5 Times Triple H Was A Complete Jerk On-Screen (& 5 Times He Was One In Real Life)

Throughout the past two decades, there has perhaps not been a more important figure in wrestling inside and outside the ring than Triple H. His multiple world title reigns and corporate role within WWE to this day have allowed ‘The Game’ more opportunities than most to impact the business.

A lot of the time Triple H uses this spotlight for good, especially nowadays as the person who is booking WWE’s best creative period in decades. However, he has been known to be a jerk both as a character and in real life, which is unfortunate.

10 On Screen: Kicking Randy Orton Out Of Evolution

The Game's Jealously Turned On His Protégé

Evolution First Operated Between 2003 and 2005
Randy Orton Left The Group In 2004
Triple H, Orton, And Batista Reunited For A Short Period In 2014

Evolution was much more boring at times than people remember, but it did at least serve its primary purpose of creating two world championship-level stars in Randy Orton and Batista. Both would go on to have very successful careers, with the former first-tasting individual success after becoming the youngest world champion in WWE history.

Instead of being proud of his protégé, Triple H turned on him showcasing that the group was always about him and shielding his massive ego. It was one of the better displays of Hunter’s manipulation forwarding his character, but having him win the belt back to hold it for another long period of time was excessive.

9 Real Life: Putting Rob Van Dam On Blast Behind His Back

Triple H Made Fun Of RVD's Drug Use In A Meeting

RVD Won His Only WWE Championship at ECW One-Night Stand 2006
He Defeated John Cena For The Title, Losing It 22 Days Later To Edge

It may seem like a fairly trivial thing to criticize Paul Levesque’s character for, but insulting one of your fellow wrestlers in front of others is jerk behaviour. Apparently, HHH made fun of Rob Van Dam’s recreational pot use behind his back in a meeting with other WWE higher-ups, which is just lame.

RVD obviously took issue with the remark because he was not close to Triple H, confronting him about it afterwards. The incident perhaps speaks to ‘The Game’s’ attitude that he had towards wrestlers who were threatening his spot as the top guy in the company, looking to undermine them.

8 On Screen: Betraying His Best Friend Shawn Michaels

HHH Turned On His Long-Time Friend After Convincing Him To Reform D-Generation X

Shawn Michaels Returned In 2002 After A 4-Year Retirement
He Defeated Triple H In An Unsanctioned Match At SummerSlam 2002 On His Return
HBK Won His Last World Championship At Survivor Series 2002

When Shawn Michaels retired for the first time in 1998 he was still at the peak of his powers, leaving his D-Generation X stable in the hands of his best friend Triple H. When HBK returned to WWE in 2002, ‘The Game’ had gone on to bigger things but a DX reunion seemed to be on the cards.RELATED: HBK: 10 Things WWE Fans Should Know About Shawn MichaelsThat was until Triple H turned on him almost immediately, leading to their feud which would last for a few years until HHH turned face once again. He had actually used his relationship with Michaels to get signed to the Raw brand where his ‘Reign of Terror’ would commence.

7 Real Life: Controlling Promotional Material For A Video Game

Triple H Did Not Want To Look Weak When THQ Were Promoting A WWE Game

THQ Published The Acclaimed WWE: SmackDown! vs. Raw Series
Triple H Has Appeared As A Character In Over 50 Video Games

Triple H clearly cares a lot about his image and has done so throughout his career, keeping an impressive physique and a formidable character presentation. However, he could have stood to chill out at various points, insisting that he always looked strong and formidable even when he could have shown a bit more weakness.

The best example of this came when THQ was promoting an upcoming WWE game, where they were not allowed to show Triple H’s character showing weakness or being compromised in any way. This sort of ridiculous micromanagement shows how protective ‘The Game’ is of his ego, which is quite funny.

6 On Screen: Marrying Stephanie McMahon Without Her Consent

Stephanie Was Going To Marry Test Before Her Future Real-Life Husband Intervened

The Wedding Angle Occurred On The November 10th, 1999 Episode Of Raw.
Triple H And Stephanie McMahon Got Married In Real Life On October 25th, 2003.

In hindsight, the fact that Triple H married his future real-life wife on screen was not that strange, but the context of it does make it highly inappropriate. The implication was that he had got Stephanie McMahon so intoxicated (or drugged) that she was unconscious, before taking advantage of her.

Triple H then took Stephanie to a shotgun wedding on the same night she was supposed to marry Test, which is a strange way to rile up someone. The segment is mostly remembered fondly by fans of the era, but the connotations make Triple H look like more than just a jerk but a potentially dangerous and problematic individual.

5 Real Life: Getting Triggered By AEW's Existence

The 'Cerebral Assassin' Was Less Than Happy That Billy Gunn Joined The Competition

D-Generation X Became The First Faction To Headline A Hall of Fame Class In 2019
Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chyna, X-Pac, Billy Gunn And Road Dogg Were Inducted As Part Of The Group

The invention of AEW clearly rattled Triple H, especially because Dynamite beat his pet project NXT in the ‘Wednesday Night Wars.’ This was shown by various comments he made disparaging the competition, most notably at the 2019 Hall of Fame ceremony where D-Generation X was being inducted.RELATED: WWE: 5 Best Triple H Moments As The Of D-Generation X (& 5 Worst)During their speech, HHH made reference to Billy Gunn joining the competition and described it as a ‘P***-Ant’ company. It was such an unnecessary jibe that showed how Triple H had been threatened by AEW's existence. Things are going better for him now as WWE is comfortably outperforming AEW, so he may feel less troubled.

4 On Screen: The Whole Katie Vick Ordeal

Triple H Became Embroiled In A Disgusting Feud Against Kane

Kane And Triple H Feuded Throughout Late 2002
Katie Vick Was Introduced As An Unrequited Love From Kane's Teenage Years
Vick Was Apparently Killed In A Car Accident When Kane Was Driving

Kane is a detestable monster as a character and as a real-life human being, but the Katie Vick storyline was far too shameful to even display this effectively. In a storyline which involved emotional manipulation, drunk driving and necrophilia, it was somehow Triple H who came out looking like the biggest jerk.

The ‘Cerebral Assassin’ was certainly trying his best to get under the skin of Kane, but his antics were too much for a normal wrestling title program. WWE understandably has tried to move on from it over the ensuing couple of decades, but it showcased how Triple H was often less ‘Cerebral’ and more crass.

3 Real Life: Asking A Writer, "Am I Going Over?"

'The Game' Posed The Question To A WWE Writer As He Wanted To Be Booked Strongly

HHH Was Known For Being A Frequently Pushed And Overprotected Star
Triple H Had A Win Percentage Of 52.3% Throughout His Career.

It is quite well known that Triple H has been a savvy political figure behind the scenes over the course of his career, which has granted him a lot of success. He has quite often been positioned as the top guy in WWE, which has led to him beating the bulk of his opponents that he has faced.

A famous backstage story displays how the ‘Cerebral Assassin’ would operate, as he apparently asked a writer simply “Am I Going Over.” The indifference to do jobs for other people is shown through most of Triple H’s in-ring output, as he seldom helped his fellow performers.

2 On Screen: Creating And Leading The Authority

The COO Oversaw One Of The Most Frustrating Factions In Wrestling History

The Authority Began After Triple H Cost Daniel Bryan The WWE Championship At SummerSlam 2013
It Ended After Roman Reigns Defeated Triple H For The WWE Championship At WrestleMania 32 In 2016.

Perhaps Triple H’s more egregious period of being a total jerk came during the mid-2010s when he led The Authority. The faction was despised by fans in a way that was not necessarily good for a heel group, as it was more of a ‘go-away’ heat than a productive one.

Triple H was especially loathsome in the role as he condescended and tortured wrestlers beneath him, seldom putting anyone over. The Authority was by far the worst thing that ‘The Game’ was a part of as an on-screen character, but his actions outside the ring made him far more of a jerk.

1 Real Life: Playing An Understated Role In The Montreal Screwjob

Hunter Came Up With The Idea To Screw Bret Hart In His Home Country

The Montreal Screwjob Culminated Hart's 13-Year Tenure With WWE.
Vince McMahon Called For The Bell When Michaels Had Bret In The Sharpshooter.
Bret Hart Would Appear In WCW Shortly After.

The Montreal Screwjob is obviously one of the biggest moments in WWE history, with it also being the most controversial. The likes of Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels, and referee Earl Hebner have all been criticized for their role in the incident, but it was allegedly Triple H’s idea in the first place.

It has been said that not only did HHH suggest the idea, but he also came up with the Sharpshooter spot that ended the match. WWE and Bret Hart have moved on from the incident, but it was still a shameful episode that should have been repeated by the wrestling company.