I can honestly admit that at one time, as of late actually, I completely despised Triple H. I joined hands with "smarks" across the web in propounding my disgust for this superstar because of his back-stage politics, marriage to Stephanie, talent-squashing ways, blah, blah, blah. I mean I honestly thought I had Paul pinned down as pro-wrestling's anti-Christ and if need be could reel off every excuse in the book for what now seems to be just a blatantly ignorant viewpoint. What led me to my proverbial "seeing of the light" so-to-speak were two things: first, that at one time I considered HHH to be my favorite wrestler next only to The Rock and second, I recently did some digging for any and all information on the "Cerebral Assassin". Much to my surprise, I was dumb-founded with what I had uncovered.

Seems like Paul Levesque, aka Hunter Hearst-Helmsley aka The Game, is that damn good. However I must credit www.triplehunleashed.com for making me see the error of my ways. Had I not come across this site out of boredom, I may still be among the legions of naysayers who have issues with Levesque and HHH. Gratefully, my once skewed viewpoint has been straightened to a certain degree.

Don't get me wrong, I still had my gripes. The 30-minute promos, the predictable matches, the dominant title reigns: HHH has used all of these tactics much to the chagrin of the avid internet smark. But who hasn't" On top of that, once I really thought about those three factors and how they pertain to the business, those gripes turned to gratitude.

If you want to hate on his promos, at least the guy can get fans to listen, at least he deserves to have a mic in his hand (compared to some of the lackluster orators who find it the epitome of difficulty to even string together a coherent sentence, much less a monologue riveted with passion and intensity). If I had a choice of a heel promo, give me Trip's any day of the week.

If you want to hate on his predictable matches than go ahead and throw Flair, Cena, HBK, Austin, Hogan, Rock, hell, throw 75% of the marquee superstars of this industry into the exact same category because like it or not: when a wrestler is "over" with the fans, they know the fans want to see those signature spots. It's smart money-making.

If you want to hate on his title reigns, then you must really not understand the business as well as you think you do. I don't know about you, but HHH restored so much credibility to the championship that I couldn't wait to see him drop the belt, it made me salivate that much more for a deserving star to grab the ball and run with it. Or would you rather have the days of WCW when the belt meant nothing more than some gold and leather, because it was being switched left and right to undeserving "wrestlers". (David Arquette anyone")

The truth is this: HHH has done his job better than anyone on the current roster, both shows included. Why" Because he's truly made all us smarks hate him, loathe him and BELIEVE IN THE UNDERCARD. That's the whole point of a heel, right" They make us hate them, make us hurl obscenities, even drive us to the point of swearing off wrestling... but we still watch with baited breath for the moment that heel is toppled and makes way for the new blood. HHH is the best heel in the history of this industry because during a time of low ratings and weak buy rates, he has given the belt the legacy it deserves, the respect it commands.

More importantly, Levesque himself is the complete opposite of the character he portrays. While HHH has turned on his friends time and time again for the sake of power (X-Pac, Nash, HBK), Levesque on the other hand supported his friends during the infamous Kliq-Madison Square Garden incident, stood by his decision and took his punishment like a man.

While HHH has a hunger for violence and destruction, Levesque seems like a sincerely "good" person. His "confrontation" with Bill Goldberg at a certain convention was more so Goldberg's immaturity and lack of professionalism to which Levesque laughed off with the best of intentions.

While HHH has had an iron-grip on the title, seemingly reluctant to drop it, Levesque has stated his desire to work with many of today's top workers. He truly believes in a lot of talent out there, but he knows the nature of this business. He knows what draws money and he, despite many insider accounts, sees promise in working with young up-and-comers and looks forward to helping them become a "polished stone".

Trust me, I read a lot on the net about Trip. I've read articles from "insider professionals" which do nothing but spew venom claiming the WWE is heading for disaster because of Levesque's supposed "pull" with Vince. I've read countless entries from smarks saying he's holding people down. I used to believe all this, all because I refused to give him his due. Scores of wrestlers say HHH is everything he claims to be and more. Ric Flair has said, "Triple H is the best wrestler alive in the business today. Coming from me that's about as strong of an assessment there can be." The Undertaker himself said, "Triple H has definitely earned my respect....and uh, you know, I don't throw praise lightly."

And if you honestly believe he's the nail in the WWE's coffin than why not read what many other wrestlers say about him. I mean that should be as close as getting it from the source as us smark's are going to get. If you search, you'll see they respect him for being a dedicated wrestler who has a passion for the industry paralleled by few wrestlers. If you search, read about the kind of work ethic he brings to table, read about the commitment to excellence he harbours, read about the countless number of superstars he's helped create, legacies he's helped preserve. If you search, you'll see a side of HHH that may surprise you, like it did me.

Search and seek, for the truth will set HHH free.

by Erick Bernard ..