Vince McMahon Originally Thought Triple H Was Just A Midcarder

It may seem hard to imagine now, but Triple H wasn't always Vince McMahon's chosen one. On episode 51 of Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard former WWE star and backstage creative force, Bruce Prichard revealed that Triple H may have never risen to the top of the WWE if it wasn't for a different Vince in the company.

During the podcast, Prichard claims that Jim Cornette and Vince McMahon originally believed Triple H didn't have what it takes to be a main event talent.

Up Next: 5 Things You Missed From SmackDown Live

"I do remember Corny and Vince McMahon saying that Triple H would be a midcard guy at best early on in his [pro wrestling] career and Russo was a huge proponent of Triple H. And I dare say that without Russo at the helm at the time, Hunter probably would not have gotten the breaks that he got at the time."

Vince Russo was one of the major creative forces behind the Attitude Era. He, along with Ed Ferrera and Vince McMahon were instrumental in propelling Stone Cold, The Rock and DX to becoming the mega stars that would help WWE win the Monday Night Wars. While Trips may not have been an obvious choice to become one of WWE's greatest stars, his persistence won everyone over.

"Russo was Triple H's biggest advocate at the time and then Vince McMahon became, but Hunter was one of those guys who was always around, always asking questions, and wanting to be a part of whatever he could do to learn. I liked Hunter because I always liked his attitude, just willing to do whatever it took to learn the [pro wrestling] business, but Russo was definitely pushing Hunter and had an awful lot of ideas for him."

More: WWE Rumors: John Cena vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 34?

During the podcast, Prichard also shed light on the rumor that 'Road Dogg' Jesse James and 'Bad Ass' Billy Gunn were not selected by Triple H and Shawn Michaels to join the group. Prichard says the New Age Outlaws have HBK to thank for personally selecting them to be in the hottest faction WWE history.

"The guy that brought Billy [Gunn] and Road Dogg to Vince [McMahon]'s attention was Shawn Michaels who saw those two guys. They were singles. One was a Rockabilly and then Jesse James… It was Shawn Michaels who brought them to Vince and wanted them to be a part of DX and felt that they would be a great team together."

[H/T WrestlingInc]