The following is an excerpt from a real good interview with Triple H conducted by Gene Padden, which is available in full at zwire.com:
GENE PADDEN: Last week was the Best of RAW episode. What was your best match of this year?
TRIPLE H: That's hard for me to say. I really enjoyed some of the matches with Benoit, although I think some of our best matches were not televised. Benoit and I were wrestling around the country every night for 30-45 minutes each night, and we had some great matches. But if I had to pick some, I'd say the ones with Shawn. Maybe the Iron Man match with Benoit I enjoyed, but I did think Shawn and I had some big-time matches.
PADDEN: The "Last Man Standing" from Royal Rumble where you didn't leave the ring area was incredible.
HHH: Yeah, I enjoyed that one, also. Anytime I get in the ring with Shawn ... he's just ... he's the Ricky Steamboat of this generation. He's a consummate worker and performer. For me to get in the ring with him is a thrill every time.
PADDEN: The first time you put over Shelton Benjamin on RAW was a great match, too. What do you think of him?
HHH: I think he's like a lot of our young talent. He has a lot of potential and he's still trying to find himself. It's a good thing. He has all the tools. It's just a matter of him lining them all up. I've often described our business as a puzzle and the more pieces you have, the more successful you are. He has all the pieces. He just hasn't figured out how they go together yet.
PADDEN: Being a man about "the business," I have to ask: Even though he left a bad taste in the company's mouth, is there money to be made in a Triple H/Brock Lesnar program?
HHH: If the time was right ... you know, the one thing about Brock is that Brock left before Brock made any money in the business. He made some money personally, but he was just getting to the point where people were going to pay to see him. Up until that point, he had been propped up by everything around him. He was just getting to the point to where he would become an attraction on his own. He hadn't gotten there yet. It would be hard for him, at this point, to come back and it would take a lot of work on his part for him to be accepted by the guys. Secondly, it would take a lot for him to be accepted by the fans.
PADDEN: Right.
HHH: I think they would, but I think that they feel that this guy just walked away. And the one thing with Brock is ... he did it the wrong way, but I have to respect his decision. He thought, "you know what? I've been in this business for a while and I've decided it just isn't right for me." Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that he walked away before he wasted any more time. I think he should have done a lot of things before he left, but I at least respect him for making that decision. And you know, the business isn't changing. So unless Brock Lesnar changes, it's still going to be the business he left. He just didn't like the travel. The constant grind. It's not for everybody. It's a tough business.
Again, to read the full interview, which is a good read, visit zwire.com.
Credit: wrestlingattitude.com
GENE PADDEN: Last week was the Best of RAW episode. What was your best match of this year?
TRIPLE H: That's hard for me to say. I really enjoyed some of the matches with Benoit, although I think some of our best matches were not televised. Benoit and I were wrestling around the country every night for 30-45 minutes each night, and we had some great matches. But if I had to pick some, I'd say the ones with Shawn. Maybe the Iron Man match with Benoit I enjoyed, but I did think Shawn and I had some big-time matches.
PADDEN: The "Last Man Standing" from Royal Rumble where you didn't leave the ring area was incredible.
HHH: Yeah, I enjoyed that one, also. Anytime I get in the ring with Shawn ... he's just ... he's the Ricky Steamboat of this generation. He's a consummate worker and performer. For me to get in the ring with him is a thrill every time.
PADDEN: The first time you put over Shelton Benjamin on RAW was a great match, too. What do you think of him?
HHH: I think he's like a lot of our young talent. He has a lot of potential and he's still trying to find himself. It's a good thing. He has all the tools. It's just a matter of him lining them all up. I've often described our business as a puzzle and the more pieces you have, the more successful you are. He has all the pieces. He just hasn't figured out how they go together yet.
PADDEN: Being a man about "the business," I have to ask: Even though he left a bad taste in the company's mouth, is there money to be made in a Triple H/Brock Lesnar program?
HHH: If the time was right ... you know, the one thing about Brock is that Brock left before Brock made any money in the business. He made some money personally, but he was just getting to the point where people were going to pay to see him. Up until that point, he had been propped up by everything around him. He was just getting to the point to where he would become an attraction on his own. He hadn't gotten there yet. It would be hard for him, at this point, to come back and it would take a lot of work on his part for him to be accepted by the guys. Secondly, it would take a lot for him to be accepted by the fans.
PADDEN: Right.
HHH: I think they would, but I think that they feel that this guy just walked away. And the one thing with Brock is ... he did it the wrong way, but I have to respect his decision. He thought, "you know what? I've been in this business for a while and I've decided it just isn't right for me." Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that he walked away before he wasted any more time. I think he should have done a lot of things before he left, but I at least respect him for making that decision. And you know, the business isn't changing. So unless Brock Lesnar changes, it's still going to be the business he left. He just didn't like the travel. The constant grind. It's not for everybody. It's a tough business.
Again, to read the full interview, which is a good read, visit zwire.com.
Credit: wrestlingattitude.com