Post by mattperiolat on Mar 26, 2022 6:56:22 GMT -5
Honestly, I’ll go to my grave saying Hunter was better on stick then he was in ring. Not saying his matches were bad at all, he was outstanding with the right dance partner. But my strongest memories of Hunter are mic work. Naturally a very funny guy, can’t mask that even with heel work. Vividly remember one RAW where the crowd was so hot and he’s doing his “Are you ready?!?” bit and it’s killing him not to smile. He gets as far as “For the thousands in attendance…” before he drops character a bit and just goes “And dammit, it’s my friggin’ birthday!” to a huge pop.
Lots of the little moments and line drops where he can just let Paul out a bit. Him trying not to corpse as Shawn kicks Stan, feeding into Hogan during a promo leading to their Backlash match for the Undisputed title (That roar as Hogan is ripping off his shirt is equal parts character work as it is a mark out), just the moments where he has to be surprised he’s getting paid for this.
Have to acknowledge the two really great moments though - MSG 2002 being the first. I remember being at a Raw in August 2001 and Stephanie in mid promo acknowledged Triple H being on the shelf and the crowd got so hot. One guy a few feet away screamed “Restart The Game!” which just got people hotter. So you knew the crowd was dying for him to be back. But that pop when Motörhead kicked in, man… you can’t measure or quantify it. I know initially Hunter was just thinking “Don’t cry, don’t cry…” when he first got out there.
The other was what I consider Hunter’s WrestleMania 3 moment - the opening moments in ring at NXT Arrival. Vince has said when he was opening Mania 3 that he felt like his dad was there with him and he struggled for a second before roaring “Welcome to WrestleMania 3!!!”. Hunter was exactly the same feeling the crowd at Arrival before going into “Are you READY?!?!?” The moments you just feel the moment and everything hits and you need that moment before “OK, go to work.”
That’s what I’ll remember and miss most about Triple H. Just those moments where you were so happy for him and felt his own happiness. It’s been such a run and I hope people remember those moments too.
Lots of the little moments and line drops where he can just let Paul out a bit. Him trying not to corpse as Shawn kicks Stan, feeding into Hogan during a promo leading to their Backlash match for the Undisputed title (That roar as Hogan is ripping off his shirt is equal parts character work as it is a mark out), just the moments where he has to be surprised he’s getting paid for this.
Have to acknowledge the two really great moments though - MSG 2002 being the first. I remember being at a Raw in August 2001 and Stephanie in mid promo acknowledged Triple H being on the shelf and the crowd got so hot. One guy a few feet away screamed “Restart The Game!” which just got people hotter. So you knew the crowd was dying for him to be back. But that pop when Motörhead kicked in, man… you can’t measure or quantify it. I know initially Hunter was just thinking “Don’t cry, don’t cry…” when he first got out there.
The other was what I consider Hunter’s WrestleMania 3 moment - the opening moments in ring at NXT Arrival. Vince has said when he was opening Mania 3 that he felt like his dad was there with him and he struggled for a second before roaring “Welcome to WrestleMania 3!!!”. Hunter was exactly the same feeling the crowd at Arrival before going into “Are you READY?!?!?” The moments you just feel the moment and everything hits and you need that moment before “OK, go to work.”
That’s what I’ll remember and miss most about Triple H. Just those moments where you were so happy for him and felt his own happiness. It’s been such a run and I hope people remember those moments too.