sek69 Posted March 25, 2022 Report Share Posted March 25, 2022 Not that it was unexpected considering the severity of his health issues, but he confirmed that his in ring career is over due to him having a defibrillator put in. It's amazing to see how things played out for the guy: he went from being HBK's luggage carrier to the GAME-UH to the heir apparent to NXT Dad to having it all pulled away. If you would have told someone five years ago that in 2022 HHH would basically have a no show job with no power you'd have been laughed out of the room, yet here we are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted March 25, 2022 Report Share Posted March 25, 2022 Was a fun of Hunter Hearst Helmsley from the day he debuted to 1998. I thought he was a great bumper, I loved the finisher which looked brutal. Enjoyed the IC title reigns, the feud with Goldust, the Chyna years, early DX. When he came back from injury in late 98 (I believe, or was it early 99 ?), I wasn't such a fan anymore, I thought his work was much less interesting, he was doing run-of-the-mill Attitude Era brawling, only with sub-Austin intensity and crispness and not half the charisma. When he got the huge push in 99/00 I had moved on from WWF but was watching from afar. Never bought into the hype in 2000. Got his ups and downs as performer after that point. Both overrated and underrated I guess. The long-ass dull-as-dirt matches during the reign of terror really hurt WWE before Cena saved the day. Totally got over big time first thanks to Chyna, then thanks to the pairing with Stephy and the Cactus Jack feud and he had Motörhead as a theme song. That helps quite a bit. Gut lucky to be around the hottest period in the business, was never as big a star as the other big names during that time, but politics and revisionist history makes him to be an all-time legend. Which I guess he is, by virtue of being at the right place at the right time. Could have been Jeff Jarrett. His intros at Mania were a hoot. Was responsible for some of the worst tropes in post 00's WWE because it fit what he thought he was supposed to be (the long-ass promos, heels making babyfaces look like idiots all the time, overlong and over patterned matches). Elephant in the room : although he would have reached the top because he was destined to (because he was tall and a body guy and had the right friends and was good at politics), he would not have been that dominant a figure if not for, well, ya know. That's life. He had the funniest Undertaker match ever at Mania (yeah, that HiTC comedy club). The old rumor says there are easily 500 workers better than him. Julie Hart once told him "What goes around comes around." But I don't believe in karma and such things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KawadaSmile Posted March 25, 2022 Report Share Posted March 25, 2022 His years of 2000 and 2001 were really fucking good, even if a lot of it has to do with Mick Foley being excellent at wrestling. Responsible for some great things, but also one of the worst things in WWE history. Certainly one of the most... prevalent figures of the past 30 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyonthewall2983 Posted March 25, 2022 Report Share Posted March 25, 2022 He was the Kliq’s designated driver. I heard someone say they’d rather babysit 10 children then drive 5 drunks around. Can’t imagine what that’s like when you consider what else was being imbibed. They, and Shawn in particular were lucky in that respect to have him around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted March 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2022 He's truly a man of multitudes, famous for his backstage politics but also probably the biggest key figure in the careers of pretty much everyone who started off in NXT. The "Hunter pointing at a guy/girl backstage" became a meme but it's clear he meant a lot to the folks there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted March 25, 2022 Report Share Posted March 25, 2022 It's pretty ironic if you think about it. Several times in his career, he had shoehorned himself into "dream matches" no one really cared about against the likes of Brock and Sting. Now that a match with genuine intrigue on a number of levels (vs. Cody) has presented itself, he's in no condition to work it. By the way, here's an interesting fact: according to Cagematch, Hulk Hogan and HHH both had their final career matches against Robert Roode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoS Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 Remember when he shoehorned himself into having a feud with Brock, had the worst Brock match in history up to that point, and post-match tried to sell his arm injury as possibly career-ending and was crying as he looked out at all the fans....who were changting "nananana eh he, GOODBYE!!!" at him? So many of these wonderful stories for the King of the Kings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoS Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 His greatest contribution to wrestling is being the subject of this epic PWO thread - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted March 26, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 The original DX was probably the signature act of the Attitude Era, their merchandise was only surpassed by nWo shirts. People still do crotch chops to this day and everyone knows what the reference is. Evolution kicked off the careers of Batista and Orton as main event players and was an important part of 00s WWE. Social media has been full of current era stars sharing how HHH helped them in NXT. So when you look at it, his best work has been part of groups and when he was on his own cosplaying as Harley Race during the Reign of Terror that was really terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted March 26, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 Also it's interesting that no one's mentioning that the guy who got super buffed out so fast he tore both quads and was called "HGH" by the internet back in the day ended up with severe heart issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJRogers Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 17 minutes ago, sek69 said: Also it's interesting that no one's mentioning that the guy who got super buffed out so fast he tore both quads and was called "HGH" by the internet back in the day ended up with severe heart issues. Certain All-Time Kings still on the outside looking in terms of the Hall of Fame in baseball, take note! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted March 26, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 I was thinking more along the lines of how Eddie died from an enlarged heart and Hunter's issue seems to have been along the same lines other than his was caught in time. Guys in that era largely saw HGH as "safer" than the anabolics of the 70s-80s, which I guess it was to a degree, but somehow everyone just seems to think the only risks were an increase in muscle tears instead of creating a time bomb in their chest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoS Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 2 hours ago, sek69 said: The original DX was probably the signature act of the Attitude Era, their merchandise was only surpassed by nWo shirts. People still do crotch chops to this day and everyone knows what the reference is. Evolution kicked off the careers of Batista and Orton as main event players and was an important part of 00s WWE. Social media has been full of current era stars sharing how HHH helped them in NXT. So when you look at it, his best work has been part of groups and when he was on his own cosplaying as Harley Race during the Reign of Terror that was really terrible. I mean Austin outsold them all. Pretty sure Rock did too. 1998 DX's place has really been mythologised by subsequent hagiographies. They were a really cool midcard act in an era when midcard acts were given the space to shine, but they were still midcard acts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted March 26, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 DX became a midcard act when it was mainly the New Age Outlaws and X Pac, but the original version and up to when HHH took over as the leader was pretty much bigger than anything other than Austin. WWE documentaries do blow them up by making it seem they were relevant way longer than they were, but they were absolutely a top level act. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteF3 Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 7 minutes ago, sek69 said: DX became a midcard act when it was mainly the New Age Outlaws and X Pac, but the original version and up to when HHH took over as the leader was pretty much bigger than anything other than Austin. Ratings and PPV buys were in the tank when DX was running roughshod over television. It was Tyson and Austin who turned that around, not DX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyonthewall2983 Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 DX was always better when it was just Shawn and Hunter, even in the middle 00’s when they were just being goofy. If Hall, Nash and Waltman stayed, and they really did the Kliq as a real group they would have been the WWF’s true equivalent to the Four Horsemen. That said in hindsight it’s kind of cool that they copied that formula more directly with Evolution, complete with Flair in the JJ/Ole spot. The booking often did them no favors in being as entertaining as the original Horsemen or even DX before Montreal, but it gave Ric some new life as a heel in the company and it let Orton and Batista shine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoS Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 https://handwerkreviews.wordpress.com/2022/03/25/triple-h-vs-roman-reigns-wwe-wrestlemania-32-4-3-2016/ I have been following this blog for a long time and the timing of this review is so unfortunate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 10 hours ago, sek69 said: Also it's interesting that no one's mentioning that the guy who got super buffed out so fast he tore both quads and was called "HGH" by the internet back in the day ended up with severe heart issues. I mean, it's highly unlikely he was only taking growth hormone and not steroids as well. Considering how long he was on the juice along with a family history of heart issues, it's no surprise he would have a similar fate as the Ultimate Warrior. The truth is, he's incredibly lucky to be alive. He said that if he'd been doing any kind of exercise when he had his cardiac event, he would've dropped dead on the spot. By the way, I hope Rock is paying attention. He's carrying way too much mass for his age, even setting aside the means he's likely using to attain it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 A better worker than he's given credit for. Good enough to be accepted as a main eventer, and going through the early 00s footage, his absence was sorely felt when he blew his quad, to the same extent as Kobashi and Benoit. Hell of a career all things considered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dav'oh Posted March 27, 2022 Report Share Posted March 27, 2022 In more bad news for Hunter, he disappointed Ryback. “You ended up being the biggest disappointment for me personally from loving you growing up, but I wish you well in retirement and future good health” he twitted. Pretty tame stuff, but it "outraged" some fans so Ryback went full Ryback on them. "Negative wrestling marks are poison to the planet. We must create a Markicide to control their spread. Completely out of control and have never seen a more hateful cunty bunch.” "They come from damaged parents". "“I truly wish him well. He went out of his way to prevent multiple opportunities for me, lied, and is part of a company I have a legal battle with and have won everything." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted March 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 So I was reading a thread over on the WON board detailing Hunter's crimes against the business, it really hit me looking back how you he probably was the reason the Rock decided to leave wrestling to get into movies full time. His movie career started to ramp up right when the infamous Reign of Terror started, and it's easy to put together a case that he saw that sticking around would only be an endless cycle of butting heads with an insecure manbaby (that he had already been on the wrong side of due to being a Bret Hart guy). I'm sure Hunter probably did a victory lap when they "accidentally" let Rock's contract expire, only to watch him turn into the biggest box office star in Hollywood while he got to be in charge of a company 1/4th as popular as it used to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dooley Posted March 30, 2022 Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 Never liked him going back to the Greenwich blueblood days. Foley made him look like a million bucks in 97 and early 2000. Then had the single biggest overrated year in wrestling history that actually had people,arguing he was the reason for the crowds and not Rock. Parlayed that into being on TV every waking second of Raw giving boring promos and blah matches. Finally ran me off as a regular fan with the Katie Vick angle. Never watched regularly after that. Only the good die young. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted March 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 I thought he was alright pre quad tear. Wasn't as over as his push, but he usually had solid WWF Main Event Style matches. After he came back it was all 20 minute promos and self conscious epics though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyin' Brian Posted March 30, 2022 Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 The worst thing I can hold against him is not putting over Booker T at Wrestlemania 19. After that build and then to beat Booker T it was to me one of the worst main event programs I had ever seen. It wasn't all HHH I know, the buck stops with Vince McMahon, but to me that was jaw dropping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted March 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 9 minutes ago, Flyin' Brian said: The worst thing I can hold against him is not putting over Booker T at Wrestlemania 19. After that build and then to beat Booker T it was to me one of the worst main event programs I had ever seen. It wasn't all HHH I know, the buck stops with Vince McMahon, but to me that was jaw dropping. He also squashed RVD in 2001 when he was red hot, and of course the years long feud with Jericho where the only win Y2J ever got was winning the tag titles with Benoit over HHH/Austin which no one remembers because it's the match where the quad tear happened. Plus he killed the love triangle storyline with Steph and Kurt (that was honestly one of the best they've done) because he didn't think it would be believable for Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt to go over because he was smaller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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