D-Generation X has re-united, and it seems as if they're better than ever. Just three weeks after suffering a knee injury at the hands of the Squad, HBK returned on the June 12 RAW.
As Triple H was facing the Squad 5 on 1, Michaels made a surprise return by attacking Mitch. After a brief staredown with Mr. McMahon, HBK charged the ring to help The Game fight off the remaining members of the Squad. When the ring was clear, the two men exchanged a high five and did their signature DX crotch chop in the direction of the WWE Chairman. Later, an irate Mr. McMahon made the match for Vengeance.
DX "officially" reunited the next week, and their fingerprints could be found all over RAW. You can take a full look at the carnage they caused here, and you can check out their special Superstar section for a look back at the history of D-Generation X.After weeks of making the Chairman’s life miserable, DX finally suffered a setback on the July 24 edition of RAW when Umaga blindsided HBK with a devastating Samoan Drop and delivered a deadly Samoan Spike.
But the question remains to be answered—was Mr. McMahon behind the assault, or did Umaga go into business for himself?At Vengeance, the Spirit Squad fell to the powerhouse that is DX in a 5-on-2 Handicap Match, so the McMahon men decided to take things into their own hands the next night on RAW. While it was supposed to be DX vs. The McMahons, DX instead came out and impersonated them with Triple H playing the WWE Chairman and HBK as Shane-o-Mac.
Later, after telling the McMahons that they were full of crap, DX had actual human waste dumped on them (and the Spirit Squad as well) as they stood on the entrance stage.
A 10-time World Champion already, Triple H has done it all since his WWE debut as a snobby blueblood in May 1995. He is the only man in WWE history to become a Grand Slam Champion and to win both a King of the Ring tournament and the Royal Rumble Match. Calling himself The Game and the Cerebral Assassin, Triple H makes sure everyone knows that he is the "King of Kings."
In his first year in WWE, Triple who compiled an impressive winning streak. In May 1996, he had his first televised battle with Shawn Michaels on RAW. It was the beginning of what would become one of the most important pairings — as allies and foes — in WWE history. In October, Triple H faced Stone Cold at Buried Alive in the origins of another storied rivalry.
Six days later, Triple H would capture WWE gold for the very first time, winning the Intercontinental Championship from Marc Mero on RAW.After retaining his Intercontinental Championship against Goldust at the Royal Rumble in January 1997, Triple H began a rivalry with The Rock. Triple H would lose the Intercontinental Championship to The Rock on RAW, but by March, Triple H would hit another milestone: his first WrestleMania victory. With newcomer Chyna by his side, he beat Goldust at WrestleMania 13. No one then knew just how large an impact Triple H would have on the biggest stage of them all.Next, Triple H dominated the 1997 King of the Ring tournament, beating Mankind in the finals. In the pay-per-view battles and wild brawls that followed, Triple H would be introduced to all three “faces of Foley.”
He forced a double count-out at Canadian Stampede, brawled with Mankind in a SummerSlam Steel Cage Match, and beat Dude Love at One Night Only in September.Triple H has arguably formed the two most important factions in WWE history.
The first was conceived in October 1997. Composed of himself, Chyna and best friend Shawn Michaels and epitomizing WWE “Attitude,” they were known as D-Generation X. The group was constantly amid controversy, pushing the limits of tolerable behavior. One of its first victims was WWE Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter, who fell to Triple H in a Boot Camp Match at the December 1997 pay-per-view bearing the group’s name.At this time, Michaels was both the WWE Champion and European Champion, so D-Generation X devised a method to spread around the riches. As an early Christmas present, HBK literally laid down and allowed Triple H to pin him to “win” the European Championship. Triple H feigned tears in the ring, declaring how “hard” he had worked for that moment to arrive. The farcical title change infuriated WWE management, but that only fueled DX’s fire.By early 1998, DX was a monster of the industry.
On Jan. 20, 1998, European Champion Triple H hit a bump in the road. To further make a mockery of the division, Triple H sent Goldust out as his proxy for a match with Owen Hart. But when Owen beat the “Bizarre One,” Slaughter declared it a valid title match with Goldust defending on Triple H’s behalf. So, Owen became the new European Champion.
By March, Triple H had taken back what was his. “The Game” also made it two WrestleMania victories in a row by retaining the European Championship against Owen Hart at WrestleMania XIV.The day after WrestleMania, Triple H assumed the DX leadership upon Michaels’ departure. To solidify the group’s strength and take the outrage to a new level, Triple H brought the New Age Outlaws and X-Pac into the fold. Meanwhile, Owen Hart would join Nation of Domination, pitting WWE’s two largest factions against each other.
The rival parties would battle continuously for the next five months.During that span, D-Lo Brown would wrest the European Championship from Triple H. But “The Game” answered back by winning the Intercontinental Championship from The Rock in a SummerSlam Ladder Match. His success came with a price, however, as Triple H was forced to miss three months with a serious knee injury.Upon his return, Triple H took issue with the Corporation. He fought Kane at WrestleMania XV, where Chyna again shifted loyalties and rejoined D-Generation X. But The Cerebral Assassin made heads spin when he and Chyna surprised everyone by joining the Corporation that very same night.Triple H captured the WWE Championship for the first time the night after SummerSlam 1999, beating Mankind.
Remarkably, he lost that championship to none other than Mr. McMahon, who won his only world championship in an unscheduled match that saw Shane McMahon officiate. During the match, Stone Cold delivered a Stunner to the champ, allowing McMahon to get the shocking win. McMahon vacated the championship four days later, putting it up in a Six-Pack Challenge at Unforgiven, where Triple H won and regained the championship.The Cerebral Assassin then stepped between Stephanie McMahon and fiancé Test — marrying Stephanie under questionable circumstances before Test could. Mr. McMahon took great exception to this series of events, leading to an Armageddon Street Fight Match.
During that match, Stephanie chose to abandon her father and align herself with The Game, marking the beginning of the McMahon-Helmsley era. Triple H won his third WWE Championship one month later from Big Show on the Jan. 3, 2000, edition on RAW.Triple H then continued his rivalry with Mick Foley. After defeating Foley in a vicious Street Fight at the 2001 Royal Rumble, Triple H survived a vicious Hell in a Cell Match with Cactus Jack at No Way Out, retiring Foley in the process. Foley was brought back for one more match at WrestleMania 2000, but Triple H defeated Foley, Big Show and The Rock in a Fatal Four Way match to leave WrestleMania with the gold still around his waist.
Following rivalries that summer with The Rock and Kurt Angle, Triple H shocked the world in November, revealing himself as the mastermind behind a plot that put Steve Austin out of action the previous year. This led to a match at Survivor Series, where the returning Austin exacted vehicular revenge: When Triple H tried to escape the arena in his car, Stone Cold lifted the automobile with a construction crane — then let Triple H and his car plummet to the earth.Triple H miraculously recovered in time for No Way Out, where he beat Stone Cold in a special Best-of-Three Falls contest featuring a traditional match, a Street Fight and a Steel Cage Match. But in a shocker, Triple H aligned with Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon the night after WrestleMania X-Seven, then won the Intercontinental Championship three days later from Chris Jericho.
Triple H followed that up by winning the World Tag Team Championship with Stone Cold at Backlash.In a span of two devastating days, Triple H lost both of his championships; after losing the Intercontinental Championship to Kane at Judgment Day, Jericho & Chris Benoit won the World Tag Team Championship the following night. In that match, Triple H tore his left quadriceps muscle completely off the bone, yet found the heart to finish the bout. It took Triple H eight months of hellacious rehab before he would return.
Triple H came back on a special edition of RAW at MSG, and he followed that up by winning the 2002 Royal Rumble Match, earning an opportunity at the undisputed WWE Championship. At WrestleMania X8, The Game cashed in, defeating old rival Jericho to win the championship. After losing it to Hulk Hogan a month later, Triple H began a quest to convince old friend Shawn Michaels to re-join him in WWE. However, The Game would end up trying to severely injure Michaels, and their issue led to Michaels returning to the ring to defeat The Game at SummerSlam.
After facing Michaels at SummerSlam, Triple H claimed another world championship on Sept. 2, 2002, after a unique sequence of events. RAW had been left without a champion after Brock Lesnar signed a contract exclusive to SmackDown. In retaliation, then-RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff introduced the World Heavyweight Championship, which would be exclusive to RAW, and announced that Triple H would be the first champion. The Game solidified this appointment with victories over Ric Flair and Rob Van Dam.World Heavyweight Champion Triple H then continued his rivalry with HBK, and it carried into the Elimination Chamber at Survivor Series, where Michaels came out on top.
A month later at Armageddon, however, The Game regained the championship in a Three Stages of Hell Match by winning the third and deciding fall, which was contested under Ladder Match rules.On Jan. 20, 2003, the Cerebral Assassin formulated a plan that would change WWE forever. He was already aligned with Ric Flair, and after adding Randy Orton and Batista to the fold, the group became known as Evolution.With the protection of Evolution, Triple H held the World Heavyweight Championship for most of 2003, finally losing it to Goldberg at Unforgiven in late September. During that lengthy reign, Triple H beat Kane in Mask vs. Championship Match on a June edition of RAW, revealing the Big Red Monster’s face for the first time In December, Triple H won back the World Heavyweight Championship in an Armageddon Triple Threat Match.
What followed was a series of incredibly close matches with Shawn Michaels, but Triple H managed to escape with his title every time. However, The Game ran into a juggernaut at WrestleMania XX, where Chris Benoit realized his lifelong dream by beating The Game and Michaels in a Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship, making Triple H tap out to the Crippler Crossface.Shortly thereafter, Triple H was drafted to SmackDown during the 2004 Draft Lottery. After The Game faced Eddie Guerrero in his only SmackDown match, Eric Bischoff found the means to regain his star attraction, trading the Dudleys and Booker T to SmackDown to return Triple H to RAW.In June, after a recent history that included two draws and a Triple Threat Match, Triple H finally beat Michaels decisively at Bad Blood. After 45 minutes of bloody carnage and total exhaustion in Hell in a Cell, Triple H mercifully ended the match, hitting Michaels with the Pedigree twice in succession.
Evolution then reached a crossroads when rising star Randy Orton won the World Heavyweight Championship from Chris Benoit at SummerSlam. “The Legend Killer” was a bit too far ahead of schedule for Triple H’s liking, so in the infamous “thumbs-down” incident on RAW, Triple H kicked Orton out of Evolution. The Game then finished the job by beating Orton for “his” championship at Unforgiven in September.Triple H was then put at an unprecedented disadvantage when he was forced to defend his World Heavyweight Championship against one of three possible opponents at Taboo Tuesday. Minutes before his match, the results of WWE fan voting revealed none other than longtime rival Shawn Michaels as his challenger. But the Cerebral Assassin effectively exploited Michaels’ knee injury and successfully retained the championship.
In November 2004 at Survivor Series, Triple H’s team lost to Randy Orton’s team, giving Team Orton four weeks of control of RAW. The Game tried to lure General Manager for-a-day Maven into the Evolution fold, but when he refused, Triple H defeated him. Next, the Cerebral Assassin outwitted GM Chris Benoit by feigning injury, costing The Rabid Wolverine his chance at the World Heavyweight Championship.When Orton’s turn as GM came around, chaos ensued. Edge and Chris Benoit tied during a RAW roster Battle Royal, so Orton ordered a Triple Threat Match also involving Triple H for his championship. But Edge and Benoit simultaneously won, forcing Mr. McMahon to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship — despite The Game’s fervent protests. When actual General Manager Eric Bischoff returned from vacation, he ruled that the World Heavyweight Championship would be won in the Elimination Chamber at New Year’s Revolution.
There, Triple H won his 10th world championship.However, trouble would be on the horizon, as Evolution’s enforcer Batista won the 2005 Royal Rumble Match. Triple H did everything he could to try to get Batista to challenge for SmackDown’s WWE Championship, but in another infamous “thumbs-down” moment, Batista powerbombed Triple H through a table, ending his affiliation with Evolution. He then signed the RAW contract, and at WrestleMania 21, Batista defeated The Game to become World Heavyweight Champion.Triple H tries unsuccessfully to regain the gold from his former protégé, losing to him in a rematch at Backlash. The two met in a Hell in a Cell Match at Vengeance, but The Animal dealt Triple H his first loss inside the structure, giving him three consecutive wins over The Game.
Following the match, Batista was drafted to SmackDown in the 2005 Draft Lottery, and Triple H took a nearly three-month hiatus from RAW.At WWE Homecoming on October 3, Triple H returned, teaming with Ric Flair to defeat Carlito & Chris Masters. However, The Game savagely attacked his former mentor after the match; whether jealous or upset about Flair’s success (he was Intercontinental Champion at the time), Triple H told Flair his time was over. A match was set for Taboo Tuesday, where the fans chose to put Flair and The Game inside a Steel Cage; Flair managed to escape the cage and win the match, but Triple H got revenge weeks later by defeating Flair in a Last Man Standing Match at Survivor Series.
With Flair taken care of, The Game turned his focus to the gold. He instead ran into Big Show, who was unhappy with how The Game had treated Flair. Triple H managed to break Big Show’s hand, and at New Year’s Revolution, The Game exploited the injury to score a victory over Big Show.Triple H expected to punch his WrestleMania ticket by winning the Royal Rumble Match three weeks later, but The Game drew No. 1, putting him in the most difficult position possible.
Despite the odds, Triple H lasted until the final three competitors, but came up just short, being eliminated by eventual winner Rey Mysterio.When Rey chose to stay on SmackDown and pursue the World Heavyweight Championship, Mr. McMahon announced a Road to WrestleMania Tournament, with the winner earning the right to challenge for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 22. Triple H defeated Flair in the first round, and after both Triple H and Big Show advanced following a double countout in their semi-final match, The Game defeated Show and Rob Van Dam in a Triple Threat Final. Triple H’s reward was a match against WWE Champion John Cena at WrestleMania 22; however, Triple H lost when Cena forced him to tap out to the STFU, a loss Triple attributed to underestimating Cena, a mistake he said he’d never make again. He punctuated that remark by dropping and pinning Cena with a Pedigree the night after WrestleMania.
In the weeks leading up to Backlash, Triple H, Cena and Edge were all on the losing end of Handicap Matches against the other two. They also were forced to team together, taking on the Spirit Squad right before Backlash. When Backlash came around, however, it was every man for himself, and Triple H was pinned by Cena in a Triple Threat Match also featuring the Rated R Superstar.The Game demanded another chance the following night, but he didn't receive the opportunity until May 15.
That night, however, Mr. McMahon screwed Triple H out of his one-on-one match with John Cena, instead making a 3-on-2 Handicap Texas Tornado Match for both the WWE and Intercontinental Championships. Later in the night, The Game was in Kenny's corner for a match against Shawn Michaels. He got involved late, and as special referee Shane Mcmahon held HBK, Triple H grabbed his sledgehammer.
However, Michaels ducked, and Shane took the brunt of Triple H's blow. As Mr. McMahon came to the ring horrified, The Game pleaded his case, telling the Chairman that it was an accident.Mr. McMahon demanded an apology, which Triple H gave the next week. However, the Chairman said he would only accept it if The Game came out later in the night and attacked Shawn Michaels with a sledgehammer.
During HBK's match with the Spirit Squad, The Game came out ot do as he was told. Before he could complete the deed, Kenny stole the sledgehammer from him. Incensed, Triple H instead attacked the World Tag Team Champions, leaving them all laying.After weeks of inadvertent miscues, it appeared as if Triple H would become the newest member of the Mr. McMahon Kiss My Ass Club on June 5. Instead, The Cerebral Assassin outsmarted the McMahons, and it was the WWE Chairman and his son who were left embarassed.Triple H demanded that Mr. McMahon change his mind about the induction, and the Chairman obliged.
He told The Game that if he could defeat Big Show, the ass kissing would be called off. Triple H tried, but as soon as the match began, out of nowhere the Spirit Squad attacked Show and got Triple H disqualified. A furious Cerebral blasted into Mr. McMahon's office accusing him of sending the Squad to the ring; the Chairman denied the accusation and informed The Game that if he did not join the Kiss My Ass Club, he would never recieve a Championship opportunity again.
Later in the night, Mr. McMahon's son Shane attempted to put a mysterious substance in Triple H's water bottle. The Game, however, outsmarted Shane and switched bottles behing the Chariman's son's back. Shane drank the bottle of water with the mysterious substance, and the unsuspecting McMahons headed to the ring thinking that their plan worked to profection.
Triple H even played possum and faked passing out, and Mr. McMahon then verbally blasted the "unconscious" King of Kings and ordered his son to pick him up and have The Game kiss his ass. As he did, however, Shane passed out; Mr. McMahon saw this, and turned around to come face to face with an angry Game. Triple H then nailed the Chairman with a Pedigree, leaving both McMahon men prone on the mat.
Monday, June 11, 2007
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