Heartbreak and Happiness: 10 Wrestlemania Moments that Take You on an Emotional Roller Coaster

Heartbreak #2: Booker T Fails to Prove Triple H Wrong

Some careful writing in the buildup, or a different finish in the payoff, would have saved this feud

The World Heavyweight Championship match at Wrestlemania XIX had its fair share of issues, and most of them were in its buildup. Lots of promos from Triple H seemed to use racially charged language and imagery, with The Game focusing on Booker T's "nappy hair," and insisting that the five-time WCW Champion only be present to dance for the fans.

Worst was that "people like [Booker T]" were not "made" to be champions, a phrase which was difficult not to hear as a wealthy and successful White man denigrating a dreadlocked Black man along racial lines. Further, Jerry Lawler's commentary sounded iffy in 2003 but now sounds downright racist in 2018, all of which could have been forgiven had Booker overcome the apparent bigotry to take the Big Gold Belt home from Seattle.

Almost as much time passes between this move and the pin as Helmsley spent in the ring during his Wrestlemania debut

At the end, though, Triple H hit his Pedigree out of nowhere and, after an extended rest spot, made an exasperated cover for the three-count, which nearly deflated Safeco Field for the remaining matches on the show. Bruce Prichard insists that the buildup was not intended to be racially charged, and that the company agreed two babyfaces could not win world titles on the same show, per Vince McMahon, but both of those sound as misguided as Helmsley's request that Booker T carry The Game's bags and chauffeur him around.