AEW announcer and Senior Advisor “Good Ole’ J.R.” Jim Ross took to an episode of his “Grilling Jr” podcast to talk about a number of topics, including Triple H’s emergence as a top heel star in 1999.
Ross said, “Triple H became — if not the top heel in the company. I don’t know who else it would have been. He earned his spot, contrary to all the gossip and the bulls**t about his dating relationship and then subsequently his marriage, the guy earned it. And he was really good at his craft, as we’re seeing now, he’s really good at his craft. It’s a different craft, but he’s still win or lose, and he’s winning a lot more than he’s losing with his current job.”
On why Triple H got the spot:
“Triple H just earned the spot. He was the — I don’t know who else you would pick out of our roster that was more ready for the spot that Triple H earned than him, than Triple H. So he earned his spot, and he was really, really good at it. And you know, I went on a vendetta about him, and tried to make him a bigger heel than he was. There are still people this very day who think that I hate Triple H, and he hates me and all that stuff. It’s pro wrestling. Our job is to get talent over, and to establish their persona. And I thought we did a nice job of establishing Triple H’s persona that followed his lead on how all that stuff worked out. So, [he’s the[ perfect choice. Nobody else really in strong consideration, at least in my view. So well earned, well deserved.”
On criticism of Triple H as a top star:
“Oh, it’s all because of his marital status and his dating situation. It wasn’t based on his work. In my opinion, as I said earlier, Triple H was the only guy that I believe to this very day, all these years later, 25 plus years later, that was ready for this move. And I thought when he got the ball, he carried it very well. He delivered.”
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)
