“It Was Absolutely Real And Emotional” – Triple H Recalls An Iconic Moment With The Undertaker

The end of the Attitude era signalled a Titanic shift for the WWE. Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock would leave the company leading to a huge void in the main event scene. The era of ruthless agression was upon us and two stars were ready for superstardom. These were the game Triple H and The Undertaker.

It was not as if they weren’t already huge stars. In fact, they were the bedrock of the attitude era with Triple H shining as a part of the edgy D-Generation X while The Undertaker leading his controversial Ministry Of Darkness.

However, with the departure of the big names, the responsibility of catapulting the company to the next level fell squarely on their shoulders along with the veteran Shawn Michaels.

They were the ones leading the way while new stars like Brock Lesnar, Batista and Randy Orton made their presence known. Triple H became a central figure in the World Championship picture while The Undertaker’s Wrestlemia streak started becoming a more important part of WWE promotion.

It was obvious that somewhere down the line, Triple H was on a collision course with The Undertaker. The two had faced off multiple times but never at the Grandest stage of them all. By that time, defeating The Undertaker at Wrestlemania was being treated like the topmost goal in the company.

The Undertaker defeated Shawn Michaels in two back to back Wrestlemanias. The second one of those encounters retired Michaels. This meant that the two last stars of that great era of professional wrestling had to put their rivalry to rest.

Triple H and The Undertaker collide at Wrestlemania

Triple H made it his life’s goal to end the streak. At Wrestlemania 2011, he fell short after a brutal match up.

However, after the match, it was only him who walked out on his two feet. The Undertaker had to walk out on a stretcher. That set the stage for another epic encounter next year which was promoted by the WWE as the end of an era.

It was perhaps the biggest match of the decade. The Undertaker and Triple H faced off inside Hell in a Cell with Shawn Michaels as the referee. The level of storytelling was something that all modern superstars can learn from.

This match had emotion, violence, betrayal and most importantly – respect. After the match-up, the three superstars hugged each other in one of the most iconic moments in professional wrestling. There was no dry eye in the audience as they seriously thought that they had seen the last of these living legends.

The Game recalls the epic encounter with The Undertaker

Triple H recent sat down with ESPN to recall this historic encounter. The pressure was real. They had to match-up to if not exceed the level of the preceding Taker-Michaels encounters.

“Obviously coming off of the two back-to-back matches that Shawn and Taker had, which were two of the greatest matches ever, there was pressure to deliver something really special — on both of us — and I feel like we did in both of our matches.”

Many superstars wonder what it feels like when you are waiting for The Undertaker to enter the ring. The fans get goosebumps when they hear the gong. However, for the opponent, it is something way more special that can’t be described.

“You stood there waiting for him to get to the ring just in awe. Not only on the entrance, but the whole time that you were in there … it was epic.”

End of an era?

However, the real impact of the match was felt after it was over. What now? The last soldiers of the attitude era had settled their scores. Will the WWE ever be the same again? That’s something that even Triple H wondered.

“Knowing that through the Attitude Era, through everything, we were three guys that had earned each other’s respect, three guys that were really close friends and had been through everything together and watched as people around us — the Austins and the Rocks and the Foleys — move on, and we’re still here and we’re still plugging away. When the end-of-an-era thing was brought up, for us it was kind of [for real]. It was the end of our run. Probably the last time that all of us would be in a ring, especially at a WrestleMania like that, all together. It was a moment. And at the end of that last match, with Shawn as a referee, with the three of us standing on top of that stage, we turned around and looked back over that crowd; it was absolutely real and emotional. One of my favorite moments ever in the business, and I’ll never forget it.”

The ghosts of retirement

Many felt that to honour the legacy of the match, the two should have retired for good after this. The Undertaker’s matches post this encounter continued to deteriorate in quality.

Some might even say that they tarnished the legacy of the streak. Most of all, the two faced off against each other for an exhibition match in Saudi Arabia. There was a palpable feeling that after all that went into making their Wrestlemania match legendary, having them face off when they were well past their prime was criminal.

In fact, the WWE even made Shawn Michaels make his return. Even though it feels great to experience this pops, it leaves a blot on some great wrestling memories. That’s why many try to erase the recent encounters from their memory and only remember the legendady matches from Wrestlemania which changed our beloved sport forever.