The current role of Triple H has him in charge of creating new stars for WWE. This is something no one could have predicted about fifteen years ago when Triple H’s reputation was for hurting any talent that he worked with. During the time on top of WWE as a main event star, Triple H was known for not wanting to take the loss and put over other top stars that were a threat to his spot.
History would see a mixed bag of both names helped and hurt by Triple H throughout the years. The ones helped proved that he was willing to put over some wrestlers that he either felt deserved it or could benefit the future of WWE. Meanwhile, other top talents would never fulfill their potential in WWE due to him. We will look at both with five wrestlers Triple H was rumored to hold back along with five that he did not have a problem jobbing to.
10 Held back: Scott Steiner
The history between Scott Steiner and Triple H still sees Steiner ripping apart Triple H in interviews today. Both wrestlers had a feud in 2003 when Steiner returned to the company for the first time following the end of WCW.
Steiner was a top star for WCW and the WWE fans were ecstatic to see him in his first few appearances. WWE slotted him into a main event feud with Triple H and it was a disaster. They had horrible matches and Steiner would fall into the mid-card after it ended. Steiner believed Triple H held him back and tried to sabotage his career.
9 No problem putting over: The Undertaker
The Undertaker has been considered the most respected wrestler in the WWE locker room for over two decades now. Triple H even stated in an interview that Undertaker giving his endorsement of Triple H dating Stephanie McMahon made him feel more comfortable moving forward with the relationship.
The mutual respect between the two led to Triple H putting over Undertaker quite a few times without any hesitance. Undertaker defeated Triple H cleanly at three different WrestleMania events throughout an eleven-year time period.
8 Held back: Booker T
The most discussed instance of Triple H holding back another wrestler features his WrestleMania 19 match against Booker T. This was during the Triple H era of constantly winning his World Championship defenses over popular faces.
Booker however had more momentum after the fans rallied behind him. The match felt more important for Booker due to Triple H making racial comments that provided an uncomfortable nature to their segments. Triple H however somehow scored the win in a feud he should have lost, and Booker never got his revenge.
7 No problem putting over: Roman Reigns
The recent years of Triple H’s career have seen him more willing to go out of his way to put others over. Roman Reigns’ top moment during the many years of his push to the top featured him defeating Triple H in the main event of WrestleMania 32 in front of a record-breaking WWE crowd.
Triple H tried his best to play a heel in hopes of getting Reigns cheered. The fans were split down the middle, but Triple H made sure to do the job for Roman on the biggest stage possible. There was no confusion over the ending with Reigns getting a decisive victory.
6 Held back: Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle had a legendary Hall of Fame career, but he could have accomplished more in WWE if not for Triple H. Both men were entertaining and respected characters in 2000 during a love triangle feud with Stephanie McMahon.
Various reports indicated that the original plan was for Triple H to turn face while a heel Angle would end up dating Stephanie on television. Triple H claimed it would not be believable for Stephanie to choose someone like Angle over him. Angle continued to have a great run, but the work with Stephanie may have made him a bigger star in the WWE pecking order.
5 No problem putting over: Shawn Michaels
One controversial aspect of Triple H rarely losing in the early 2000s was that his best friend is one of the few people he consistently put over. Shawn Michaels scored a handful of clean victories over Triple H in their multiple feuds throughout the run.
Triple H’s rise to the top of WWE started when working with Michaels in D-Generation X. The two remained close friends and Triple H apparently returned the favor by cleanly losing to Michaels as a rare wrestler to get a few wins over him at the time.
4 Held back: CM Punk
CM Punk’s unhappiness during the end of his WWE run had a lot to do with his relationship with Triple H. The rise of Punk during the summer of 2011 featured him becoming a rebel that the fan base supported on his journey.
Triple H often opposed Punk in some incredible promos, but the problem came when Triple H defeated Punk in their one singles match. It slowed down the momentum of Punk and ruined his chances of passing John Cena as the true face of the company. Punk held a grudge and claimed to have told off Triple H before walking out to end his wrestling career.
3 No problem putting over: Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins was selected as the successor to Triple H in a lot of ways when the two worked together in The Authority. This storyline featured Rollins turning on The Shield, adopting Triple H as his mentor and becoming the WWE World Champion.
A face turn for Rollins would see the two face off culminating in a match at WrestleMania 33. Rollins cleanly defeated Triple H in a match that featured Stephanie McMahon taking a table bump. Triple H doing the job cemented Rollins as a top face moving forward.
2 Held back: Rob Van Dam
WWE fans from the early 2000s will remember just how popular Rob Van Dam was during his first few years in the company. Van Dam won over the fan base after making the move from ECW as arguably the most entertaining and naturally likable character on the roster.
Everyone expected RVD to become a world champion, especially when Triple H’s World Championship reign started to grow stale. Triple H however defeated Van Dam in their sole PPV singles match for the title and RVD would never have another opportunity as such. Shoot interviews with Van Dam have seen him express no love for Triple H all these years later.
1 No problem putting over: Batista
Batista is arguably the wrestler to most benefit from getting put over by Triple H. The time together in Evolution would see Triple H serve as a mentor to Batista both in the ring and off screen in real life. Batista became a legitimate top star by defeating Triple H for the World Championship at WrestleMania 21 and retaining in two future PPV matches.
It led to Batista gaining credibility with the fans as a face of the company. Batista appreciated Triple H putting hm over that he badly wanted to retire by losing to Triple H at WrestleMania 35.