The WWE Universe has many names to address Triple H. It may be the Game or the Cerebral Assassin or the King of Kings, but he is also known as the man with the golden shovel. He may now have started to groom younger talents through NXT, but that wasn’t the case when he was wrestling full-time. He kept the spotlight on himself and on the way, he might’ve caused some inadvertent or willful burial of a few superstars’ careers.
However, some superstars found the good side of Triple H, and their careers started picking up steam after facing the Game. With that in mind, let’s take a look at five superstars who got buried after facing Triple H & five who did not.
10 Hurt - Scott Steiner
Scott Steiner received a thunderous ovation from the crowd in Madison Square Garden when he made his WWE return at Survivor Series 2002. He had returned to the company after eight years since his previous run ended in 1998.
The future looked very bright for "Big Poppa Pump" but all the hype came to an end when Steiner ran into Triple H. The Game defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Steiner at Royal Rumble & No Way Out 2003 and came out victorious in both matches. Steiner's inability to capture the title from Triple H resulted in him losing all the hype from the fans, and he never made it to the main event spot again.
9 Helped - Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins proved that he could be a great heel singles performer after he betrayed the Shield in 2014, and his first WWE title reign justified the statement. But all of us would agree that his run as a successful face started after his feud with Triple H.
Triple H is very high on the current Universal Champion and always gave him the opportunity to be in the spotlight, and The Game gave Rollins a bigger opportunity in a match against him at WrestleMania 33. Rollins emerged victorious in the contest kick-starting his run as a babyface. It resulted in Rollins becoming a two-time Universal Champion and gave him the potential to become one of the top stars of the company.
8 Hurt - Rob Van Dam
Remember the time when Paul Heyman told JBL that the only reason he was WWE Champion for a year was because Triple H didn't want to work Tuesdays? He knew what he was talking about as his own ECW original had a taste of Triple H's shovel.
Rob Van Dam was on his way to the top in 2002, and just when things started to look brighter for his WWE career, he had the unfortunate privilege of challenging Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. The match took place at Unforgiven 2002, and the ending saw Triple H picking up the win after Ric Flair interfered. RVD got pushed down to the mid-card after the match and never made it big in the WWE.
7 Helped - Ronda Rousey
Indeed, Ronda Rousey was already an established star before she made her WWE debut at Royal Rumble 2018, but she was new to the WWE fans. WWE needed the right person to introduce Rousey to their audience, and Triple H took up that role. Triple H & Stephanie McMahon took on Rousey & Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 34 in a mixed tag team match. Triple H made Rousey look strong and even had Rousey physically attack him during the contest, which is unusual for a star like the Game to do.
Triple H did what's best for the fans & the company and Rousey went on to have a successful year becoming the Raw Women's Champion and main eventing WrestleMania 35.
6 Hurt - Sheamus
Sheamus shocked the world when he became the first Irish-born WWE Champion at TLC 2009. He won the title in just 166 days since his WWE debut making it the third shortest time to win the title.
After such a strong debut, Sheamus needed a dominant win at his first WrestleMania, but that didn’t happen as he fell short to Triple H at WrestleMania 26. Sheamus had everything needed to become one of the biggest main event heels in WWE, but the loss hindered his progress in reaching that level.
5 Helped - Chris Benoit
After having successful runs in WCW & ECW, Chris Benoit made his WWE debut in 2000. He became an instant success and won the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 2000 within just one month since his debut.
However, despite multiple failed attempts at the WWE Championship, Benoit never made it to the main event until his moment came at WrestleMania 20. The Rabid Wolverine won the 2004 Royal Rumble and challenged Triple H for the World title in a triple threat match which also included Shawn Michaels.
Benoit won the title when he made Triple H tap out to the Crossface, and the fans still remember his iconic post-match celebration with Eddie Guerrero. Triple H put Benoit over in two other matches at Backlash & Vengeance 2004. If it weren’t for some personal issues which led to his death in 2007, Benoit could’ve become an even bigger star in the WWE.
4 Hurt - Booker T
The 5-time WCW Champion, made his WWE debut at King of the Ring 2001 and soon became a top member of the Alliance in the Invasion storyline. Vince McMahon saw potential in Booker T and booked him very strong which eventually led him to a world title match against Triple H at WrestleMania 19.
But things didn’t go well for Booker T as the build-up towards the match saw Triple H devaluing his opponent's past achievements and allegedly included racist slurs. The match saw Triple H picking up the win after hitting Booker T with the Pedigree and getting the three-count despite taking too long to make a cover.
Despite winning multiple titles after the event, Booker T never made it as the face of the company which he would’ve become had he defeated Triple H at WrestleMania 19.
3 Helped - Randy Orton
Being the youngest member of Triple H’s stable Evolution, Randy Orton took maximum advantage of the opportunity and proved that he had all it takes to be the next big thing in the WWE. WWE realized his potential and made him the youngest World Champion in history at SummerSlam 2004 when he was just 24 years old.
Triple H kicked him out of the stable after Orton's big win and the two superstars collided for the title at Unforgiven 2004, where Orton lost the title to Triple H. Though Orton lost the title it kick-started his career as a singles superstar and propelled him to superstardom leading to him becoming a 13-time world champion in the process.
2 Hurt - Goldberg
Goldberg's first run with the WWE didn't last for very long after the WCW legend left the company within a year. Though it looked like Goldberg would replicate the same impact he made in WCW during his first two months in WWE all of that changed when he started a feud with Triple H.
Goldberg competed in a world title Elimination Chamber match at SummerSlam 2003. He was running through the competition after eliminating Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels & Chris Jericho, but Triple H picked up the unexpected win by attacking him with a sledgehammer. It was Goldberg's first major PPV, and he needed the win to cement his place in the WWE, but Vince McMahon chose to stick with Triple H retaining the title, and it was the first nail in the coffin for Goldberg's first WWE run.
1 Helped - Batista
It wouldn't be an overstatement to say, that it was Triple H who unleashed the animal inside Batista. Batista was the powerhouse of Evolution, and when it was time for him to begin his singles career, Triple H was happy to be the first step in the Animal's ladder to success.
Batista won the 2005 Royal Rumble and decided to challenge Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. The match took place at the main event of WrestleMania 21, and Batista defeated his mentor to win his first world title in the WWE. The win propelled Batista into superstardom, and there's no doubt this moment would've played a huge part in the Animal's success inside & outside the WWE.