Triple H's 5 Best & 5 Worst World Championship Matches, Ranked
Triple H is a 14-time World Champion in the WWE, he has achieved legendary status in the company. He has been fortunate to be involved in many World Championship matches. Some have been great and some have been poor. The Game's longevity at the top is a testament to his worth ethic and passion. He has won the WWE Championship nine times and the World Heavyweight Championship five times. The Cerebral Assassin has headlined multiple WrestleManias competing for the biggest prizes in the industry.
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Usually when superstars step into the ring with Triple H in World Championship matches they are elevated to the next level. However, there have been some matches that have been atrocious for his high standards. Find out The Game's World Championship matches which are worth revisiting and some which are not worth watching again.
10 Worst: Title Unification Match (Vs Kane)
In September 2002, Triple H was awarded the World Heavyweight Championship by then-Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff. WWE Champion Brock Lesnar left Raw to join Smackdown, leaving Raw without a World title. At No Mercy 2002, Triple H defended the World Heavyweight title against Intercontinental Champion Kane.
This was a title unification match as Kane's Intercontinental Championship was also at stake. Considering both wrestlers are solid workers, they failed to create any chemistry together. Triple H retained his title, retiring the Intercontinental Championship in the process, which would not be reactivated for seven months.
9 Best: WWE Championship Match (Vs Randy Orton & John Cena)
Triple H was once again involved in a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania XXIV. He earned the right to be in this match as he won the Elimination Chamber at No Way Out 2008. Randy Orton was the WWE Champion and John Cena also involved in this encounter due to winning the Royal Rumble.
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Three of the all-time greats shone in this triple threat WWE Championship match as this physical encounter had the fans in the Citrus Bowl on edge. Triple H was tantalizingly close on regaining the title after performing a Pedigree on Cena. Orton punted The Game and pinned Cena escaping with his title.
8 Worst: World Heavyweight Championship Match (Vs Goldberg)
Triple H's reign of terror was under a huge threat at Unforgiven in 2003. The Game defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Goldberg. Triple H managed to escape with his title against Goldberg in an Elimination Chamber match at SummerSlam.
The Raw after SummerSlam was where the rematch for Unforgiven was announced. Triple H could lose the title if he got disqualified or counted out. For a man of Triple H's abilities, it was a largely forgettable match. Goldberg put an end to Triple H's nine-month reign by winning the World Heavyweight Championship, ensuring his status in the WWE remained intact.
7 Best: WWE Championship Match (Vs Jeff Hardy)
The rivalry between Triple H and Jeff Hardy over the WWE Championship was a thing of beauty in 2008. Hardy established himself as a main event level competitor when he stunned The Game at Armageddon 2007.
With both The Game and Hardy now feuding for the WWE Championship over on Smackdown, they once again locked horns at No Mercy 2008. The 17-minute encounter was a war of attrition. The Cerebral Assassin managed to survive Hardy's Swanton Bomb, rolling him over in a crucifix pin to keep a hold of the WWE title.
6 Worst: Undisputed WWF Championship Match (Vs Hulk Hogan)
At the final Backlash event under the WWF banner in April 2002, Triple H and Hulk Hogan went one-on-one for the Undisputed WWF Championship. Triple H won the title in an underwhelming main event at WrestleMania X8 against Chris Jericho. Coincidentally Hogan stole the show on that card in his classic with The Rock.
In a clash between arguably two of the best in their own eras, it was a match that failed to deliver. The contrast of styles did not match and constant interference from Jericho and The Undertaker put a dampener on this clash. Hogan won his final world title with his famous Leg Drop. Ironically, Hogan would be the final man to hold the WWF Championship before the company changed its name to WWE a month later.
5 Best: WWF Championship Match (Vs The Rock)
Whilst Stone Cold Steve Austin was on the shelf for the majority of 2000, Triple H and The Rock would step up to the plate as the figureheads of the company. At Judgment Day 2000, the two would compete in a 60-minute Iron Man Match for the WWF Championship.
Triple H's former DX stablemate Shawn Michaels was assigned as the Special Guest Referee. Triple H and The Rock had a personal dislike for each other but their matches were off the charts. Chaos ensued in the closing stages of this energy-sapping encounter. The Undertaker made his return, cleaning house by taking out the McMahon-Helmsley Faction and tombstoning Triple H. Michaels saw the interference, awarding Triple H a point to nudge the scoreboard in his favor to 6-5 thus regaining the WWF Championship.
4 Worst: World Heavyweight Championship Match (Vs Scott Steiner)
Triple H's nine-month World Heavyweight Championship reign had some incredible highs and disappointing lows. The Game faced off against Steiner at No Way Out 2003, a rematch from their horrendous encounter at the Royal Rumble.
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It was evident that the pair had no chemistry in their first match but due to the disqualification finish, they had to have another. The fans in Montreal were not interested in the slightest. Triple H finally put the fans out of their misery with a Pedigree to Steiner, retaining the title in the process. Steiner's return to the company was not as successful as many hoped it to be.
3 Best: World Heavyweight Championship Match (Vs Batista)
The feud of 2005 was the World Heavyweight Championship rivalry between Triple H and Batista. The Animal left Evolution at the start of the year, after winning the Royal Rumble in January. Batista was victorious over the Game at WrestleMania 21 to win his first World Championship, followed by another win at Backlash.
Their third and final encounter was in Triple H's specialty a Hell in a Cell match at Vengeance. The Game came into Vengeance unbeaten in one-on-one Hell in a Cell matches. It was a brutal encounter but once again Batista got the better of his former mentor. Triple H deserves a lot of credit for making Batista look like a worthy champion as it is rare that he loses to an opponent in three successive matches.
2 Worst: WWE Championship Match (Vs The Great Khali)
Triple H's WWE Championship defense at SummerSlam 2008 was against The Great Khali. Khali was being billed as a monster heel on Smackdown in 2007 and 2008. The Punjabi Giant was a former World Champion in his own right but lacked the in-ring skills to be a worthy challenger.
The Game is an in-ring general but he could not make this is a quality match. It was dismal but he managed to retain the WWE Championship. The pace of the match was slow due to Khali's height and clumsiness in the ring.
1 Best: WWF Championship Match (Vs Cactus Jack)
The 2000 Royal Rumble featured Triple H defending the WWF Championship against Cactus Jack in a Street Fight. This was one of the best WWF Championship matches in history.
It is very rare that a World Championship match at the Royal Rumble eclipses the Rumble match itself. This match certainly met the expectations for the crowd in attendance at Madison Square Garden. Triple H retained the title, who was at his best and Cactus Jack showed once more why he belonged in the main event scene.
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