By Kevin Wong on Mar 22, 2019 02:08 am
Triple H is a 14-time world champion and one WWE's most successful and well-known superstars. But you wouldn't know it from his Wrestlemania win/loss record. In 22 matches, Triple H has racked up 9 wins and 13 losses. That's because for the majority of his career, Triple H was the biggest, most dominant villain in the WWE. And when Triple H loses at Wrestlemania, it's usually to give the fans a "happy ending," after months of disappointment and frustration at the hands of a nefarious heel. Triple H dominates, cheats, and manipulates his way to victory 11 months out of the year. But at Wrestlemania? He's at his most vulnerable, and the crowd is all the more wild for it. This is also why his entrances are invariably grand, high-budget spectacles. The more mighty and monstrous Triple H looks, the bigger the accomplishment is when he's taken down. Here are all 22 of Triple H's Wrestlemania entrances, ranked from worst to best. If you liked this gallery, check out our countdown of the best Undertaker entrances. And keep track of our ongoing coverage of Wrestlemania 35 on April 7. We'll be covering the Showcase of the Immortals extensively over the next several weeks.
22. A Diversion, Then A Low Blow
Event: Wrestlemania XV Opponent: Kane This is the worst entrance because it's barely one. Rather than coming down the ramp, Triple H snuck into the ring behind Kane and delivered a low blow. No music. No fanfare. It was very cowardly and not intimidating at all.
21. Backed By The Skyline
Event: Wrestlemania XX Opponents: Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit This is a standard Triple H entrance, which to be fair, is more exciting than most superstars' entrances. But there's no special gimmick or extra flair to place it higher on the list, aside from the New York skyline in the background.
20. WOOOOO!!
Event: Wrestlemania XIX Opponent: Booker T. There's not much notable about Triple H's Wrestlemania XIX entrance, except that the legendary Ric Flair accompanied The Game to the ring. This was near the birth of the Evolution stable (comprised of Triple H, Ric Flair, Batista, and Randy Orton). 16 years later, Batista would decimate Flair backstage, which spurred a grudge match between Triple H and Batista at Wrestlemania 35.
19. A Laser Light Show
Event: Wrestlemania XXVI Opponent: Sheamus It's not easy to create a cool entrance in broad daylight. But whenever Wrestlemania takes place in an outdoor stadium, WWE's producers try the best they can. For The Game's entrance at Wrestlemania XXVI, they increased the number of green lasers, which didn't help much.
18. A Lovely Lady
Event: Wrestlemania XII Opponent: Ultimate Warrior At Triple H's first Wrestlemania appearance, he wasn't even Triple H yet. He was Hunter Hearst Helmsley, a snotty, blue-blooded aristocrat from Connecticut. He fought the Ultimate Warrior, who squashed him like a bug in a minute-and-a-half. But best part of Hunter's evening was his entrance; he walked down the aisle with Sable cradled on his arm, as the commentators oohed and aahed over her beauty.
17. A Massive Ramp
Event: Wrestlemania XXIV Opponents: John Cena and Randy Orton This is an entrance that relied more on camera work and framing than on anything gimmicky. Triple H did his typical entrance, but he walked half the length of the stadium to get to the ring. And the camera panned out to capture all the grandeur of the moment.
16. A Massive Skull Arch
Event: Wrestlemania XXVIII Opponent: The Undertaker For his Hell in a Cell match against the Undertaker, Triple H came out of a massive stone archway, topped with a massive skull with glowing red eyes. It was kind of cheesy and elaborate, especially for a one-night-only spot. WWE decided to reuse the set the following year, and that's when things got interesting.
15. Dry Ice Burns
Event: Wrestlemania 29 Opponent: Brock Lesnar The following year, when Triple H came out of the skull archway, he got hit in the stomach with a massive blast of dry ice, and he suffered second-degree burns on his skin. You can see him wiping it off and dousing himself with water as he heads to the ring to fight (and win) a 24-minute match against Brock Lesnar. The show must go on.
14. The First Mania Spit Take
Event: Wrestlemania 2000 Opponents: Mick Foley, The Rock, and The Big Show This was a fatal 4-way match, billed as a "McMahon in every corner" main event, and although the bout itself was lackluster, the entrance was not. This was the first time that Triple H did his famous water spit at Wrestlemania; every wrestling fan has attempted to do this at least once. It's also the first time that Stephanie McMahon accompanied The Game to the ring.
13. Drowning Pool Plays The Game
Event: Wrestlemania X8 Opponent: Chris Jericho It's difficult to follow Motorhead from the prior year's Wrestlemania, but the band Drowning Pool gave it their best shot at Wrestlemania X8. They played a nu-metal rendition of Motorhead's theme, and though it sounds a little dated today, the effort and enthusiasm is appreciated. This match also had the unfortunate task of following the Icon vs. Icon match between The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan, which hurt the crowd's energy.
12. An Ode To Joy
Event: Wrestlemania 13 Opponent: Goldust This entrance was during a transitional period, when Triple H was still his aristocratic self but was evolving into the megastar he would eventually be. Chyna was already accompanying him to the ring, and his theme music, a rendition of Beethoven's Ode To Joy, was appropriately pompous and celebratory.
11. The DX Band Breaks It Down
Event: Wrestlemania XIV Opponent: Owen Hart There are few things more fun than when an entrance theme performer shows up to Wrestlemania to perform their signature song live. And at Wrestlemania XIV, Chris Warren and the DX Band performed the DX theme as Triple H and Chyna strutted to the ring. Earlier in the show, the DX Band played rock versions of "The Star Spangled Banner" and "America the Beautiful" They were awful, and it's almost impossible to find them today.
10. The King of Kings
Event: Wrestlemania 22 Opponent: John Cena This is the year when the production values started to pick up. Triple H began his entrance seated on a massive throne, dressed in furs and a medieval crown, like Conan the Barbarian. Backing him was his new theme song, "The King of Kings," performed by Motorhead.
9. Motorhead Plays The Game
Event: Wrestlemania X-Seven Opponent: The Undertaker Wrestlemania X-Seven was the peak of the Attitude Era. Triple H battled the Undertaker, and for his entrance, WWE went all out. They recruited metal legends Motorhead to play Triple H to the ring. It was thrilling, like something out of a fantasy comic. And the moment where Triple H points at Lemmy while the band's rocking out is the mainstream crossover appeal that WWE craves.
8. A Chopper And A Police Escort
Event: Wrestlemania 33 Opponent: Seth Rollins The first of two motorcycle entrances, Triple H heads to the ring on a chopper, with Stephanie McMahon riding on the back. They're accompanied by a massive, wailing police escort, with all their sirens flashing blue and red. Talking about projecting Authority.
7. The Authority Rides Side-By-Side
Event: Wrestlemania 34 Opponents: Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle For their tag match at Wrestlemania 34 against Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H upped their prior year's ante. They came to the ring with matching Boss Hoss trikes, flanked by a female motorcycle gang. When it came time to spit the water, Stephanie followed suit and did it side-by-side with her husband. It was a fantastic Wrestlemania moment that preceded the best match of the evening.
6. Come With Me If You Want To Live
Event: Wrestlemania 31 Opponent: Sting The night before Wrestlemania 31, WWE inducted Arnold Schwarzenegger into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame. Arnold recorded a Terminator-inspired introduction for Triple H's entrance the following night, which climaxed with Triple H rising out of the ground, dressed in robot parts, holding bushels of Terminator heads in both hands. Massive Terminator robots flanked him on both sides. Sarah Connor never had to fight something like this.
5. Motorhead Plays The Game, Again!
Event: Wrestlemania 21 Opponent: Batista Motorhead had already played The Game to the ring at Wrestlemania once. For their encore, Triple H no longer had to point at them from a distance. Instead, he rose from the floor, right where the band was playing and paid his respects to the metal gods in person.
4. In Case Of Emergency, Break Glass
Event: Wrestlemania XXV Opponent: Randy Orton Breaking glass and wrestling entrances are a match made in heaven. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin marched through a busted pane of glass at Wrestlemania 13, and it remains one of his most iconic entrances. And at Wrestlemania XXV, Triple H did his own version of the entrance by hurling his sledgehammer through the glass, shattering it completely.
3. Those About To Die Salute You!
Event: Wrestlemania XXVII Opponent: The Undertaker Another king-inspired entrance, Triple H dresses as an emperor flanked by shield-bearing gladiators. The creepy looking skull mask wasn't just some prop out of a Halloween shop; it was designed by Hollywood special effects maestro Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13th).
2. The Golden King
Event: Wrestlemania XXX Opponent: Daniel Bryan The Savini mask made a comeback, and this time, it was decked out in gold, as was the rest of the "royal set." The three women waiting on Triple H were Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, and Charlotte Flair, all of whom were still in developmental at the time.
1. A Queen Presents Her King
Event: Wrestlemania 32 Opponent: Roman Reigns The greatest Triple H Wrestlemania Entrance had everything. There was royal theming. There was dramatic staging, filled with metal gates and apocalyptic imagery. There was harsh lighting that casted dramatic shadows. There was a massive, skull-faced "royal guard" that flanked Triple H on both sides. And best of all, there was Stephanie McMahon, dressed to the nines, delivering a so-bad-it's-good monologue about her husband's gloriousness and the audience's wretchedness. And afterwards, at the exact, perfect moment, the Motorhead theme kicked in.
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