Former WCW Talent Takes Credit For Triple H’s Nickname

Triple H may be The Game, but was he the one who came up with the moniker for himself? That might be farther from the truth, bro.

After performing at the highest level in this business, Triple H hung up his boots at WWE WrestleMania 38. His health played a major factor in the decision to retire, in addition to his current role as the companyâ€s Chief Content Officer.

Back in 1999, Triple H was slowly climbing to the main event level. His feud with The Rock in late 1999 became one of the highlights of the Attitude Era. It was during that time, on an episode of Sunday Night Heat on July 25, 1999, that Hunter declared himself ‘The Game.â€

His career took a much higher trajectory in the following weeks as he defeated Mick Foley to capture his first of 14 world titles on the August 23, 1999, RAW broadcast. But the question remains: who actually came up with the ‘The Game†moniker?

Speaking on Maven Huffmanâ€s YouTube channel for a segment titled Which WWE Wrestlers Are Actually Jerks?, Vince Russo praised his working relationship with Triple H during the nineties before taking credit for writing the promo that coined ‘The Game†nickname.

“The Triple H I worked with was a sweetheart of a guy,†Russo said. I worked with the early years of Triple H. Keep in mind, this was when he had the valet on his arm. And as a matter of fact—not a lot of people know this—Iâ€m not saying this to pat myself on the back, but I actually gave him the name ‘The Game.â€

“I wrote it in a promo for him where he said, ‘I donâ€t play the game. I am the game.†And this was back in… God, â€96 maybe? Thereâ€s nothing I wouldnâ€t have done for the man. As a matter of fact, I was there when they did the Madison Square Garden curtain call. Okay, this man was in the doghouse and they were making his life miserable, and I took him aside and Iâ€m like, ‘Brother, youâ€ve got to get through this. This is what theyâ€re going to do. Theyâ€re going to make you eat s*it Youâ€ve got to get through this.â€â€

Vince Russoâ€s recollection of the timeline seems a bit sketchy. He claims he wrote it in the mid-nineties, but Triple Hâ€s sit-down interview segment with Jim Ross, in which he calls himself The Game, did not air until the summer of 1999. It appears fans can never really tell who actually came up with the ring name, but there is no arguing that it did wonders for Hunterâ€s career.

READ READ: Vince Russo Finally Met Someone Who Works Harder Than Vince McMahon

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