Triple H threatened to change members of legendary WWE faction

Speaking in the third episode of WWE Network series Ruthless Aggression, Triple H revealed that he threatened to find new members of Evolution if Batista and Randy Orton were unable to deal with the pressure of being hated by their fellow Superstars.

The 14-time World Champion joined forces with Ric Flair in 2003 to form a new faction with two of WWE’s brightest young talents at the time, but he knew that other members of the roster would question why Batista and Orton were hand-picked to be part of the group.

Recalling a conversation that he had with the up-and-comers before the faction debuted on television, Triple H said he and Flair wanted to give Batista and Orton the chance to be a success in WWE – but only if they were aware of the backstage politics that came with it.

“You have to make a decision today, and I want you guys to tell me how you feel about this. Because if you come with us right now, I’m going to do everything and he [Ric Flair] is going to do everything possible to make you guys successful. But if you’re concerned with what everybody else is saying about you in the locker room, or the way they feel about you, tell me now and I’ll pick somebody else.”

"Do you want to make friends or do you want to make money?"WWE #RuthlessAggression Episode 3 - "Evolution," available MONDAY on WWE Network. @TripleH @RandyOrton @DaveBautista @RicFlairNatrBoy pic.twitter.com/sIWDcrugFZ

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) February 22, 2020

Evolution’s WWE history

Evolution went on to become one of the most successful WWE factions of all time, with all four men holding titles as members of the RAW brand between 2003-2005.

Their final match as a trio came in 2014 when Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton were defeated by The Shield at the Payback pay-per-view.

In 2019, Batista retired after losing to Triple H at WrestleMania 35, and he is now set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in Tampa, Florida before WrestleMania 36.