A Look Back: The Triple H/Batista Rivalry (Part III: Hell In a Cell)

When we last left this rivalry, Triple H was very certain that he would be World Heavyweight Champion again. He gave Batista credit for the win at WrestleMania 21, but in The Game's mind, it was a matter of time before he'd be back on top. He claimed that Batista feared The Pedigree. After failed attempts, Triple H delivered The Pedigree to Batista on the final Raw before Backlash. He did it again at Backlash, but to no avail. Batista ended up retaining, leaving The Game livid.

How irate would Triple H be? Well, that's what this story is for.

Insult to Injury

The following night's Raw (May 2) saw GM Eric Bischoff announce the famous "Gold Rush Tournament"; eight men vying to become the #1 Contender for the World Title. One of those men was Triple H, and boy, did he have something to say about this. We saw The Game in Bischoff's office venting about the concept of the tournament, adding that he should be #1 Contender due to being "screwed" over at Backlash. Bischoff reminded Triple H that he's lucky to even be in the tournament, because he could have been suspended or worse for his actions post-match at Backlash.

Edge, Shawn Michaels, and Kane all advanced. Triple H's 1st round match was the main event, but he entered not knowing who he'd be facing. He was better off not knowing. Triple H saw that his opponent was none other than Chris Benoit, who had Triple H's number for over a year at that time. Ric Flair's involvement forced Batista to appear and even the odds, and at match's end, Triple H was on the receiving end of the Sharpshooter, but just as he was moving closer to the ropes, Batista pulled the bottom rope from Triple H's reach. The Game ended up tapping out, not only from the match, but from the title picture.

Twisting the Knife

And then there's the following week: May 9. Triple H found himself in foreign territory; he was completely shut out of the title picture. That wouldn't stop him from airing his grievances like it was Festivus. Triple H claimed that what happened to him doesn't matter because the tournament was bogus. He added that he should be champion, but he was screwed at Backlash, and also said that the rematch should be his. The reason why it's not: according to The Game, Bischoff's afraid to give him the rematch because he knows Triple H will win and that Bischoff can't control him. He even added that Batista's afraid to face him again because Batista would lose the title quickly. Never mind the fact that Batista beat him twice; it would be like Cowboys fans saying that the Packers fear Jerry World.

So Batista comes out and reminds Triple H that not only did he beat The Game twice in as many matches, but he also lost in the Gold Rush Tournament. Batista said that there was nothing else he could do, and it was followed by the following words:

"Maybe you're just not good enough to face me."

That cut deep. Very deep. Triple H was already in no mood for jokes, and now he was hearing the truth. The truth can hurt. As someone who's spent four years on Vocal spouting the truth, I know. So Triple H really went off, saying that Batista's title and reign are meaningless until he goes through Triple H, and he meant actually go through The Game, who claimed that Batista had yet to do that. Triple H claimed that Batista needed him a lot more than he needed Batista, and added that if all Batista was going to do was screw with him, then he'd just up and leave. The Game said that he would pack his things and walk out, he would head home and watch Batista fail and fall apart, even saying that everyone would beg Triple H to return.

So The Game up and left, and Batista told The Game that he was in denial and that he had already beaten him. What followed was a few weeks where Batista would actually come to Ric Flair's aid as he was dealing with Christian's nonsense, and of course, that Gold Rush Tournament was infamously won by Edge on the following week.

Four Simple Words

Edge's one-on-one title shot came on May 23's Raw on Green Bay, and it saw attempted involvement from Christian and Tyson Tomko thwarted by Flair, leading to Batista retaining. As Batista thanked Flair for bailing him out, the familiar music hit. Out came Triple H, sledgehammer in hand, and after Flair delivered a low blow to Batista, The Game entered and delivered a brutal beatdown to Batista, using the sledgehammer and his bare hands. It's a moment I've watched repeatedly, because I love when a face really prods at a heel so much that the heel absolutely snaps. In the midst of the beat down, Triple H asked Batista if he wanted to face him again, and then stated those four ominous words:

"Hell in a Cell."

Oh boy. Hell in a Cell. Introduced in 1997, that exact match would quickly go on to serve as the ultimate "Baptism by Fire" contest for those entering that structure for the first time. This is exactly what Triple H meant. Batista did beat him twice, but he hadn't gone through him--not yet, at least. It's the wrestling equivalent of an NFL team having to go through the top dog's home field to get to the Super Bowl, and Hell in a Cell was definitely Triple H's home field.

So how would Batista respond to this?

Down to Business

A week later, Triple H boasted about his dominance at Hell in a Cell, while Batista came out to a whole new theme (which would follow him for the rest of his career) and delivered a quick beat down of Muhammad Hassan. On the memorable June 6 episode of Raw (the one where the Draft began and WWE Champion John Cena was sent to Raw), pen was put to paper. The match was set for Vengeance, and Batista entered with determination and seriousness. He was done fooling around; seeing and tasting your own blood will do that. Both parties signed on the dotted line, with Triple H vowing that, regardless of the outcome, their saga would be done.

The weeks that followed were a tit-for-tat between the pair, which included a wild segment involving Kurt Angle, who was drafted to Raw. After Shawn Michaels got involved, the final Raw before Vengeance saw Triple H and Angle defeat Batista and HBK, with The Game getting the pin on Batista.

Vengeance

Vengeance took place on June 26, 2005 in Vegas, and it was a borderline supercard as a result of the first weeks of the Draft. We had the WrestleMania 21 rematch between Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle, and John Cena defended the WWE Championship against Chris Jericho and Christian. Of course, the main event was Hell in a Cell, and this is a match I watch repeatedly. It was every bit as epic, as brutal, and as violent as I expected. Triple H and Batista truly gave their all, and the trio of Jim Ross, Jerry "The King" Lawler, and Jonathan Coachman did fantastic jobs calling this thing. The ultimate "Baptism by Fire" test, and Batista passed it with flying colors, winning once again.

Aftermath

We were treated to a WWE exclusive segment that took place right after Hell in a Cell; a segment I've only seen a small number of times. We see Flair consoling Triple H, telling him that Batista's on a roll and it was time to move on. We also see The Game and The Animal hug it out in a show of respect. So yes, the saga was done. That's what Hell in a Cell does; it serves as finality.

So Triple H took his well deserved siesta after Vengeance. He would not return into WWE Homecoming on October 3 of that year, teaming with Flair to beat Carlito and Chris Masters before shockingly turning on Flair and starting a feud with him. As for Batista, he was drafted to SmackDown in the last pick of a weeks-long draft, and engaged in feuds with JBL and later Eddie Guerrero over the title. It would be 14 years before Triple H and Batista crossed paths again, but this 2005 feud was absolutely epic. So many amazing moments, a trilogy of four-star matches, and months of awesome entertainment. 2005 was a very epic year in WWE, and one of the many reasons why is because of Triple H and Batista thrilling trilogy.