Smark Out Moment

On this fifth edition of SUPERSTAR SCORES, we take a look at someone who is continually under the microscope and scrutiny as people have extremely strong opinions on whether or not he's actually as good as he and WWE portrays him to be: Triple H (Paul Levesque).

If you're unfamiliar with how the segment works, here is a quick breakdown: Each edition, a wrestler will be put under the spotlight and rated on a 0-100 scale based on 10 categories that have been broken up into 5 umbrella sections: In the Ring Skills, On the Mic Skills, Appearance, Backstage, and Crowd Reaction. The rating scale is as basic as you can get: 0-1-2-3-4 | 5 | 6-7-8-9-10. It follows the Three-Count Critique method of green being the good, yellow being in the middle, and red being the bad. A perfect 100 is the goal.

Is Triple H the King of Kings, or does he rank significantly lower than a perfect 100 score?


Update: On March 20, 2020, we did a recalibration of points for a 25th episode special. In that episode, nearly every wrestler saw some adjustments. Below, you'll see the original scores on the left and then the updated score on the right, with the original description for the original score underneath. For explanation on the updated points, check out the 25th edition podcast.

IN THE RING SKILLS

Athleticism: Does the person have a good signature moveset and finisher? Can they perform a wide variety of moves on a regular basis and not botch them?

My Rating = 6 / 7
Triple H was never a high-flyer or anything of the sort, but he's a prime example of someone who does what he can do well. He doesn't typically botch and he knows his limitations. You don't see Triple H trying to do moves that he won't be able to pull off.

Psychology: The wrestler's ability to tell a story in the ring. Do they make you believe it's real or do they forget to sell their injuries properly? Can they make a long match stay interesting and not get boring?

My Rating = 8
Triple H used to be really good at this, but he got into a rut where he tends to under-sell things. The trouble with this rating is that in his mind, he's probably a 10 because nothing really does hurt Triple H. To the fans like myself, though, he needs to take the hit more and look weak in his matches for me to ever really care and think that he can lose.

ON THE MIC SKILLS

Charisma: If they get a mic, can they cut a promo without stuttering? Are they repetitive or do they keep things fresh?

My Rating = 9
If you were to ask me who my top 10 people on the mic are of all time, there's no way Triple H would be on it. But if you were to ask me for my top 20, then that's a different story. HHH has the skills to be entertaining on the mic, particularly when he's a member of DX.

Character: Is their gimmick(s) interesting? Can they pull off being both a heel and a face?

My Rating = 8
Let's be honest. This 8 is because of DX and for the time when Triple H was more of The Cerebral Assassin and less of The Game or The King of Kings. If it weren't for those times, it would be lower. Outside of DX, Triple H's character is just "muscular guy who is better than you". Anyone could play that part. He does pull it off rather well, but I can't give it a perfect 10.

APPEARANCE

Physique: Are they in the proper shape for their gimmick or are they out of shape? (note: someone like Mabel isn't supposed to look like John Morrison, but Matt Hardy gaining weight deducts his points).

My Rating = 9
You have to give credit where credit is due. Triple H is huge and he looks like he could kick anyone's ass.

Entrance: Their music, the pyro if they have any, whatever taunts or actions they do to make it interesting.

My Rating = 10
He has multiple themes, which allows for flexibility. Each of these fit his character very easily. Spitting the water and having the camera pan around him when he approaches the ring is something that people recognize and imitate.

BEHAVIOR

Backstage: Are they a locker room leader or do they cause problems behind the scenes? Are they bogged down in politics? Do they put other people over or screw people over?

My Rating = 3 / 8
I'd give him a lower score, but a lot of what he gets flack for may not necessarily be true. It's hard to argue against all of the negatives that we've heard over the years, though. When you have a stigma for being self-serving, belittling, and letting your ego get in the way of what is legitimately "best for business", it's tough to fight against that, even if it may not all be 100% factual.

*Again, remember that this was originally before a lot of the NXT stuff, so he's had a massive resurgence in backstage reputation and a lot of the people in the past 5 years who complained about him seem to have made up with him, so it probably wasn't all Triple H's fault or any at all. 

Public Relations: Is this wrestler a public relations problem with arrests and such, or are they someone that promotes the company well, does charities, talk shows, etc?

My Rating = 9
Triple H looks larger than life, which helps the product seems interesting. He's also funny, can conduct an interview very well, comes off like an intelligent businessman but also hasn't completely erased his character that the fans are into. People buy his merchandise and they buy into him as a member of the management in WWE as well as a veteran in the ring.

CROWD REACTION

Popularity: How loud are the cheers and boos for them? Do they sell merchandise? Are ratings up or down when they're on screen? How many Twitter and Facebook followers do they have?

My Rating = 8 / 9
He was never THE guy, but he's always been a top draw and one of the guys. It's hard to deny that. Triple H brings a reliably popular name to any event's card he's a part of.

Credibility: Is this person someone you would see as a main eventer and a future legend or are they doomed to forever be a jobber?

My Rating = 10
As much as I hate to admit it, winning 99/100 times and only losing that 1/100 times because of shenanigans makes it so you can buy into Triple H beating anyone 100% of the time, and if anyone ever beats him, their credibility skyrockets.

TOTAL SCORE: 78/100 - 85/100

FINAL THOUGHTS: This score is me being as fair as possible and trying not to just rate based on whether or not I find him entertaining, as it would be much lower if that were the case.