What Triple H Told Vince McMahon After Infamous WWE Moment
Triple H has recalled explaining to Vince McMahon how the wrestling business was changing following a controversial moment.
A house show at Madison Square Garden on May 19th, 1996 became an infamous event in WWE history. The show was the last to feature Kevin Nash and Scott Hall as Diesel and Razor Ramon before the pair jumped ship to WCW. In their last bouts before departing, Triple H defeated Ramon, while Shawn Michaels was victorious over Nash in the main event Steel Cage Match.
After the match, Michaels, Triple H, Hall, and Nash took part in a group hug in the middle of the ring, breaking kayfabe in a notorious moment that became known as the ‘Curtain Call.’ The incident exposed the scripted nature of pro wrestling and led to big changes in the business.
Despite the reality of wrestling being something of an open secret by that point, someone still had to be punished for bringing it to light, and that fell to Triple H.
During an appearance on Greg & The Morning Buzz, WWE’s Chief Content Officer explained that he was the only one who could “take the heat” due to his lower position in the company. While accepting his punishment, The Game still believed the men had done nothing wrong.
“It was a huge deal. When all that went down and I took the brunt of the heat for it because I was the only one that could. Kevin and Scott were leaving. Shawn was world champ, what are they going to do to him? I took the heat. No problem.
“As I was leaving Vince’s office, after a thorough ass chewing, as I was walking out, I looked back at him and I said, ‘Let me ask you this, Vince. If this is so wrong. If lifting that curtain is so wrong, why was it the loudest thing at Madison Square Garden that night? It was sold out. The biggest reaction, by far, was that. The business is changing and it’s passing people by and they’re not seeing it yet.’ He said, ‘You might be right, but that doesn’t change where we are right now. The punishment is what it is.’
“That was the truth. The business is changing. Fast forward, the internet comes in, and everybody knows what we do. They know the real stuff. They know who is married and who is in relationships, or at least they think they do. Half the stuff on the internet is wrong, but it’s all out there and they know how this works.”
With everything now out in the open, Triple H has gone into detail about his favourite aspect of storytelling in WWE.
Triple H Shares Key Lesson For WWE
During the same interview, Triple H shared an important lesson that shapes his leadership in WWE. The Cerebral Assassin admitted he knows there are veterans who think today’s stars aren’t doing things “the right way,” but he compared it to older people thinking modern music “sucks,” explaining that different generations simply like different things.
H/T to Fightful for the above transcription.