Former WWE star only agreed to let Triple H cut his hair on one condition

Triple H appeared in several mid-card storylines as Hunter Hearst Helmsley in the early days of his WWE career. In a recent interview, Duke The Dumpster Droese reflected on his experiences of working with the current WWE Chief Content Officer.

In 1996, Droese refused to work with Steve Austin, then known as The Ringmaster, due to frustrations with his character's direction. WWE's decision-makers booked him in a feud with Triple H instead, which included a moment where The Game cut his rival's hair.

Droese revealed on the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast that he only agreed to the storyline development if he could get revenge on Triple H:

"I remember sitting back in that room and looking at all these guys, sitting around, and the way they were looking at me, and I went, 'Look, I know I'm not gonna beat him, I know I'm not gonna cut his hair, so I'll do this as long as I have some way of getting revenge afterwards.' Vince McMahon said, 'Absolutely, yes, blah blah blah, we're gonna do it.'" [41:55 – 42:19]

The haircut segment aired on the January 27, 1996, episode of WWE Superstars. Six days earlier, Droese beat Triple H via disqualification in a Royal Rumble Free For All match.

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Duke Droese did not get revenge on Triple H

Despite receiving promises from former WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon, Duke Droese's storylines did not improve. He went on to lose to Triple H at In Your House 6 and on the April 8, 1996, episode of WWE RAW.

Droese signed a new contract around that time, but he left the company a few months later due to more creative frustrations:

"They were just like, 'Go out and do it,' because by that point, I had no bargaining chip because I re-signed, so they weren't as nice to me anymore. Vince's exact words were, 'Just show up like you always do, with a smile on your face and do your job.' And I remember sitting there thinking to myself, 'This is f***ing ridiculous. He's got me. There's nothing I can do. I have zero bargaining position.'" [43:56 – 44:23]

Droese also spoke about the unique way he pitched himself to McMahon before joining WWE in 1994.

Do you think Duke Droese should have beaten Hunter Hearst Helmsley again? Let us know in the comments section.

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Please credit the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.