The people in 2002 weren't stupid, a lot of guys who come back from injury get huge pops upon their return. Especially when they're told by doctors they may never wrestle again. I can't remember if that was the case with Triple H, but I know it was a nasty injury.

Triple H works best in a group setting. When he was on his own as Hunter Hearst Helmsley he was terrible. He had the in-ring ability, but pro wrestling hasn't been about wrestling since the sixties. Once he made nice with Shawn backstage and they formed D-Generation X things began to kick off for him. After that he led DX, had Chyna at his side when he was solo, followed by Stephanie, the McMahon Family and a few years later Evolution. His hype in 2002 died down when Hogan entered the fray and became Champion.

My only problem with Triple H is that he fell to the same bad habits a lot of Main Eventers do, ego. He wouldn't put people over, he buried quite a few wrestlers in the past and even as an authority figure he butted into angles that he had no place in like the Punk/Cena feud a few years back. Despite his popularity he was never as big a draw as the likes of Austin and The Rock and I get the feeling that always ate at him inside. When the average wrestling fan thinks of the all time greats, Triple H seldom appears on the list.