane just shows up and gets the love in the room.
I mean are you going to tell me that the reason Ceasaro keeps getting beat by the Miz is because Ceasaro spends all his time playing videogames while the Miz is hard at work with HHH?
Not blaming Triple H for that. Edge was kind of a douche about the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteBut looking back...Jesus, Hardy to Edge? I have no shame in saying that Edge is a sexy, sexy man.
Dunno, I'm not Triple H.
ReplyDeleteSomebody needed to job to Cena though.
Well, somebody had to fish first...
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, learn from others. At least know what they do in case you ever have to wrestle them.
If I was a wrestler I'd know damn sure how the main-eventers wrestle. So if I ever get the chance to work with them it'll be the best match of the night.
And? They get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars. Expecting a lot from your employees when they're that well compensated isn't exactly ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI mean...if you don't like the way management is treating you. Quit.
And they hire them because they see potential. If you're not living up to your potential expect management to get pissed at you.
or, as in Office Space, "do just enough work to NOT get fired."
ReplyDeleteThat's like Dante... he wasn't even supposed to be here today!
ReplyDeleteDusty
ReplyDeleteSince you've got Gino as your avatar, I'll just say, "Will you stop?!"
I understand they get paid a lot. And usually.... the more people get paid, the *more* they think they can get away with. Still, I think my problem is more with trying to act in a paternalistic manner with people you are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars, who are at the top of their Game (so to speak) by having a job in WWE. It's like being a coach in the NFL (or other major pro sports)... you can act the tough guy, but most of the players won't respect it. Because they are millionaires, and know they are the best.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying Trips wasn't right, I'm just saying it's a poor way to try and manage people who are a) making bank and b) just trying to unwind during a grueling schedule.
In the end though, I think he's probably since learned his lesson, hence why we haven't heard about any such locker-room speeches in quite some time.
I always thought Edge was pretty weird looking from 1998-2002. He reminded me of an alien for some reason.
ReplyDeleteI had to go rewatch that again. Jesus fucking Christ was that stupid.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if she realized, it made her sound like a fascist.....
Yet, when CM Punk shoots about the guys who "show up and hope they're not penciled in", everyone's like "wow, what an inspiration."
ReplyDeleteBut with Triple H, essentially saying the same thing in the form of a wake-up call to the locker, is like "what an asshole! Telling these people who probably are unprofessional what to do!"
Oh, please. Delirious isn't in the same ballpark and he's not a draw. Paul Heyman, for Christ's sake!? I love him, but he's the most manipulative guy in wrestling (or at least up there with Vince). Sullivan!?
ReplyDeleteJust Joe wasn't a gimmick...
ReplyDeleteNow, y'see, it's exchanges like that, that keep me coming back to the BoD.
ReplyDeleteIf people were playing video games instead of using the chance to ask brilliant wrestlers like Arn and Steamboat for advice, HHH had every right to cut this speech. If you get to the majors, you bust your ass to improve and you make damn sure you take every opportunity you can get.
ReplyDeleteThe question was "has there ever been an active wrestler for a national promotion who was
ReplyDeletealso the booker that DIDN'T put himself at the top of the card (and
constantly)?"
I provided examples of people who were bookers as well as wrestlers (and in Heyman's case, on-air talent).
If the answers are that innocuous, though perhaps correct, then the question must be incredibly defeasible.
ReplyDeleteThe context of the question was defined in the preamble.
The goatee. It was very...nineties.
ReplyDeleteMost professionals I know thrive under challenges.
ReplyDeleteTelling somebody that they can sit on their ass is the worst way to motivate them. While calling them a fat loser...while cruel, motivates people just to shut up the asshole who said all that stuff about you.
and fucked the rats.
ReplyDeletei failed math.
ReplyDeleteYou and me both.
ReplyDeleteThis.
ReplyDeleteROH... National?
ReplyDeleteL.O.L.
The Mizbot beats Cesaro because he is programmed to. Just like he is programmed to give uniformly PR-managed answers in each and every WWE DVD he appears on. The Mizbot will 0 and 1 his way back to the Main Event of Wrestlemania while these "unique" and "talented" performers like Cesaro, Kingston and Kendrick waste their time wondering if they can escape the dungeon without using the wizard's key.
ReplyDeleteAll Hail Mizbot!
You can't say "Oh, well, this guy is kind of an asshole (or is going to be in the future, for crying out loud) and thus cheating on him is fine."
ReplyDeleteIf you're boyfriend/girlfriend is so terrible, break up with them at least before f*cking their best friend. What you think of them morally is whatever, but the fact of the matter is they were, by all accounts, really tight, and it's f*cked up to mess up someone else's friendship because your horny.
Oh, and just because Matt's insane now doesn't mean he was then - I think people forget sometimes just how awesome the Hardy Boys were... and that, if the storyline had played out right, Matt could've been a mega star, while still making Edge as well...
You could still do both
ReplyDeleteThey're not employees. That are independent contractors. Wwe can't have its cake and eat it too
ReplyDeleteI still can't believe WWE (and apparently TNA) get away with the "independent contractor" garbage. It's incredibly fucked up.
ReplyDeleteYeah, on your own-time. Not when at work.
ReplyDeleteDo they have a national syndicated deal and tour around the country? Yes.
ReplyDeleteI'm no ROHbot, but to say they're not national is plain wrong. But don't let the facts get in the way of the story you're trying to tell about how awful ROH is.
Where have people said that Punk's comments were inspirational
ReplyDeleteThe reason I'm so aggrieved about HHH booking himself at the top of the card is that when he has done so, the end-result is utter shit.
ReplyDeleteIt was Lita. All things are forgiven when it comes to fucking her... there is not even one excuse for not only not doing it, but doing anything that might endanger it. Lita's snatch must be like The One Ring since Matt Hardy's has gone insane without it.
ReplyDeleteI think it's easy to judge Matt Hardy based on his erratic behaviour now. But back then, he was a very hard worker and a respected performer who was very over with the crowd.
ReplyDeleteIf WWE wants the wrestlers to be more motivated and give it their all/go the extra mile, why not give them some stock in the company as part of their contracts like some corporations do? I'm not saying a ludicrous amount or anything. But perhaps it would help workers feel invested in the company a bit more.
ReplyDeletei checked their most current schedule they cross the mississippi river once in 3 months, for one day.
ReplyDeletethen back to their secured "territory"
and their national syndication deal through sinclair?
"it owns a total of 87 stations across the country in over 47 primarily small and medium markets, many of which are located in the South and Midwest. Broadcasts by SBG stations can be received by 27 percent of American households."
national... 27% is nationally syndicated?
and tour around the country meaning texas for one day. thats a road trip. not a tour.
ROH sounds like a glorified territory to me.
As an artist/writer, I thrive on criticism. I'd rather hear my work is shit than someone tell me it's great. I mean, I like hearing it's great, it's means I'm doing good, but after a while I want to be challenged.
ReplyDeleteAnd if I remember correctly, they specifically zoomed in Samoa Joe and he had this look on his face that basically said "I can't believe I work for this woman..."
ReplyDeleteBingo.
ReplyDeleteJK Rowling admires the fuck out of Stephen King, even went to him when she was trying to figure out how to end Harry Potter. Which is why King will go out of his way to promote her sometimes, and takes every chance he gets to bash someone like Stephanie Meyers.
That annoying douch really is like a corporate robot. He's awful
ReplyDeleteThat's why I said in hindsight. At the time, when Hardy was fired, I thought it was fucked up since he was the innocent victim, but Edge was the guy they were currently pushing at the time.
ReplyDeleteBut Matt was always a little nuts, he turned down a Wrestlemania payday when he was originally supposed to be in the Money in the Bank ladder match. He felt he couldn't work in the same ring as Edge, but then works with him three months later.
I'm not saying either side was right, but Matt did himself no favors with how he handled the situation.
Scott, you mocked it pretty well in one of your books. The gist was that HHH said they should be watching better workers and improving (like watching the HHH/UT King of the Ring '02 classic).
ReplyDeleteHe made the Pedigree a cool move and got it over to the point where the move is now synonymous with him, so clearly he's done some things right.
ReplyDeleteJust think, if he was never IN THIS BUSINESS, we would still be thinking of that move as a move that Ron Bass used for two years until he left the WWF.
Friggin' hilarious!
ReplyDelete"while cruel, motivates people just to shut up the asshole who said all
ReplyDeletethat stuff about you." - You couldn't be further from the truth. This style of management has been proven again and again to be ineffectual in the long term. Look at Apple and Google, they run their companies as if it were a partnership with their employees and they are incredibly successful. I'm not saying that being an asshole doesn't deliver results but the good people working for you won't work for you forever. Have you ever worked under such conditions? You personally, not "most professionals I know".
None of you have heard of Pat Patterson, apparently.
ReplyDeleteI don't recall him ever getting any main event matches when he was the head booker.
I may be confusing the meeting that the original e-mailer was asking about with another one, but I definitely remember hearing something about Trips giving a speech about how everybody should be bringing the goods and busting their asses every night, only for someone to point-out that it's hard to "bring the goods" when you're given three minutes of in-ring time and zero mic-time. I think it was shortly after that awesome Trips/Shawn match in December of 2003.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard about that. Funny she'd go to him when he's notorious for having terrible endings and this is from someone who LOVES King's work.
ReplyDeleteHonky's as full of shit as much as any other wrestler... but when he's right, he's RIGHT
ReplyDeleteIts also very common sadly. A lot of places, and I have seen this a lot in the IT field, pay someone as a 1040 (1090? Whatever the IRS form is) so they don't have to pay them benefits (even social security and unemployment) don't have to pay them when bussines is slow etc...
ReplyDeleteHealthcare costs, travel costs, living expenses, taxes. Also, most of these guys aren't going to be making that much for very long.
ReplyDeleteWell, JK Rowling is a good writer and Stephanie Meyer isn't, that has something to do with it.
ReplyDeleteand then to add insult to injury, they want to own your name.
ReplyDeleteThat's why if I was CM Punk, I would of just walked out.
Yeah, AJ didn't look to pleased either.
ReplyDeleteI get that she wanted to in a way "rally the troops" but damn she can't put a speech together properly and well.....more sensitively.
I assume the big changes she was talking about was bring in Hogan.
this guy gets it.
ReplyDeleteBecause they're not employees, they're independent contractors. The line between IC and employee is VERY fine pursuant to IRS standards and alternative forms of compensation (particularly equity) is looked at very closely when making the determination. A finding by the IRS that the wrestlers are actually employees could cost WWE tens of millions of dollars, including back penalties.
ReplyDeletepatterson wasnt wrestling.
ReplyDeletei thought george scott (or south) was the booker for wwf. when vince took over. didnt think pat was bookin til 88ish
Yes, but management is supposed to do their job, which includes pushing wrestlers and making their employees, sorry, independent contractors look good. Just because you pay somebody doesn't mean that it absolves you of all responsibilities, and motivation doesn't necessarily mean being a dick. It means you have to be willing to be a dick when the situation warrants it.
ReplyDeleteOne of the hard walls that comes up a lot in athletics and athletic like activities is that sports management does not want to be partners with talent. The attitude is "We'll pay you, we'll put up with you, but don't ask for a real partnership." This issue came up in the NFL labor dispute, and I'm sure it's a constant tension in WWE. HHH got around it by marrying the patriarch's daughter, but the Undertaker will never be a partner with his own office.
ReplyDeleteThere are in roads: Road Managers; bookers; slots on the creative team, but very few in roads to the actual boardroom unless you have an outside business that booms, or unless you are making Rock money. Come to think of that, even with all his money, the Rock is still an independent contractor.
I've never read the Twilight novels, but based on the terrible movies and opinions of writers I respect (King being one), I can't imagine them being really good.
ReplyDeleteThat's not at all disproving what I'm saying.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying that the company is completely blame-free. But motivating people and giving them good advice is not evil.
ReplyDeletePicasso once said, good artists borrow, great artists steal.
Watch your co-workers.
Telling people to watch the matches instead of sitting in the back masturbating isn't constructive criticism?
ReplyDeleteIt's six figures minimum. Except for really low level guys like the Usos and such.
ReplyDeleteAnd...they're still the best paid pro wrestlers in the game for their spot on the card.
I have, actually. I've had major douche acting teachers.
ReplyDeleteI didn't love it at the time. But I did grow, develop, get better at acting. And that...ultimately is what matters. Whether he was a good teacher that happened to be an asshole, or his asshole nature made him better? I don't know. But he was one of the best teachers I've had.
I do believe that having a positive relationship with your superiors isn't a bad thing at all. But I don't think that every one of your superiors should be somebody you necessarily like. Respect, yes? That is vital. But I believe that having one or two drill sergeants is a good thing.
Hell, if nothing else, Triple H at least gives most of the undercard a mutual enemy to hate together.
Polite. Not nice.
ReplyDeleteI agree.
ReplyDeleteThe worst bit of feedback ever is "nice job" or "well done".
Everything can always be better. And unless we know how it can be better there's no way we can make it better.
I've given my opinion of hhh on this blog ad nauseum so no point in rehashing but I just want to say he is the most over rated guy in terms of work rate and drawing power in the history of professional wrestling. Was he a good worker by 2000? Sure but he wasn't a stand out worker in way. There were always 10 guys better than him and give any other dude all those big gimmick matches against Foley rock and Austin and they get over too. Notice how every big hhh match is something that got 45 minutes, a gimmick, huge bumps, and the most TV time? He never ever stood out in a 10 minute midcard match or got over by jobbing in great matches to faces being built up. He played politics, got a push and crushed anyone who threatened his spot by politically undercutting them instead of "out performing them" on TV. I'd take the Jon cena era every day of the week and twice on Sunday over huntors reign of doom, which was so bad I stopped watching wrestling entirely despite following it my whole life before and after. And plus I'm supposed to give a shit now that's he's coo and doing the same shit any veteran wrestler in his place would do? Fuck that
ReplyDeleteNot sure I agree with that. He and Rock had a great feud leading up to an outstanding ladder match that was a very, very smart match by any standards. His later blood baths against Foley were indeed gimmicky and overblown, but to say that he never did anything real before his mega push isn't accurate either.
ReplyDeleteI think what gets me about HHH, and why I have a problem with him, is that he was given all the time in the world to develop. He was Jean Paul Levesque and he was the Blue Blood Hunter Hearst Helmsley all before he was the game. He had time to try different things out and to go through growing pains etc, but for someone who benefited from a lot of patience and effort, he sure has a very particular opinion of other people's work. If you look at his early work, it shows no more promise than anything Ziggler's done or the other stars who apparently don't have "it."
I was actually talking more of a corporate setting. Nothing against an acting job or class, but it's far from working in an office in whatever industry you want to pick.
ReplyDeleteI'd say that wrestling is much close to acting then it is to corporate america (which I've never worked...in cause it's fucking awful). For the wrestlers at least.
ReplyDelete"Before AIDS, sex was like shaking hands."
ReplyDelete"Hence AIDS."
Yeah....I'm not sure that whole "you shouldn't bang some other guy's wife" thing is a code restricted to the locker room.
ReplyDeleteJobber and Pear sum it up nicely. HHH got over because he got chances that the average worker doesn't get. He had two years as a great worker (98-2000), and was never good on the mic. There's a reason why Austin, Rock and even Cena have multiple multi-disk collections and Trips only has one.
ReplyDeleteI think that match was the most I've ever been invested in a wrestling match. I had been a fan of Shawn ever since I started watching wrestling, and I despised Triple H. Plus watching it live with the build and their previous matches I was ready for Shawn to win. Every near fall had me going and when they pulled the rug out at the end and reversed it I was BEYOND pissed.
ReplyDeleteWell, obviously. I meant that even if it's an ex it's frowned upon in the locker room. Hell, didn't Dixie force Jarrett to go home when he started seeing Karen?
ReplyDeleteSaying that context is everything in this situation would mean that we should look at identical opinions from two separate entities and judge them differently. If Punk and HHH hold similar beliefs about wrestling it doesn't matter what the power they wield respectively is because the discussion is about work ethic (which they both have in spades), therefore treating them differently from that standpoint is hypocritical.
ReplyDeleteI know which direction you're taking this because you post a lot about how much of a bad person Triple H is (which is cool with me because that's an original view), so I know that you'll go on to point out his "hypocrisies" during the nadir of his main event career (incidentally when the rest of the shows blew... but ignore that glaring fact) while failing to mention the highlights of his career and the gravitas he had from being the biggest heel during the hottest period of the WWF, not to mention *probably* being the biggest star bar Austin and Rock.
That's why he was welling up with tears like a teenage girl who just got her first period at SummerSlam.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, it is weird that Triple H gets an upper hand on Brock, the guy they've booked to look like... oh no hold on, they cut the legs off of *that* at Extreme Rules.
Yeah, well, he's still a DICK!
Whoever downvoted this is a fat lazy fuck who plays too many video games.
ReplyDeleteI remember the ending vividly and I had the same reaction Shawn had: I beat the shit out of an innocent man.
ReplyDelete"Okay, so next week, I beat Hogan for the title."
ReplyDelete"Take that KY and get the hell out of my office."
HHH wrestled in a Hog Farm match... I'd say he's proof that busting your ass yields results. Heck, he got depushed worse than Ziggler and managed to get to the top.
ReplyDeleteYeah... Kendrick was on course to being an upper mid-carer, and blew his opportunity by being a 'rebel.' And Cesaro? He's losing to someone above him in the pecking order. No harm, no foul!
ReplyDeleteI don't think HHH is a bad person. My impression is that he takes wrestling very seriously (in a way he's a lot like Bret Hart in that regard) looking at it positively or is deeply insecure looking at it negatively.
ReplyDeleteWell, the hypocrisies of that speech during the nadir of his main event run was that Smackdown didn't blow. Also, if you read down a little further in the thread you'll see that I do mention the highlights of HHH's career. Also, Vince McMahon was the biggest heel during the hottest period, but we can argue that at another point.
My issue with Triple H was that from 2002-2005 he wasn't very good and he dominated the shows. January of 2000 to May of 2001 is one of the greatest years by any wrestler ever in terms of in-ring performance, IMO. I haven't minded him from when he jobbed to Batista on when it seemed less like the HHH show. I didn't love his Wrestlemania matches with the Undertaker, but I lay those on Taker as much as HHH.
It just bothers me when Triple H is booked as an invulnerable badass who is always the smartest, toughest, best guy in the company who comes back and beats Punk and possibly Lesnar (if HHH loses to Lesnar then I'll be wrong and that's fine).
If you're a HHH fan, that's fine. Depending on the situation I am too, I prefer him to Cena and would willfully watch Steiner-HHH a thousand times before I'd watch a Randy Orton match. But you have to be out of your mind to say that HHH is a bigger star than the Undertaker or Cena (to name two guys).
Brock has looked like a monster, Cena beat him with a chain (and lord was that stupid, but whatever). Triple H wanted his HBK or Ric Flair moment at Summerslam. But no, please defend the contract signing.
ReplyDeleteThey are only at work in the ring. They have hours and hours of downtime. They're supposed to all talk to steamboat for 10 hours every day? Who cares what someone does so long as when the lights go on they deliver.
ReplyDeleteI think it's the best match they ever had against each other, including Summerslam '02. Just brilliant wrestling.
ReplyDeleteHow is booking a mid card champion to lose consistently to the same guy, sometimes in under 5 minutes a smart move in any universe?
ReplyDelete"...all of his ideas for business ended with him looking like the coolest, smartest, toughest guy who ever lived."
ReplyDelete"Triple H wanted his HBK or Ric Flair moment at Summerslam."
Two different angles in two consecutive posts. I'll be impressed if you can do it again.
Summerslam 02 and Raw 03 are so close that it's hard for me to separate them. Raw 03 had better drama because I was watching it live and I watched Summerslam 02 on video tape. Both are ***** classics to be sure.
ReplyDelete