When I think of Iconic moments in the WWE, I think of Hulk Hogan slamming Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania in front of 90,000 fans in the
friendly confines of the Pontiac Silverdome.
I think of Stone Cold Steve Austin winning the King of the Ring and
basically cutting a promo that began the Attitude era. I also think of the
Ultimate Montreal Screw job that involved both Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. All
this begs the question, where is Hunters’ defining moment? Yes, he is a 13-time
World Heavyweight champion and one of the WWE’s most decorated wrestlers. Sure
he was one of the leaders of DX, Evolution and now the Authority. But is the Game that big? Does his long
storied history signify the storyline that his match against Sting is being
built upon?
Did I miss something over all of my years of watching sports
entertainment? The reason I ask is because when I look back at the History of
the WWE over the last 20 or so years, there are many other wrestlers I can make
a valid argument for being the face of the federation besides Triple H. Obviously, not all of these wrestlers would
be able to physically wrestle Sting at WrestleMania, but I think there is a
case to be made that would have opened up many more options. Someone needs to
convince me that Sting felt Triple H was the best person to wrestle for his
first, and maybe only match within a WWE ring at WrestleMania.
Sting has been the focal point of WCW and TNA, which makes
his build up valid. His history has always been the guy who had the company on
his back, making sure they were headed in the right direction. Triple H was a wrestler
who had some defining moments as a solo competitor and as a part of a stable.
He built up the likes of DX to be a focal point within the Attitude Era and
even staged a live march onto the WCW arena, which made for some great
television.
Triple H has accomplished many things inside of the WWE and
has definitely outlasted his cast. The numerous title runs, undocumented
returns, and fantastic matches definitely earn him a place in the history
books, but calling him the face of the WWE is exaggerating a little too much in
my mind. Obviously, creative couldn’t get
Stone Cold or HBK to wrestle Sting, but using Triple H to lead the momentum
based solely on the being the centerpiece for one federation is terribly
misleading.
Now even as the general consensus among the masses is that
he is truly an icon in the world of Sports Entertainment, there was one moment recently
that actually made some people start to re-evaluate their position on “the
Game” as well. An interview with one
Hall of Famer and actual icon, Bret Hart, basically sums up my exact same
sediments. (Video is Shown Below)
He also poses a good question; “How many times has Triple H ever truly had a great match?” Was one
of his only greatest matches the ladder match with The Rock for the
Intercontinental Championship? What has he done lately? Was his match against
Daniel Bryan that good? Brock Lesnar?
Honestly I only think 1 out 3 Undertaker matches can be
considered as a classic match. The first two Triple H vs Taker matches were
basically repeats of each other but the third, in my opinion, was the best. I
feel the Hell in a Cell match was a classic, but still is just a spot on a
career that has spanned many years.
Now I will not take away the entertainment values he has
given to this business, but when it comes to wrestling matches, I feel like he
always has me wanting more. He has always been a terrific heel and has carried
an audience as the voice of his stables. I just do not see him in the same roll
Vince inserted himself in when he was fighting for his visions with Stone Cold
Steve Austin. Therefore, I definitely can’t see him as the defender of the WWE
and its history in such an iconic match against Sting. Am I off base here? Does
anyone have a valid argument to insert him at the top of the WWE Icon chart? Thoughts?
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