Triple H is also many thanks. He is the current on-screen
boss of the company. He too is a highly accomplished wrestler and future first
ballot Hall of Fame inductee. He's also former eight time WWE champion. He's
one of the two biggest heels of the Attitude Era (the other, obviously, being
Vince McMahon). Some may even go so far as to say he was the biggest heel of
that era but I'm not one of them.
 |
| Rock pretending to fly as he hits a Rock Bottom there. |
Together they had one of the greatest rivalries of the
Attitude Era. It started off over the Intercontinental title and gradually
progressed to one for the world title. Somewhere along the way it became a
defining feud for both men, one that didn't actually require the involvement of
a title or a reason for a match to take place. It was simply one of those
rivalries that had been going for so long that it was one of those rare
ever-ready, ever-present disputes, the sort of thing that could flare up at any
time. Sort of like Cena v Orton now, only good.
Despite the pair having separate feuds in 1998, 1999 and
2000 they never actually had a one-on-one match at WrestleMania. They
completely deserved to but the closest they came was the closing portion of a
four-way elimination main event, also involving Big Show and Mick Foley at
WrestleMania 2000. Behind Austin versus McMahon and Austin versus The Rock it
was one of the defining rivalries of the time. Behind that second programme it
was the greatest rivalry of Rock's career. It was quite possibly the greatest
of Triple H's, with only his work opposite the various guises of Mick Foley
coming close to being both as good and as important to his career.
I mention all of this because there's been speculation
since WrestleMania Play Button that Rock and Triple H will face one another at
next year's WrestleMania Star in Texas. This has picked up again recently
because of SummerSlam. With the event being stretched to four hours (the first
WWE event not named WrestleMania to hit that mark) and being held in NYC it's
fair to say that WWE will want to add something to the announced card to make
it special. A showdown between the on-screen boss and his old movie-making
rival would fit the bill nicely. If they came to blows to set up a future match
that would be A Big Deal.
Of course, part of the previously mentioned speculative
chatter regaining a Rock and Trips bout is that it would somehow involve Rhonda
Rousey and Stephanie McMahon. This would make sense given the segment involving
all four at 'Mania earlier this year. But while a mixed tag match at WM32 would
certainly be memorable it would also feel a tiny but like a squandered
opportunity.
In Rock v Triple H WWE has a perfect chance to revisit
one of the company's defining rivalries and give them the only kind of match
they've never had: a WrestleMania showdown. Were it to happen and Rhonda Rousey
was still on the card (her ability to wrestle a match for WWE has been
questioned since her UFC boss Dana White stated publicly that he wouldn't let
her) then she and Steph could have a singles match. That would probably be more
enjoyable anyway: a squash in which uber-heel Steph gets tapped out in a few
minutes sounds like a good addition to a 'Mania card to me. Meanwhile if either
Rock or Tripper were considering retiring at all in the next little while this
is a match that could provide a fitting end to either career (although the
assumption that Undertaker's retiring in Texas makes that unlikely, nobody
wants to see two retirement matches in one night). It's the match I'd like to
see WWE revisit more than any other. One final addition to the feud at a WrestleMania
sounds pretty good to me.
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