Grilling JR - Triple H 1995-96 [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Today Jim we’re going to be talking about the one of the most interesting starts to a WWF career…Hunter Hearst Helmsley’s 1995 & 1996 journey. On July 27th Triple H turned 52 and this is how we’re choosing to celebrate his birthday!

1995 for Triple H begins while in WCW as Jean Paul Levesque. The story always was that Eric Bischoff offered him a 2 year deal but he only wanted a 1 year deal because his goal was the WWF. Growing up in the northeast and being trained by Killer Kowalski makes it make sense for him to strive for the WWF right?

When did you first hear of Jean Paul Levesque?

From the Observer: “Jean Paul Levesque gave notice on 1/10 that he’d be leaving for the WWF, turning down a contract believed to be between $1500 and $1800 per week. Apparently Levesque’s decision was based on the track record of WWF vs. WCW when it comes to creating new superstars and felt that even though WCW had plans to make him and Steve Regal the tag team champions with Sherri as their manager feuding with a baby face Harlem Heat in 1995, that he’d take his chances without the guaranteed money since Titan is obviously going to push new blood this year as hard as it can.”

He’s talked about how WCW was cutting out house shows and all he wanted to do was work and the WWF offered that with their live events.

Is this one of the first examples of Triple H’s business acumen that he’d pass on more money for less money and a chance to become a bigger star and work more?

On television after he leaves WCW Eric Bischoff knocked him on TV talking about how he thought he was going to be a big deal but said he was just another guy who couldn’t cut the mustard like Maxx Payne. At this time does this show the maturity of Eric as an executive producer of a company?

How important is it for the company to have cheap fresh talent in 1995?

Do you know who came up with the Hunter Hearst Helmsley gimmick of being a Connecticut Blueblood with the tailcoat suit?

Hunter has said in interviews that JJ Dillon originally gave him the name of Reginald DuPont Helmsley but that Hunter asked for a name to play with the first letters and he suggested the name Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

The first vignette appears of Hunter Hearst Helmsley on April 16th Wrestling Challenge as he makes fun of the Bushwhackers, the New Headshrinkers, and the Smoking Gunns for not having his level of class. He’s portrayed as an aristocrat and there’s some criticism regarding this gimmick being very similar to his WCW gimmick with Lord Steven Regal. Did you see his WCW gimmick compared to these vignettes and do you think they were very similar?

Hunter defeats Buck Zumhofe on WWF Wrestling Challenge in his TV debut on April 30th with an Ace Crusher which would go on to be known as the Stone Cold Stunner. How ironic is it that his first TV win is with that move?

Was this when you first met Hunter? What was your impression of him?

Was Hunter TV ready in your opinion at this point?

Hunter flies himself to the Boston Garden and begs Pat Patterson to work the last Boston Garden show ever on May 13th, 1995 since that was where his father brought him to watch shows for the first time. How much of that was just his dedication to the business?

How green was Hunter at this point? He’s only 3-4 years into the business at this point.

Hunter eventually switches his finish over to the Pedigree. Do you know whose idea it was to do this?

Hunter works his first pay-per-view match against Bob Holly at Summerslam and picks up a win with the Pedigree in 7:11. Meltzer gave it * ¾. How big a deal is it for Hunter to make his pay-per-view debut on a big show like SummerSlam and pick up a win?

Hunter gets his first real program with Henry Godwinn. Classic aristocrat vs pig farmer built in storyline right Jim?

Hunter is the perfect Vince McMahon type at this time correct? Great hair, tall, nice body?

At In Your House in Winnipeg on October 22nd Hunter picks up another victory over Fatu in 8:06. From Meltzer: “Fatu worked much harder than usual and did a good job of carrying Helmsley, who they are clearly protecting and building for the future. **”

Did you see future stardom for Hunter around this time?

It is reported in November about the issues with the Clique regarding how they only want to work with each other and how Razor Ramon was setting up dropping the Intercontinental title to Hunter at some point. What was it like dealing with the Clique at this time and how did Hunter fit that dynamic?

Hunter and HOG are working the house show loops and Hunter is getting slopped every night pretty much. What was in the slop and did he have any issues taking it?

At Survivor Series Helmsley tags with Jerry Lawler, King Mabel and Isaac Yankem to face off against Undertaker, Fatu, Henry Godwinn & Savio Vega. Taker defeats everyone. Not the best showcase for the heels here but it was entertaining. This is to build to a Hog Pen match between Hunter & Henry at the next In Your House. Who comes up with the idea of a hog Pen match?

The reason I ask is from an Observer in December of 95 - “The Garden show, even with the below average crowd, had more heat than usual. Many fans also got slopped after the Hunter Hearst Helmsley-Henry Godwinn match. All these lead me to sense a much stronger Bruce Prichard influence on the booking.” What say you Jim? You think Bruce came up with the hog pen match?

Hunter wins a battle royal at a house show in Wheeling, West Virginia to gain a shot at Bret Hart’s WWF Title later that night in which Bret wins. Is this a test by the office at this time to see Hunter’s progress in the ring?

To close the year on pay-per-view HHH takes on Godwinn in the Hog Pen match. Hillbilly Jim returns as the Special Guest referee as well. From Meltzer: “Both these guys worked hard but the idea was to work the match down to behind the ringside area and throw the opponent into the hog pen for the win. It made everything in the ring lack any meaning. Finish saw Godwinn deliver his slop drop near the pen, then have Helmsley set up and went for a tackle but Helmsley ducked and Godwinn went into the pen and lost. Helmsley then got into a shoving contest with Jim, but Godwinn came back and press-slammed Helmsley dropping him face first into the pen and then body slammed him into the pen. It was even more gross since Helmsley had a cut opened up in his back from taking a guard rail shot. *”

What did you think of this type of gimmick match and does the stipulation render the work useless in the ring as Meltzer says?

As we finish 1995 it seems like there’s big plans for Hunter. How did you see him progress through the year?

Were you worried who he was aligned with politically could hurt his career?

From the Observer … “Razor Ramon is complaining long and loud about his program with Goldust. The babyfaces in the clique hate the gimmick and unfortunately have taken it out on Dustin Rhodes the person rather than accepting him as someone saddled with a bad gimmick who is just trying to do his job. Granted, the angle is really lame. Ramon is trying to get the program switched to working with Hunter Hearst Helmsley.”

It’s amazing doing a podcast like this can do when you’re talking about what could’ve been. If the Goldust program doesn’t happen with Scott Hall and Triple H is inserted instead could it have changed wrestling history or do you think Scott goes regardless?

We get to the Royal Rumble and HHH opens the show with Duke Droese where the winner of the match will be 30th and the loser will be first. HHH loses via reverse decision due to Gorilla Monsoon announcing because HHH used brass knucks to win. HHH was really counted on this year to carry the Rumble wasn’t he?

Helmsley lasts 48 minutes in the Rumble until being thrown out by Diesel. Weird how it’s Diesel throwing Hunter out right?

The Helmsley gimmick shifts a little bit from the aristocrat to a playboy where he has a different model that comes down with him each match. Do you think this is an important character development for him at this time?

Helmsley cuts off part of Duke Droese’s hair on Raw but on the house shows he’s working with Shawn Michaels. Why the difference in between TV creative and house shows?

At the next In Your House we’re treated with another Helmsley vs. Droese match where Hunter gets the win. You take a look back at how Helmsley is this rising star and the future and all this before the Curtain Call which we’ll get to but he’s not exactly lighting the world on fire here. Do you think the potential was showing and we just hadn’t gotten there yet?

When is the decision made that there’s a strong push coming Hunter’s way?

It’s announced that the Ultimate Warrior is returning and his opponent will be Hunter at WrestleMania 12. How important is it putting Warrior in the ring with someone like Hunter to re-introduce him on the grandest stage of them all?

Well we all remember the Mania 12 match. Hunter hits him with the Pedigree and Warrior pops up and squashes him in 1:38. I get it but man Jim...this was more of a burial than what happened after the Curtain Call! Was it Warrior who made this call?

Hunter bumps into Marc Mero after the match with his model...who was called Sable...and begins a feud with Mero that will carry him until late 96. Was the hope of putting these two together give Mero someone good to work with and help elevate Helmsley?

The European tour after Mania happens and Meltzer reports this in the Observer … “Lots of things went on when you pack two dozen wrestlers and keep them together for a 17-day tour as you can imagine. Diesel and Ramon were flagrantly breaking every company rule they could in full view of everyone. There was tremendous heat on Michaels and Helmsley in particular.”

How hard is it to manage a locker room on a tour like this and all the competing egos? Was this just the Clique making it known they’re leaving and disrupting business because they could at this point?

It’s obvious this wouldn’t be the last time as we’re just weeks away from the Curtain Call. We’ve covered it to death but do you think Helmsley was just going along with the plan of the other 3 or do you think he had a part in it?

Well the curtain call happens and Helmsley takes a majority of the heat since he’s the low man on the totem pole. He is scheduled to win the King of the Ring but is de-pushed and that honor goes to “Stone Cold” as we covered a couple of weeks ago. Looking back now do you think this ended up being the best thing that happened for Hunter?

Helmsley and Marc Mero are the last match on Beware of Dog before the power goes out and they have a good match which Mero wins. These two always had good matches. What did you think of their chemistry together?

Jake Roberts pins HHH in a King of the Ring qualifier as HHH’s “punishment” continues. Is anyone besides Shawn Michaels picking up for Hunter at this time?

Hunter is losing to Mero on the road all over the place which isn’t really a surprise considering babyfaces tend to go over on house shows. Did you ever have any talks with Hunter about weathering the storm and you’re going to come out ahead at the end of it?

At the end of July it’s reported in the Observer that Hunter signed a three-year deal and now it’s expected that since he re-signed his push should get going again. Is that how you remember it happening?

The IC title is vacated when Ahmed Johnson is hurt and HHH loses in the first round to Sid after Mr. Perfect takes HHH’s model and distracts him. Was the hope to put Perfect & Helmsley together as a team or to have them face each other?

How much do you think Hunter could’ve learned from Curt?

It’s always been speculated that Perfect had an insurance policy that was still active from Lloyd’s of London and that if he returned to wrestling it was going to be an issue. Is that how you remember it?

Helmsley loses to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin at Buried Alive on pay-per-view in a match that Meltzer said was *** ¼ and a good match. It’s ironic that right before Helmsley gets his push he does one more loss to the guy who won the King of the Ring instead of him.

So the push of Hunter begins when he challenges Mr. Perfect to a match on Raw. Perfect is warming up and Hunter attacks his knee with a cart and Perfect requests Mero to defend his honor. Of course the dastardly Perfect proves it’s all a ruse and helps Helmsley pin Mero with a chair shot to become the intercontinental champion for the first time. Do you think Hunter paid his dues enough to get the title?

The IC title is known as the worker’s title. Was Hunter ready for this spot?

The Perfect - Helmsley marriage ends quickly as Perfect leaves the WWF for WCW very early on. Did you ever talk to Hunter about Curt’s departure and what that meant for him?

At Survivor Series Hunter is part of the Rock’s debut as he teams with Crush, Jerry Lawler & Goldust against Rocky, Mero, Barry Windham & Jake Roberts. He ends up getting pinned by Marc Mero. The marriage of Rocky and Hunter literally begins with Rocky’s first match. Did you see some day Rocky & Hunter main eventing against each other?

To close the year Hunter is seen at the It’s Time In Your House pay-per-view hitting on Marlena which leads to Goldust interfering in the Mero vs. Helmsley IC title match and helping Mero get a countout victory. Not long after this Hunter will get Mr. Hughes as a heater. How did Mr. Hughes come into play?

Helmsley finishes up in Puerto Rico to end 1996 and little do we know that Chyna is about to debut and change his career in 1997 in so many ways. Where did you see Hunter at the end of 1996 in your mind? Future world champion still?