Game On (Article on HHH)

[Perfection]

Darkside: Game On
TSN.ca Staff
3/31/2004

A little less than a year ago, I wrote an article titled "Game Over", where I ran down Triple H.  I said that his political maneuvering was threatening to overshadow how solid a performer he was in the ring, and what he was doing backstage, was essentially killing off any chance that any new main eventers have of really making an impact.

I didn't believe then, nor do I believe now that he was doing any of this because he's an ego-maniacal monster...the bad guy never sees his motives as anything but pure (unless he's a true sociopath).  Hunter thought that he was the right guy for the job, and he thought that the only guy he could trust was himself, and maybe on occasion Shawn Michaels.

Who can argue with him?  He had an incredibly difficult time getting to the top of the mountain.  He was buried in WCW, he came to WWE with a lot of promise, and had a decent run, but after the infamous "Madison Square Garden incident", where the Kliq gathered for one final curtain call, it was Hunter who took the fall and saw his push squashed.

While Hunter was carrying the ball, playing "Most Valuable Player", Foley had just retired, Austin and Undertaker were on the shelf, and there weren't a lot of established stars.  When Austin and 'Taker returned, Hunter's became yesterday's news.

Then came the quad tear.  All he had to do for a year was sit at home and stew.  His girlfriend was becoming one of the most powerful figures on the wrestling landscape, Austin was carrying a whole new ball, Rock could do no wrong, and Hunter sat there, during an incredibly lucrative WWE run, sitting on the sidelines.

When he got back, he needed the spotlight.  He had been to the top of the mountain, and then spent a year at home, being told that he'd never be as good as he once was, and always remembering the feeling of that muscle zipping up his leg.

He came back a little heavier, a touch slower.  He fought tooth and nail to keep the top spot, and maybe he held on to it longer than he should have.  He was given his own title, and many argued that a lot of business was lost, but he had shown in the past that he could take a title and make it mean something.

It's been nearly a year since that last article.  At the time battles with Hunter had killed off pushes for Chris Jericho, Scott Steiner, RVD, Booker T, and Kane (although the death of Kane's push can be laid at the feet of the writers of the horrible "Katie Vick angle which will go down in wrestling lore as one of the worst angles of all time).

Evolution has emerged, Hunter has changed his personae from the "Monster heel", to a stylish, three piece suit wearing, Ric Flair type "Classy Champion".  Most importantly, around the same time that Mick Foley came back, Hunter seemed to "get it".

Maybe it was his time away doing his own Hollywood work that made him see the light, maybe it was marriage which has mellowed him, or maybe it was the return of Foley, who once upon a time helped truly elevate Hunter to main event status in a series of amazing matches.  I'm not sure what it was, but Hunter finally "gets it", he finally understands something that Mick Foley has understood for most of his career.

You don't need to win the match to be over.

First came the Chris Benoit/Shawn Michaels/Triple H match at WrestleMania.  I thought either Hunter would win, or Shawn would sneak out a victory.  Either way, Hunter would keep the belt, or at the very worst give it to his best friend.  Same old, same old.  Something happened during that match though. From the moment he stepped through the curtain with the white boots on, Hunter looked different.  He was suddenly tanned, he looked like he had lost 10 pounds between the previous RAW and Sunday night.  Most importantly, Hunter seemed to be having a better time than he had in a long time.  His arsenal was crisp, his shots looked awesome, and he was turning on all cylinders.  In short, the old Hunter Hearst Helmsley was back.  When Benoit made him tap in the middle of the ring, I popped like a beer bottle in a freezer.  It was an amazing moment, and something that I was sure Hunter wouldn't allow.

Watching Triple H take on Shelton Benjamin on Monday night, I was glued to a Triple H match again.  There were near falls, there were times where the face got the upper hand, Hunter allowed Shelton to get some momentum, and kept things close enough that the crowd helped to elevate Shelton Benjamin on their own.  The guy who was my favourite wrestler until last year came back.  I was sure that the match would end with Hunter getting a win, but even still, Benjamin looked so good in the match, that nothing could take that away.  When Benjamin got the win, I realized I was on my feet.

Now maybe I'm being too optimistic, maybe Hunter will squash Shelton next week and steal Benoit's title at Backlash...I'm hoping not, but maybe it will happen.

For now though, I'm just going to hope that my favourite wrestler is doing the right thing and helping to make the superstars of tomorrow.

Welcome back Hunter, we missed you.

For TSN.ca/Wrestling, I'm Brian "Darkside" Garside.
www.tsn.ca/wrestling