Unbelievable betrayal, war in the ring - 4 standout moments in Seth Rollins and Triple H's WWE history
Very few men in WWE have a more eventful past than Seth Rollins and Triple H. From associates to rivals and everything in between, the relationship between the two has taken all kinds of twists and turns over the years.
From the time HHH earmarked Seth Rollins as the future of WWE to the time he tried to get him to join NXT again, they have been inseparable for years. They most recently interacted when The Game responded to The Visionary's tweet about the postponement of his SummerSlam match.
I hear you! twitter.com/wwerollins/sta…
With Hunter likely to do something for his old mentee and rival, let's take a trip down memory lane and look at four standout moments in the history between Seth Rollins and Triple H.
#4. On our list of standout moments in Seth Rollins and Triple H's story: HHH recruits Rollins to his side
During Seth Rollins' time with The Shield, the group clashed with Triple H's re-formed Evolution for a couple of months. HHH, the man used to winning every war, couldn't find a way to overcome The Hounds of Justice. Evolution lost to The Shield in both their matches, and it looked like The Game might take a loss for real.
However, Hunter managed to stick it to his rivals and remind everyone that he ultimately always wins out. When Evolution confronted The Shield, he merely uttered the words, "There's always a Plan B." Rollins then backstabbed his brothers, attacking them with a steel chair, and joined The Authority's side in one of the most shocking betrayals in WWE history.
With The Cerebral Assassin making him the face of the company, The Architect bought in and achieved a lot of success. He won the Money in the Bank briefcase, the world title, and beat every top star in the company. The pair looked unstoppable and set to dominate the company, but it wasn't meant to be.
#3. HHH betrays Rollins and costs him the Universal Championship
With RAW losing the WWE Championship to SmackDown Live, the red brand introduced the Universal Championship as their top title. Finn Balor became the inaugural champion by beating Seth Rollins, but an injury forced him to vacate it and give the latter a second shot at glory.
Rollins faced Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, and Big Cass in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match for the Universal Title. After Cass was eliminated, Triple H shockingly came out, pedigreed Reigns and helped The Architect pin him. He then held up a defenseless Owens as Rollins approached his target with a smile on his face.
To everyone's shock, The King of Kings hit the Pedigree on his mentee and let The Prizefighter pin him to become the new Universal Champion. In the blink of an eye, Hunter pulled the greatest turncoat move in a long time and bet against his longtime associate. He handed the title to KO and walked off as fans were bewildered by what had happened.
#2. Rollins and HHH finally come to blows
Bizarrely, Triple H never appeared on the product to explain his betrayal of Seth Rollins for months. In the meantime, Rollins turned face and fought Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship but failed to win it on multiple occasions. Fast-forward to January, he lost a Royal Rumble qualification match when HHH's music played and distracted him.
An infuriated Architect then appeared on NXT and called his former mentor out. The latter appeared with security and ejected him out of the arena. A couple of days later, The Game delivered a rant saying Rollins was an ungrateful man who paid the price because he felt he was no longer listening to him. He then had Samoa Joe attack and injure his former protege's knee.
A couple of weeks later, Rollins showed up on crutches, and Hunter proceeded to mock him. He then revealed it was a ruse and got his hands on his rival. They engaged in a great brawl that ended when the latter attacked the injured knee and left Rollins reeling.
#1. Rollins defeats HHH at WrestleMania
Following the brawl, Triple H suggested that if Seth Rollins wanted to face him so badly, he could do it in an unsanctioned match at WrestleMania 33. He declared that when he beats him at WrestleMania, Rollins will not be able to sue him, his wife, or WWE, a condition the latter accepted.
At 'Mania, The Architect and his former mentor locked horns in one of the night's best matches. HHH targeted Rollins' hurt knee throughout and channeled The Cerebral Assassin inside him.
Despite his best efforts, however, The Visionary emerged victorious in the end, defeating his rival once and for all and concluding the epic feud.