What if The Rock faces Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 35?

#1. Triple H figures into the program

Triple H could provide a bridge between HBK and The Rock.

Were it not for Triple H suffering a torn pectoral muscle at Crown Jewel, we would have to expect that he would work a match at WrestleMania 35, probably against Batista or The Rock, with other stars like Kurt Angle and Braun Strowman as dark horse alternatives. However, with The Game out of a match, the most he can do is to participate in the build of another program. If Shawn Michaels vs. The Rock were to happen, The Game would be a natural fit to play a supporting role.

While Shawn Michaels and The Rock were in very different places in their careers when they shared a locker room, and otherwise mostly missed each other as main event level talents, Triple H is the bridge between them. He had high profile programs and great matches against both men.

Moreover, he is openly real life dear friends with HBK and has clearly expressed his mutual respect and sense of camaraderie with The Rock—his professional rival when each man was coming up in the business, and a fellow defining star of The Attitude Era. Triple H could provide key connective tissue for a Rock-HBK promo, besides helping to carry some of the promo weight as neither star could necessarily be expected to show up on Raw week in and week out in the build to ‘Mania.