In a career that's spanned just over two decades, Triple H has put a halt to several promising careers whilst reaching the top. For someone to be as successful as he's been, he's had to have trodden on the coattails of others.
Marrying the boss's daughter and winning fourteen world titles not only suggests that The Game was given a helping hand, it suggests that he runs the whole company.
In the late 90s, as Hunter began to become more and more influential backstage, his booking on the bill began to become more favourable. From being squashed by the Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania 12 to burying Sting at Wrestlemania 31, Hunter's rise to becoming the backstage king has been nothing short of phenomenal.
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Here are 5 WWE superstars Triple H has buried in the past.
#5 Booker T
There comes a point where several similar incidents continuously occurring can't all be a coincidence. Why is it that every guy that gets over on his own has to get his buzz squashed by Triple H?
When Booker T was on the cusp of becoming a main event player, Hunter stepped out of his way to shut him down. In 2003, Triple H was literally the only top guy around. When the likes of The Rock and Mick Foley left, Hunter sat on his own at the top of the mountain and refused to let anyone else reach the summit.
Also read: 5 Superstars who can end Triple H's career
Wrestlemania 19 was meant to be the PPV that elevated Booker T to the next level, as he faced The Game in a high-profile bout. Many expected Hunter to drop the belt and end his boring title reign to Booker, instead he pinned him clean.
HHH went on to dominate Raw while Booker was then drafted to the B-show SmackDown.
#4 Sting
Why bring back an icon in Sting just to bury his legacy at his first Wrestlemania ever? As a legend in the game with over thirty-four years in the ring, Sting had so much to offer the WWE Universe in 2014.
When Sting appeared at Survivor Series in 2014, it was clear that the WWE were building towards a Triple H vs. Sting match at Wrestlemania. From that moment on, we all knew the inevitable was coming. We wanted a Sting vs. Undertaker match, instead, we got an icon vs. a power hungry backstage official.
In an age where the WWE are struggling to create new crossover stars, why didn't Vince use the star power of Sting to put over younger talents at Wrestlemania, instead of wasting it on Triple H?
When you remember incidents like this, it's hard to believe that Vince wasn't using Hunter to squash all the past legends of WCW. You know, just to rub salt into the wounds.
#3 Scott Steiner
Steiner was a star in WCW and when his time arrived in the WWE, many anticipated that a greater career was to follow. On his first night in the WWE, Steiner received one of the loudest ovations ever recorded in history.
However, his popularity with the fans would soon diminish after a series of lacklustre matches with Triple H. The duo stunk out the joint on several PPVs, leaving Hunter to continue to be the top guy, while Steiner sunk to the mid-card.
Scott Steiner looks back on his time in the WWE with much regret, he attributes the demise of his career to the handiwork of Triple H, even going on to accuse The Game of purposely wrestling stiff in their bouts to make him look bad.
It’s safe to say that we won’t be seeing a Steiner return at the Rumble...
#2 Goldberg
As one of the biggest stars in WCW history, Goldberg was always destined for great things in the WWE wasn't he? Wrong again. After accumulating an unprecedented 173-match winning streak in WCW, it took less than a few months for Goldberg to lose after debuting in the WWE.
And of course, it had to be to the buzz-smuggler, Triple H himself. Goldberg's air of invincibility completely vanished after The Game pinned him. It wasn't even the fact that he lost, it was the manner in which it was booked.
A small sledgehammer shot was comically enough to keep Bill down for the three count, and after that, the fans never looked at him in the same way again. Now he's back in the WWE being booked as the biggest superstar ever, but we're not buying it.
And judging by the recent RAW attendances, neither are the fans.
#1 CM Punk
The voice of the voiceless truly became voiceless when the cerebral assassin tried to end his career. After having one of the greatest summers in professional wrestling history, CM Punk's career came to a screeching halt when he ran into the 14-time world champion.
Through what they've both said in the ring and outside of it, it's clear that the two talents have a deep sense of disdain for each other.
When a non-handpicked wrestler rises to the top of the company without any help of backstage politics, Vince hates it. And what does he do? He sends out The Game to put the fire out.
In 2011, Punk became THE top star in the company after getting the better of John Cena in two high-profile main events. Instead of being booked to go onto greater things, he was instead pitted against Triple H in a bout Hunter specifically came out of retirement for.
So surely, a man who wrestles once a year was going to put over the top star in the industry? Wrong. Triple H would go on to pin CM Punk and then go straight back into retirement.
Yes, Punk went on to keep being a main event talent but after getting pinned by Hunter, he was never seen as THE guy ever again, instead, John Cena returned to being No.1 and change became a thing of the past.
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