Bret Hart says Triple H wanted him to beat the Rock for the Intercontinental Championship but he chose not to and instead went in to bat for him.
Wrestling today is much different than it used to be in the past. The members of the roster share a camaradie today that was completely absent before. All there was back then, was backstabbing and politicking in order to maintain one’s spot on the card.
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A famous example of this is how Triple H tried using Bret Hart to cut the Rock’s legs. Speaking on the 81 Podcast, The Hitman recalled how the Game pushed for him to beat the Rock and take his Intercontinental Championship.
Bret Hart says Triple H wanted him to beat the Rock for the Intercontinental Championship
Bret was coming off a double turn against Steve Austin at Wrestlemania 13 and The Rock had just had his first mania moment. According to him, there was no reason for him to beat the Rock, but Triple H was adamant about it for his own agenda.
“Triple H and maybe even Shawn [Michaels], were pretty ruthless. If someone was tied to me or connected to me, they would try to ruin them. Even Dwayne Johnson [The Rock]. They really tried to crack him and bust his chops. I remember telling Dwayne all the time, ‘Don’t listen to these guys. You’re a really good talent and you don’t need these guys.’
“When I did the big interview about America, the next week’s taping, I wrestled The Rock and they wanted me to beat him. Triple H did. He wanted me to beat Dwayne and win the Intercontinental Title. I refused. ‘What do I need the Intercontinental Title for?’
“Triple H wanted to ruin him. He hated him”
“We did the figure four on the post, Steve Austin came out, Owen [Hart] and Davey [Boy Smith] came out, a bunch of interference. I remember Triple H was sick about it because he had a thing for Dwayne and wanted to ruin him. He hated him.
“I remember say, ‘I like Dwayne. He just got the Intercontinental Title and doesn’t need me to take it from him’. I didn’t want to be Intercontinental Champion. It was all politics, Triple H was trying to steer me into the Intercontinental Title instead of the World Title. It didn’t make any sense.
“I told Vince, ‘I don’t get heat from beating Dwayne for the title, it doesn’t do anything for me. Let him keep it.’ I think Dwayne always appreciated that I went to bat for him. I didn’t want to beat him, I wanted to wrestle him down the road as a future guy to draw money with. It’s a shame I didn’t get to work with him other than that one night.”
The Rock would go on to become one of the biggest stars of professional wrestling before cementing his legacy as an entertainer in Hollywood. He even buried the hatchet with Triple H along the way and the two are now on much friendlier terms.
H/T Fightful
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