Triple H and Shawn Michaels have had a storied rivalry which was in the ring as well as out of it for a period of time. Triple H currently is the WWE Head of Creative-for the main roster and Shawn Michaels is the creative head for NXT. These are the 2 men that have made WWE the hot ticket that it has become over the past 2 years. They have a history which goes back to.1998.
Let’s look at the Triple H vs Shawn Michaels Rivalry
The Best Friends went to War in 1998
In 1998, the first part of the legendary career of Shawn Michaels came to an end in a match against The Undertaker. It was a casket match and Shawn Michaels injured himself. It was looked as a career ending injury. His back was injured and he was out for 4 years till 2002. Shawn Michaels was going through a lot of issues during the time. Shawn Michaels was angry and he was not going to rehab. It looked like Shawn Michaels was consuming something and he was drooling In the locker room in 1998. Triple H was furious because he thought that his friend had gone in the wrong direction in life and he was not his guardian or keeper. Vince also said that WWE cannot keep him anymore and ordered to send him home.
This resulted In a big fight between Shawn Michaels and Triple H. Shawn Michaels Said to Triple H that he did not stand up for his best friend and he stabbed Shawn Michaels In the back and this was the thing that would end their friendship. Triple H had enough of it and he told Shawn Michaels to get out and he was furious that Shawn Michaels was blaming Triple H for his problems in life. He was done and it looked like it was the end of a friendship. After this both men did not talk to each other for years. And if not the wife of Shawn Michaels Rebecca who made him follow the path of God. Shawn Michaels credits his son for finally getting out of all his addictions. Shawn Michaels was ready to live a peaceful life and start from scratch.
However the process to get out of the addiction was not easy for Shawn. He had his son Cameron and he promised him that he would end it all but it was not happening for him. His wife was an ardent Christian and read the Bible. One night, Shawn Michaels was having something and he felt a lot of pain and his son thought he was tired. That night was the lowest point as his son thought he was dead and this made Shawn Michaels realize that he was doing his son a lot of harm. With Time, Shawn Michaels got out of it and became the HeartBreak Kid.
Shawn Michaels makes peace with Triple H
Shawn Michaels was sober and he was determined to make up with Triple H. His friend Kevin Nash explained to Shawn Michaels that it was his fault and that he would have to make the first call. In the year 2002, the NWO were arriving in WWE and they were the poison from the other company. Hulk Hogan was so popular that the fans were never going to boo him. Hulk Hogan was out of the NWO and they needed a new member. The NWO was at its lowest point and Kevin Nash promised a big announcement. It was the epic return of Shawn Michaels as the member of the NWO. This is still one of the greatest returns of all time. The NWO was dead as first Booker T was kicked out and finally Kevin Nash suffered a bad quad injury. Triple H made up with Shawn Michaels and after the death of NWO, Shawn Michaels and Triple H brought back a fan favorite DX.
The ultimate betrayal by Triple H
Eric Bishoff was the General manager of Raw in 2002 and he was determined to bring back Shawn Michaels and Triple H together on screen. He asked Shawn Michaels to be the manager of Triple H but Shawn Michaels was not open to it and he apologized to Triple H and left. This left a bad mark on Triple H, he was angry as to why Shawn Michaels was not able to help him as a manager and Triple H put up a plan. He first gave Shawn Michaels a false sense of security that they will reform DX and they will be as anti authority as ever. It was looking good as Triple H and Shawn Michaels were in DX gear but Triple H was playing the waiting game and he ultimately turned on Shawn Michaels. The fans were left devastated as their favorite group was no more.
Triple H explained his reasons for attacking Shawn Michaels. He was upset that Shawn Michaels could not swallow his pride and help him get to the top. Triple H was there with Shawn Michaels throughout his career except for those few years. In the storyline he felt that Shawn Michaels could have done this for his best friend. Shawn Michaels was taken out and was bloodied and a car ran over him. The Un- Americans were the ones to attack Shawn Michaels and it was all the plan of Triple H. This made Shawn Michaels furious and he challenged Triple H to a match at SummerSlam 2002.
The In Ring Return of Shawn Michaels
It was SummerSlam 2002 which was 4 years after his career ending back injury. Shawn Michaels was back wrestling and it was against Triple H. The match at SummerSlam was a masterpiece and it looked like Shawn Michaels had not missed a beat. Triple H throughout the match was attacking the back of Shawn Michaels and Shawn was showing that he was 100% fit. Shawn Michaels won his first match in 4 years but Triple H was not finished. This was the first in a series of Matches that these 2 had which Included a Last Man Standing Match at Royal Rumble 2004. They were in the first Elimination Chamber Match at Survivor Series 2002, Hell in a Cell Match at Bad Blood 2004. They were wrestling soulmates meaning they never had a bad match in the ring.
The End of their Rivalry
The DX finally returned in 2008 and they even won the tag team titles. The fans got the run that they always wanted. Shawn Michaels would have his last singles match at WrestleMania 26 against The Undertaker. Triple H would have his last match against Randy Orton in Saudi Arabia. Then a heart condition forced Triple H to retire from in-ring competition. This was the end of their in ring Rivalry and they are now leading the young WWE superstars in NXT and the main roster to become bigger stars than they were. Both men are WWE Hall of Famers. This Rivalry had a happy ending. Both men say that the roles they are in are the most fulfilling of their lives because they get to be wrestling dads for the men and women in WWE.
