It’s time to analyse the Game – By Wrestle G

Hello one and all and welcome back to the place where Wrestling Column Royalty resides right here at NoDQ.com.

It’s been a minute Christmas seemed to go past in a blur and before we know it, we are at the end of January. I genuinely don’t know where that time went. I dearly want to be more consistent with these columns, and it really should be and is my new years resolution.

We are at Royal Rumble Weekend and I’m going to be honest the Rumble is my favourite event of the year. It was the first PPV I watched when I first fully got into wrestling back in 1994 (ew I’m old) and I think that feeling of fresh-faced awe has carried me through all of these years. I’m hopeful of the usual surprises, I just hope the Saudi crowd is a hot one, I’m sure it will be based on the last event they had there. A hot Crowd just makes such a difference for the Rumble.

In terms of Winners, I can’t see past Roman Reigns for this weekend. I know Bron Breakker has been heavily rumoured, but I just feel like Roman needs to be in the title picture. It’s been too long and without it I just can’t see him having the same motivation for Mania again this year. We aren’t going to have Roman forever, so his title wins are likely to be few and far between, but there is still gas in the tank for me.

For the women’s Rumble then it has to be Liv Morgan. She’s over, she’s been excellent for a long time now and it feels like the perfect reward for her work. In terms of surprises in this one, I’m hoping for a Brie Bella returns but I feel like it is unlikely at this time. I wouldn’t rule out a Lana return either for a quick pop.

Elsewhere on the Card they just need to give Drew Mcintyre a convincing win and I will be happy. I feel like he is carrying the championship so well. He needs to be protected now. No one deserves their time at the top more; he overcame a lot of big losses and made every feud he was in so interesting. So happy for him to be top of the mountain right now.

Right, that’s enough Rumble Chat, lets get into the main event of today’s Column.

The Game has caused much conversation about The Game

WWE 2K games always cause a bit of buzz when they put people on the cover. And this week we got the following cover:

Now given this 2K game is going to be very Attitude era focussed, the very fact that the Head of Creative is on the cover has seemingly sent the IWC into a bit of a frenzy. Over the past few days, we have had extensive discussion about HHH fitting into the attitude era.

As ever in the IWC we have a pretty polarised set of opinions. One camp who think HHH shouldn’t be anywhere near the upper echelons of an Attitude inspired game, and those who believe that HHH more than earned his stripes to be considered for cover art consideration. I’m here today to delve in and see which side we land on.

To begin I think it would be handy for me to explain where I personally consider the Attitude era to run from. For me it runs from the start of the Attitude adverts in late 1997 right up until WrestleMania 17. Where a heel turns from Stone cold and the purchase of WCW stopped the need for Attitude right in its track. So, it is this time frame where I will be assessing HHH career.

I’d like to start by giving what I would consider to be the untouchables of this era, the performers whom no one would bat an eye lid if they appeared on the Cover of an Attitude era game. The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Mick Foley. I’d stop there, I don’t think there is anyone else who would be untouchable, and even Taker might invite a few out of the woodwork. All 4 men were multiple time champions during this era, all 4 men helped each other to no end, when you think of the Attitude era you can picture huge moments with all 4 men. The Main event time was littered mainly with all of them (injuries not withstanding).

For HHH the Attitude era started with him in Full Lackey mode. Following the Montreal Screw job the stable of Degeneration X with Shawn Michaels leading the HHH and Chyna double act right up to WrestleMania 14. During these early embryotic stages of the Attitude Era HHH was firmly in the mid card. He had an entertaining match with Sgt Slaughter of all people at WrestleMania, but he wasn’t touching the rarefied air of Steve Austin who won his inaugural title that night.

Following WrestleMania 14 is where the HHH story really takes off. With Shawn Michaels ‘retiring’ following his Mania loss. The Raw after Mania sees HHH assume the role of leader within DX. No longer playing second fiddle, he is to be the focal point of a new group that includes a returning Sean Waltman becoming X Pac, and the New Age Outlaws who were fast becoming one of the most over acts of the time.

For the next 12 months DX becomes one of the most over acts in the company, DX merch flies off of the shelves, and the reactions of the crowds are huge. However, during the time between mania 14 and 15 the status of HHH on the card doesn’t really change, he takes a big win at summerslam 1998 in a ladder match over the rock and injures his knee in the process. This feels like quite a pivotal moment as the time HHH is out we see the Rock surge past him up the card winding up with a world title win at Survivor Series 1998 only two years since he debuted in the company.

HHH and DX stay a solid act right up until WrestleMania 15. It’s at this time that the WWE separate HHH from DX and turn him Heel. This is arguably the time his career takes its first major turn. As a Heel HHH is able to break free of just being a catch phrase and work more on his in-ring aspects. Feuds with X Pac, and Steve Austin are his main body of work following his turn, and he reaches the top of the mountain on the Raw after Summerslam 1999 he beats Mick Foley to finally win his first WWE championship. Believe me when I say here, this is no small achievement, to breach the main event during this time you had to be over, and you had to have talent. This is way before any whiff of nepotism could be levelled against his achievements as well.

Following his win however he was not given the ball to run with or the rocket strapped to him. He would drop the belt at Survivor series 1999. The Big Show given time at the top. This also did not work, and they reverted back to HHH quickly. It was at this point probably the biggest turning point in HHH’s professional and personal life happened. He is inserted into a love Angle with Stephanie McMahon. An on-screen romance which would spill out to real life and give HHH a seat at the table of the most powerful family in wrestling.

With Austin being on the shelf with a damaged neck, and the blossoming IWC becoming very aware of HHH backstage influence it was clear that HHH was in need of a foe that would give him legitimacy. As was common in this era when you needed someone to make someone else look amazing, and you needed someone dependable to put on strong matches and sell angles, up steps Mick Foley.

From the January of 2000 Mick Foley made HHH. Much like Foley had given the blueblood gimmick a more solid edge in the MSG street fight of 1997. The heel champion HHH showed he was willing to go through all kinds of hell in order to retain his title. A street fight at Royal Rumble 2000 and a hell in a cell match a few weeks later at the No Way Out PPV saw HHH a Crimson mask, having to use every ounce of his being in order to beat the seemingly indestructible Foley.

These matches with Foley in my opinion cemented HHH as a main eventer in the eyes of fans. He was willing to put his body on the line for their entertainment. But here’s the rub. For the quality of matches, HHH wasn’t getting the reactions of the Rock or Austin. Yes, he was a heel. But the rapid ascent of the WWE that had been happening for the past two years under Austin and Rock’s watch seemed to noticeably wane.

The exclamation points on top of this slow down happened at WrestleMania 2000. HHH left that event the same way he went in, as champion. The First Heel to walk out of Mania with the championship (Yokozuna technically won his match at WrestleMania 9 but lost to Hogan seconds later) And the momentum of HHH backstage rumours coupled with his booking of beating all comers finally seemed to be turning the tide against him.

He saw the rest of 2000 in entertaining feuds against Kurt Angle who had taken to pro wrestling like a Duck to water. It was a cool little character and story driven feud. But again, it lacked the gravitas of previous Attitude Era top programmes. Towards the autumn then it was HHH treading water the main event scene was tinkering with its formula and testing guys out, Rikishi got himself in the mix, Chris Jericho was getting a few shots. Ultimately it all felt like everyone was waiting for Steve Austin to return, and when he did at the end of 2000 it was clear everything was headed to Austin and Rock at WrestleMania again. HHH had been a custodian of the top of the card until those who came back assumed their mantle there once more.

Our Attitude era journey for HHH ends at WrestleMania 17 with a loss to the Undertaker, which incidentally was the feud where they first made a point of saying the Undertaker was undefeated at WrestleMania.

The ending of his spot on the Upper Mid Card of the huge show is for me the perfect example of where HHH sits with me as a player of that era. An act and performer who forced himself into the conversation amongst a host of talented superstars. But a performer who lacked that certain something to go from good to legendary. I don’t want to be misconstrued here, HHH career stacks up against some of the best ever. But his rise to the top took place in that Attitude era, his legacy at the top takes place through the 2000’s as the face of the Raw brand holding the big gold like his idol and stablemate Ric Flair.

But the Attitude era saw HHH for me as a hugely strong support player. A man who made the most of the opportunities afforded to him through injury. I think this bears out when you see where HHH career goes and went from the end of the Attitude era, as a top guy he couldn’t quite keep business as strong. This, again, isn’t a knock, so few performers can keep the kind of momentum that The Rock and Steve Austin brought, they are in a class of their own with only a few others alongside.

And I know that in essence a discussion about if someone should be on the cover of something is silly, but it has sparked a very polarising set of opinions about HHH and his career and influence of this time. The majority I think give him too much credit, and some far too little. When I summarise, I see.

• A very over act who sold a tonne of merchandise.
• A body of matches that stand the test of time.
• Plenty of memorable moments.

All that taken into account. He more than deserves recognition as a cover star of that era. Not THE guy, but a huge part of the success of the time. I think he deserves slightly more respect on his performances than he is getting at the moment, and I hope this column has shed a little light and more detail of his body of work during the Attitude Era.

But as always what do you say? What is your opinion of HHH during that time? Did you like his work back in the day? Did you hate it? Let me know in the comments below and via X – @Wrestle_G or TikTok – wrestleg

I would love to hear from you.

Enjoy the Rumble Everyone, I will see you all again soon, thank you for your support as always.

Cheers,

G