Most Shoehorned-In Triple Threat Competitor

[BRV]

The majority of the build to the triple threat match for the Universal Championship at Royal Rumble has been focused on Paul Heyman hyping Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman wrecking stuff. And...also Kane's there, too.

So that got me to thinking, is Kane's involvement in the championship match the most shoehorned-in triple threat competitor ever? The only other one I can really recall that's comparable is when CM Punk had turned heel in summer 2012 and in the middle of his feud with John Cena, they threw Big Show into a totally random triple threat WWE Championship match at SummerSlam.

[Push R Truth]

I keep thinking that this isn't the first nor second random KANE in a triple threat for the title

But off the top of my head I can't tell you when it's happened before. Just somewhere in my mind I swear it's happened before.

[Ben Wyatt]

Jan 16, 2018 22:37:10 GMT -5 Push R Truth said:

I keep thinking that this isn't the first nor second random KANE in a triple threat for the title

But off the top of my head I can't tell you when it's happened before. Just somewhere in my mind I swear it's happened before.

Goldberg/HHH in late 2003

[Deleted]

The top two I can think of both involve Reigns - the Shield triple threat where he was suspended during the entire thing and the Lesnar / Ambrose / Reigns match where the former two spent the whole time acting like he didn't even exist and it was one-on-one.

[Sparvid]

IIRC, for the 2005 Rumble, JBL was champion and was challenged by Kurt Angle. But since Angle technically was a heel at the time (despite clearly getting cheered over JBL) they apparently felt the need to add (face) Big Show to the match.

[Starshine]

Show/Edge/Cena from Mania 25 was built on a love triangle between Show, Edge and Vickie Guerrero... Also Cena and the World Title were there too.

Also the Mania 24 triple threat between Orton/Cena/Trips could have been a straight Orton/Cena match instead. It had the story of Orton taking Cena out, who in turn made his big surprise return to win the Rumble... All the while Triple H was just there at the side still desperately trying to act cool.

[Deleted]

On further thinking about I think the king of this has to be the Michaels / Triple H / Cena triple threat at Survivor Series 2009, given the build pretty much was just DX hanging out with Hornswoggle and Cena approached them backstage for a chat once. Somehow all three guys and the belt were all shoehorned into the match.

[cjb01: Limited Edition Item!]

HHH vs Vladimir Kozlov vs Edge for the WWE Title is definitely a weird one

[Beets by Schrute]

Big Show in 2000 after Austin got hurt. He was already in an intense feud with Bossman and it was weird for him be in the middle of the Rock-HHH-Austin mess.

[sarkerpolseng]

Foley at SummerSlam 1999, even though he won.

[thegame415]

Show kind of made sense since he had been feuding with Cena and whatnot.

The Rock in the SummerSlam 2000 match. HHH/Angle one on one may have been better.

[Slanted and Enchanted]

Randy Orton and the Wrestlemania 30 main event.....and he was the champ at the time. The real animosity was between Bryan and Triple H. Batista at least had some heat for being the undeserving part-timer who took Bryan's Rumble glory. Orton was very much a warm body who was fresh off a lengthy losing streak.

[Skeletor]

Anyone got more than a couple GOOD reasons to do it? And how often did the odd man win...or NOT take the fall?

[EyeofTyr]

Benoit/HHH/Michaels, it even makes less sense given that the general theory at the time among the internet crowd was that it was a triple threat so that if H was losing the belt he didn't need to take the fall. Yet he did, making Michaels' inclusion even stranger and seem even more out of place. Especially since they had an incredibly flimsy reasoning on screen for why the guy that just lost to HHH at the Rumble was suddenly getting yet another title shot after a series of failed attempts.

They did some weak bits playing off of HHH/Michaels feud in the lead-up, but it was clear the story was Benoit's road to the title and HHH's disdain for someone he deemed below him was challenging him. Even at one point stating that as much as he hates Michaels that Michaels was more worthy of the title shot than Benoit and that it should just be Michaels & him.

[the2ndevil]

Jan 17, 2018 0:01:12 GMT -5 Skeletor said:

Anyone got more than a couple GOOD reasons to do it? And how often did the odd man win...or NOT take the fall?

As I recall, Foley at SummerSlam ‘99 was a matter convience.

Austin needed to leave for an issue with his knees, there was a huge criticism of Jesse Ventura being the guest red while Governor, so they couldn’t end the night with him raising the bad guy’s hand in victory, and every other viable main event ER ties up in other angles, and with Foley returning from getting kayfabe injured by Triple H,, it all sort of fit together.

And he got a USA Today cover out of it, so, neat.

[Skeletor]

Jan 17, 2018 1:09:30 GMT -5 the2ndevil said:

Jan 17, 2018 0:01:12 GMT -5 Skeletor said:

Anyone got more than a couple GOOD reasons to do it? And how often did the odd man win...or NOT take the fall?

As I recall, Foley at SummerSlam ‘99 was a matter convience.

Austin needed to leave for an issue with his knees, there was a huge criticism of Jesse Ventura being the guest red while Governor, so they couldn’t end the night with him raising the bad guy’s hand in victory, and every other viable main event ER ties up in other angles, and with Foley returning from getting kayfabe injured by Triple H,, it all sort of fit together.

And he got a USA Today cover out of it, so, neat.

I love it...

when a little plan comes together!