Best HHH matches

[fxnj]

He had a TV match with Big Show around 05'/06' (I think) that I remember really liking...largely because Triple H actually sells everything.

It's from 2006 and I'd agree that's easily his best match I've seen. Good action, nice selling from both guys and, most importantly, it's short enough to avoid the masturbatory elements plaguing his other pimped matches.

[Alucard]

Agreeing with the mentions of the 2008 Hardy matches which were fantastic, the Dec 03 RAW match vs Shawn, and the DX/Legacy SummerSlam tag. All were awesome. I remember being really surprised how great the DX/Legacy tag was, got a ton of time and thought it put over Legacy really strong in defeat.

[JaymeFuture]

 

I know Foley's character was that he could withstand an incredible amount of punishment, but he pretty much no sold 95% of HHH's offense which I thought was a little to over the top for his character and much worse since he was going to lose anyway.

 

 

I don't mind that so much though, the point of the first match was to make Cactus invincible since HHH was about to beat him, and then the next month, retire him.

 

I think both that and the Summerslam 02 street fights both hold up pretty well. The story of Shawn's back was obviously such a major question at the time that the punishment he took really resonated, and the crowd was electric.

[Petey]

If you watch the home video version of the 2000 Royal Rumble you get exclusive home video footage of Hunter lying bleeding on the stretcher, his leg about to be stitched shut, groaning "Somebody go find my mom and tell her I'm okay."

My buddy showed me that in like 2002. Disgusting to see the size of the splinter they removed from his leg.

[anarchistxx]

Haven't knowingly sought out a HHH match in years. Purely from memory the match with Shawn Michaels at Taboo Tuesday stands out. HBK had legitimately injured his leg and they were forced to work around it, which led them to have a much smarter match than usual, ramped up the tension, and reigned in their tendency to overbook things and go too long. Michaels sold the leg perfectly, always felt in critical danger and Trips was decent as the sadistic bastard going after it.

 

Other than that, the match with Chris Benoit at No Mercy 2000 was very good. I loved the 2/3 falls with Austin years ago, though can't imagine it will have aged well going back to it now after being put through years of long, sluvenly, repetitive HHH main events. Watching Wrestlemania live I thought the Bryan Daniel match was as good as anything he had done, although it was a match I was invested in a personal level which helped it.

 

The Batista Hell In The Cell was about as good as it could have been, and a decent example of a fun hardcore match with a load of props and plenty of violence.

 

Has he ever gone one on one with Rey Mysterio? Seems amazing if not, considering they've been on the same roster for over a decade. Maybe the office wants to protect Rey and his merchandise sales and subconsciusly knows what Trips is regard to having people come out of feuds better than they came in.

[(BP)]

He's mentioned Rey as a dream opponent, but if he really wanted to do it he's been in a position to make it happen the entire time Rey's been there and hasn't.

[JaymeFuture]

They had some interaction on the pre-Mania 22 SNME and they worked really well together, its a shame they didn't have a match on PPV.

[Kil]

The hog pen match with Henry Godwinn for an In Your House PPV in 1995.

 

I'm not joking, that is seriously my favorite Triple H match ever.

[SomethingSavage]

I really like a lot of his work with Foley during their initial stretch together. That whole series - from the Cage Match to the Cactus Jack MSG Street Fight and everything in between - really seemed to help elevate both guys, at least in perception and presentation. Feel free to pick 'em apart if you must, but at the end of the day? They're still a bunch of matches I can go back, watch them any time, and just generally enjoy the hell out of 'em

 

I'm also in agreement about the matches with Jeff in '08. This was around the time that Hardy was REALLY breaking through as a major player for the company. It sucks that he eventually went the path he did in 2009, but the guy had superstar potential just dripping off him at this point. I liked that they kept the story simple here, too. It was very bare-bones, but the meat of it was grade A material. The only premise of the angle was that Hunter had the belt. Jeff wanted it. Boom. Off to the races.

 

I remember a lot of people complaining at the time that Hunter retained the belt (in the Scramble, at No Mercy, then the swerve deal with Kozlov and Edge at Survivor Series, leaving Jeff out in the cold, etc.), but each was a chapter that ultimately played into the bigger saga. It was only fitting that Jeff's do or die, live in the moment, extreme high-risk style would see more risks than rewards. But when it finally DID reap him a reward, it was the big one at the final PPV of the year. Very big moment at the time, and all the groundwork was laid by several fantastic matches involving Aitch and Jeff along the way. No complaints from this guy on that end.

I'm also a pretty big fan of the HIAC with Batista. There's bloodshed galore, which I dig. There's an intense pace to everything, even in the slower moments of the match. Nothing lags. Nothing drags. It's designed in a way that makes Batista look like a freaking beast of a superstar. He bleeds buckets, but he dishes out more punishment than he takes. Plus, there's something to be said for the cool Muta mist spot that Hunter gives when he's caught coming off the ropes with that brutal shot to the throat. Just an awesome visual right there.

 

The problem I have with some of Hunter's other matches of this magnitude - or those that are meant to play at this level - is that they tend to drag. The action grows tiresome and monotonous, even if it does eventually reach a turnaround or pick up steam for the finish. I never get that impression with this Batista match. It's raw. It's violent. But it packs a mean bite in every tiny detail. And the finish FEELS like an authentic, genuine finale. There's no lack of satisfaction with it. There's no lingering sense of the issue NOT being over and done. We're left with a clear, decisive winner. It doesn't feel inconclusive or screwy, which can often be an issue in some of Hunter's other "climactic" bouts.

 

At a time when fans are criticizing the lack of big blow-offs to blood feuds and whatnot, the HIAC with Batista is definitely one of those that can be looked back on and just enjoyed as an all-out war. It's just a truckload of fun, barbaric brutality.