Jim Ross explains why Triple H is not on people's Mount Rushmore list
Jim Ross believes wrestlers do not include Triple H on their Mount Rushmore list due to jealousy and his lack of popularity with co-workers.
Four former US Presidents – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln – feature on the Mount Rushmore sculpture in South Dakota. Wrestlers and wrestling fans often debate which four wrestlers would make their list if the wrestling business had its own Mount Rushmore.
Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, Ross was asked by Conrad Thompson why Triple H is rarely mentioned when the Mount Rushmore topic is discussed. He gave his opinion that people’s Mount Rushmore selections are based on popularity, which is why Triple H is hardly ever included.
“Well… jealousy, popularity,” Ross said. “Sometimes he comes off as not likeable. That’s not to say that the common denominators on the Mount Rushmore… it’s kind of a popularity contest, Conrad, quite frankly.”
Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Ric Flair, The Rock, Steve Austin, and The Undertaker are usually mentioned in Mount Rushmore debates. Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels’ names are often brought up in the same conversation.
Jim Ross on Triple H’s legacy
Although Jim Ross has been a successful commentator, he believes his best work came behind the scenes when he helped assemble the WWE roster. Similarly, he thinks Triple H’s legacy off-screen is more important than his in-ring career.
“I think my best work was building that roster,” Ross said. “I think Triple H’s best work, at the end of the day, will be building NXT as a third brand in a very crowded space within WWE. That’s just me looking at it from my perspective as a former administrator there.”
Triple H is the founder and executive producer of NXT. The brand has grown significantly over the last decade and now has its own weekly show on the USA Network.
Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to SK Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.