When Triple H allegedly "didn't want to put over" AEW star at WWE event
Triple H continued wrestling for almost a decade after he significantly reduced his in-ring schedule in 2010. One of his most memorable storylines as a part-time talent came between 2013 and 2016 when he performed as the villainous leader of The Authority.
At one stage, it looked as though WWE's decision-makers were building towards a blockbuster match between The Game and The Big Show. However, their short 2013 rivalry only featured physical altercations on weekly television and never resulted in a Premium Live Event encounter.
The Big Show, real name Paul Wight, said on Chris Jericho's Talk Is Jericho podcast in 2021 that fans wanted to see the match:
"The whole angle with Hunter [Triple H] that one time, the fans went crazy because Hunter and I got into a big look on the ramp when they [The Authority] were running the company and all that stuff and scr*wing the guys over. Just off a look the fans wanted to see it."
According to the seven-foot superstar, Triple H did not want to lose against him at a major event:
"So we built that up and all that, and it never turned into a match," Wight added. "Hunter didn't want to wrestle me at SummerSlam, didn't want to put me over at a pay-per-view. 'There's not going to be a match. You get to knock me out and that's the end of it.' And that's what happened."
The Big Show knocked the WWE Chief Content Officer out on the October 7, 2013, episode of RAW. The storyline led to the giant superstar unsuccessfully challenging Authority member Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at Survivor Series 2013.
Triple H's history with The Big Show
Although the match never came to fruition in 2013, the WWE veterans still shared the ring dozens of times throughout their careers.
One of their most notable singles matches against each other took place at New Year's Revolution 2006. Triple H defeated The Big Show in a 16-minute match on that occasion.
Another memorable bout between the two occurred on the January 3, 2000, episode of RAW. The King of Kings secured a huge win over the current AEW star to capture the WWE Championship.
Do you think the 2013 rivalry should have led to a match? Let us know in the comments section below.