the Triple H The Vince McMahon rivalry deserves more attention when looking at the impact it had on the business. Everyone talks about McMahon feuding with Steve Austin when he thinks of his authority figure persona. Triple H’s feud with Vince played a pivotal role in him getting to the next higher level by teaming up with Austin and The Rock.
WWE put a lot of time into the angle involving many other personalities joining the Triple H vs McMahon storyline. There were even a few instances where the company reverted to the rivalry after the original fight in the Attitude Era. Each step provided an interesting change of pace for their respective characters. Fans should take a trip down memory lane remembering the following things about the rivalry between Vince and Triple H.
10/10 They were allies just before they fought
The timing of Triple H’s feud with Vince McMahon came in the same year that they were technically in the same faction together. Triple H turned heel to take down D-Generation X in early 1999 when he joined the faction of The Corporation led by Vince.
A few twists and turns even led to them being part of the same Corporate Ministry faction. Vince changed faces later in the year and Triple H advanced on his account during his first WWE Championship reign, leading to them meeting for the first time.
9/10 Vince McMahon had second singles PPV match against Triple H
WWE made it feel important that Triple H was becoming a notable rival for Vince McMahon. There was about a year and a change where Vince was a heel on screen, but most of his work came in a fight against Steve Austin.
Even when things changed, Vince always came back to find a new way to trick Austin. Triple H was only the second wrestler to face McMahon in a PPV singles match on Armageddon 1999. Austin’s steel cage match against Vince was the only previous time the boss had a singles match on PPV.
8/10 Shane was in the middle as much as Stephanie
Everyone remembers the element of Stephanie McMahon being involved in the Vince McMahon vs. Triple H storyline, but Shane also had a role. WWE booked Shane to become a closer ally to Triple H when he finished the Corporate Ministry.
Shane was the one who helped Triple H cheat to win the WWE Championship during Vince’s absence after Steve Austin sent him packing. McMahon returned as a face, but Shane didn’t become an enemy until Triple H apparently forced his marriage to his sister Stephanie. The eventual reveal of Stephanie planning it with Triple H saw Shane at odds and making it up to them depending on the timing.
7/10 Vince McMahon won his only WWE Championship from Triple H.
Vince McMahon winning the WWE Championship is rarely talked about given the number of times WWE has mentioned David Arquette and Vince Russo winning the WCW Championship. Part of the reason is that Vince vacated the belt after winning it, but this still affected Triple H’s feud.
McMahon won the WWE Championship with outside help as a face stunner for Triple H’s high-heeled champion. The stunt was done to create a spike in ratings and create stunner interest. When Vince vacated the belt, Triple H took it back in a six-person match.
6/10 The repetition of the rivalry caused DX to reunite
The most prominent rivalry between Vince McMahon and Triple H occurred in 1999 and 2000 on a more personal basis. However, WWE decided to come back to this several times knowing that there was some chemistry there only stronger after Triple H married Stephanie McMahon in real life.
Vince’s heel work was what WWE used to tell the story of Triple H and Shawn Michaels reuniting D-Generation X in 2006. McMahon made Triple H’s life miserable and didn’t help him against Michaels caused the first change of face of Triple H in more than four years. bringing together the iconic act.
5/10 Vince McMahon helped Steve Austin against Triple H
An interesting tidbit in the first fight between Vince McMahon and Triple H featured Steve Austin in an unlikely scenario. Austin and Triple H feuded over the WWE Championship in the fall of 1999, shortly before Austin left for neck surgery.
no mercy 1999 saw Vince get involved early in the No DQ match to prevent Triple H’s sledgehammer from damaging Austin. Triple H ended up winning that match when Rock accidentally hit Austin with another sledgehammer.
4/10 His story played out in Triple H Dumping Stephanie
Vince McMahon was the only other WWE personality in the ring for Triple H’s infamous leaving Stephanie McMahon segment in 2002. Triple H’s makeover that year culminated in him discovering that Stephanie was lying about a pregnancy and quitting during a vow renewal segment. .
Triple H delivered a pedigree to McMahon before facing Stephanie to end their time together. Vince took the physical damage before he and Stephanie began racking up odds against Triple H during their WWE Championship title chase.
3/10 Carlito teamed up with Vince McMahon in the final version of Feud
Another chapter in the rivalry between Triple H and Vince McMahon came when an unlikely person joined the fray. Triple H’s return from injury in 2007 featured him working with various new or old talent before returning to the main picture.
Carlito had a short program with Triple H that stemmed from the issues between Triple H and Vince. WWE lined Carlito up with McMahon for a few weeks and even teamed them up in a handicap match victory over Triple H on Raw.
2/10 The end of First Feud was another turn for McMahon
Vince McMahon again won over the audience as a face during his feud against Triple H. Keep in mind that this was only a few months after McMahon revealed that he was the top power for a sharp turn. Nobody believed that WWE would do that again when Vince started representing The Rock vs. Triple H.
This sparked the concept of all four members of the McMahon family representing a different wrestler in the wrestlemania 2000 main event for the WWE Championship. Vince betrayed Rock to help Triple H win by the same deflection. WWE sold the issues between Triple H and Vince as real, but Vince’s love for Stephanie brought them together.
1/10 Test suffered by the dispute
The biggest under-the-radar story of the first Triple H-Vince McMahon feud was how much it hurt Test’s run. WWE always saw something more in Test and trusted him to be in the first long story of Stephanie McMahon as her love interest.
Triple H interrupting their marriage and revealing that he married a stoned Stephanie earlier should have made Test his biggest rival. Instead, it was a chess move in the larger feud between Vince and Triple H. Test received no revenge and rarely acknowledged that Stephanie dumped him for Triple H by returning to the bottom half of the card scene.