- 7 months ago
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00:00There isn't anything in the world I would have rather have done in that moment than go to war
00:06with Mick Foley. I knew that this was gonna be one of the biggest matches of his career. I guess
00:17what I didn't realize at the time was he might have had a maybe an ulterior motive. Maybe.
00:24Literally, I thought to myself, I could lose an eye.
00:30But think of the pop.
00:33What if the floor doesn't give? What if it does give? What if it gives in a place it's not supposed to give?
00:39You know, all of that is going through my mind as I'm watching these two human beings on top of Hell in a Cell.
00:45Hard to put into words how much those two matches meant on solidifying Triple H as a main event player.
01:00Take a good look at the future of the World Wrestling Federation.
01:09There's a new meaning of perfect.
01:13And it's Triple H, Hunter Hearst Helmsley.
01:17As the Attitude Era was coming into full steam, everything was so competitive.
01:37This was at a moment in time for me when I was trying to become the anti to what The Rock and Austin were becoming.
01:46That's where I felt like my place was in the business, and I felt the need and wanted to be that.
01:53Coming from the things I'd done in the past and the fun aspect of DX, I needed that serious side of it to come out.
01:59I always use the term marquee guy.
02:04Top guy is one thing.
02:06A lot of top guys.
02:07Somebody was to say, oh, hey, WWE's in town.
02:10Oh, who's wrestling?
02:11So and so.
02:12Oh, really?
02:12Who's he fighting?
02:14Marquee guys are different.
02:15Hey, WWE's in town.
02:17Who's wrestling?
02:18Rock.
02:18Ooh, I want to go.
02:19There's a few guys that hit marquee status.
02:22And I think that if you want to say that for Triple H, then this was the moment that got me there.
02:29This is about me.
02:45I don't need to be in a clique anymore.
02:47I don't need to be in DX anymore.
02:49This is about me.
02:51It's about me reaching my goals.
02:53The game stemmed from an interview where the character felt that it was so invested in the business,
02:58and it was such a connected part of his life that it literally was him.
03:05That there was nothing else more to it than he was the entire business.
03:09What?
03:09You want me to shoot with this interview?
03:11I'm going to shoot with it.
03:12I'm going to tell you how I feel, whether you like it or not.
03:14I felt that this was me saying that this entire industry should be mine, because it was me,
03:21and because everything about me was invested in being that.
03:24Every time I look at you guys, it makes me sick to think what you did to me, holding me back.
03:30To hell with The Rock, to hell with Austin, to hell with The Undertaker.
03:34I own all their asses.
03:36That was a pre-taped interview, so it was shot beforehand with multiple cameras.
03:41And when I said the line, it was all done in one piece, but when I said the line,
03:45I am the game, JR.
03:49It just came out that way.
03:50The passion of it, it came out in that manner.
03:52And when we got to the end of the take, I remember thinking,
03:55oh, we're going to have to do that again because of that.
03:57They had a camera angle where you didn't necessarily, I believe, see my mouth saying it,
04:04and they were okay with beeping it out, and that it made it even more powerful,
04:08because it was real in that moment.
04:11You guys talk about being students of the game.
04:14I am the f***ing game, JR.
04:17There is nobody that eats, sleeps, or breathes this business more than me.
04:22I don't know that it wasn't until the next week.
04:32I just can distinctly remember walking out on that stage,
04:36seeing the signs and thinking to myself,
04:39well, I just hit something gold.
04:52I was an account executive in the New York sales office.
04:57I was helping to sell our media and sponsorship business,
05:00really at a very entry level.
05:02I was straight out of college.
05:03And I also, at that time, became a character on our television show.
05:07And it involves Stephanie.
05:11I'd just like to add, you know, I've known The Undertaker, too.
05:17And, uh, it's like Dad said, you know,
05:21I guess I just never really did know him.
05:23So it's interesting, working with Steph,
05:26when we did all the stuff around the wedding.
05:30Hey, get a nice shot of the brand new Mr. and Mrs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley.
05:39And, you know, my breaking up the marriage with her and Taz.
05:42I know that you can only have one question on your mind, Dad.
05:49Oh, my God!
05:50I hate you!
05:52And that is...
05:53I hate you!
05:55Not did we, but how many times did we consummate the marriage?
06:00And then the match with Vince.
06:03Oh, my God!
06:08She was so enamored with every aspect of the business.
06:12Talk about student of the game, right?
06:14Her passion for it was infectious.
06:17We always wear a lot of different hats here at WWE
06:20to listen in on Vince McMahon's creative sessions
06:24and to listen to him brainstorm with top talent
06:27and to hear their ideas and concepts
06:29and why something works and why it doesn't work
06:32and, you know, to really have the benefit
06:34of being under the learning tree with Triple H
06:36and to have him teaching me
06:39and giving me the time to really explain
06:42why he's doing certain things at the time that he's doing it
06:46because it's all strategic.
06:47It's all designed to get a reaction.
06:50I guess what I didn't realize at the time was
06:53he might have had maybe an ulterior motive.
06:57Maybe.
06:57I think that the Steph relationship storyline
07:05into the Foley matches,
07:09if I had to pick, like, one time frame in my life
07:12to say this is the moment that the big shift happened,
07:15it's that beginning of 2000.
07:19I have to say there is nobody more giving of their body
07:23and what they're willing to do for our business than Mick.
07:32He does it for our audience.
07:34He does it for our fans
07:35because he wants to over-deliver for them
07:37in every way he possibly can.
07:40Oh, my God!
07:42Oh, my God!
07:44They're Foley!
07:45Mick is one of the most unique characters
07:49and performers that I've ever been in the ring with
07:51because he is so skilled and gifted
07:54at all the different bits and pieces of our business.
07:58He would do things that you would think,
08:00how does a human being survive that
08:01and make you, oh, my God,
08:03that is the craziest thing I've ever seen.
08:05I've got to know more about this guy.
08:07Right after he did that, five minutes later,
08:08he's got Mr. Sacco on
08:10or he's doing some straight-up comedy act.
08:14Before the game, when I was still Hunter Hearst Helmsley
08:17and he was mankind
08:18and we were shifting through things and finding our way,
08:22I felt like we always just had this chemistry
08:24right off the bat.
08:26Together, he and I can create some magical things
08:29and the characters kind of gelled off of each other really well.
08:32I loved everything that we ever did together, pretty much.
08:35I felt like it always worked.
08:38I had written some pretty large checks
08:53and my body was cashing them in
08:57all at the same time.
09:00I was having trouble getting around.
09:08I didn't want to be seen doing less than I was capable of
09:12and it just seemed like if I could ride off
09:15on a majestic steed into the sunset
09:18that it would be the perfect time to retire.
09:22Keep in mind, I was one of the biggest stars in the company.
09:24I had a book out that had been number one
09:28on the New York Times list
09:29was still hanging in there on the list
09:30and it hung in for 26 weeks
09:32so I was at my peak
09:34as far as being an attraction for WWE
09:36and Mr. McMahon was willing to let me go
09:40for the sake of my health
09:41and then the wild card was
09:43Stone Cold Steve Austin's neck injury.
09:46Will you come back
09:47if you can't be as good as you were before?
09:49No, there ain't no way but 100% for me.
09:52100 miles an hour,
09:53either you do it or you don't, that's it.
09:55And if I come back and everything goes right,
09:57you're damn right, Stone Cold Steve Austin.
09:58Steve Austin would be a dangerous son.
10:01Because when Steve went down with that injury,
10:04there was a sense that we all had to pull together
10:07for the good of the team
10:08because we were without our number one attraction.
10:12We knew that Rock was going to be a part
10:15of the WrestleMania main event
10:17but we almost had to create a new top tier star.
10:21Mr. McMahon had a meeting with me
10:24and with Hunter
10:25asked us what we thought about the possibility
10:29of working together to kind of fill in that gap
10:32and we were all for it.
10:34We'd had a history of really working well together,
10:37creating some amazing things going back to 1997.
10:39Here he comes!
10:41Where is he?
10:42Captain Jack!
10:44He's back!
10:45Somebody sniked me!
10:46I thought he was dead!
10:47He's alive!
10:48Hopefully...
10:49He's alive!
10:49It may be the darkest day of your life
10:51because it's Madison Square Garden
10:54and Mrs. Foley's little boy!
10:57Bye-bye!
10:58Bye-bye!
10:58Bye-bye!
10:59Bye-bye!
11:01Foley had these unique characters
11:03and I'd worked with most of them
11:05and it's funny to help pull a lot of them out.
11:08Triple H needed someone to prove
11:11that he could hang and be a badass.
11:13He'd already proven himself
11:14as a main event commodity
11:16as part of D-Generation X.
11:18I guess there was just that little question mark.
11:20Can he hang at the top of the roster
11:23when it comes to singles competitions
11:25and be a certifiable top-level draw?
11:29There is a thought out there
11:33that Triple H needed me
11:34to get him to that next level
11:36but I needed him.
11:40I did not want to go out
11:42as the guy with the sock.
11:44Years later, I've come to accept
11:47that I was the guy with the sock
11:48and I love the fact
11:49that I was the guy with the sock
11:50but I'm looking at the very end of my career
11:52and I want to go down swinging.
11:54Like, I want to go down doing the things
11:57that I loved watching
11:59when I was a huge WWE fan.
12:01I wanted to be that guy
12:03I had been five years earlier.
12:06I believe that I was able
12:08to turn Cactus Jack
12:09into a WWE superstar.
12:12It was Triple H who made him
12:13a part of wrestling mythology.
12:16When I stepped into that shower
12:17and I let the cold water run down on my head
12:20and I looked down at the blood
12:22as it swirled around that shower drain,
12:25I started thinking a little bit about
12:28what Mankind was.
12:31One thing Mankind is not
12:33is ready to face you in a street fight
12:36at the Royal Rumble
12:37in Madison Square Garden.
12:40But I think the WWF fans
12:43deserve a substitute in that match.
12:48A substitute?
12:49He's chicken and out?
12:50What I'm going to do, Triple H,
12:52is I'm going to name him right now.
12:54As a matter of fact,
12:56I think you know the guy.
12:59Uh-oh.
13:02Oh, no.
13:03No, no, no!
13:04No!
13:05And I think you know him pretty damn well.
13:08His name is Cactus Jack.
13:12In fact...
13:13So the reveal comes quickly,
13:16and this is a moment
13:17that still induces goosebumps.
13:21Twenty years after the fact,
13:23there will be people who put it up there
13:24as the best thing I've ever done,
13:26and I can't disagree with them
13:27because if Triple H lets out a dismissive laugh
13:31and tells a story with his face,
13:33you're the same guy in a different T-shirt,
13:35this match is dead in the water.
13:37It goes nowhere.
13:38And instead, he reacts
13:39as if he's literally seen a ghost.
13:44It's one of the most effective ways
13:46of advancing a character.
13:48For those who remember Cactus Jack,
13:51he's coming back stronger and better than ever.
13:53And for those who have no clue
13:55who this Cactus Jack guy is,
13:56we know he's somebody,
13:58and we know he's somebody
13:59Triple H does not want to tangle with.
14:02We had built up this aura around that character.
14:04It was the ultimate sadistic destroyer.
14:08Mick Wally is more vicious,
14:11more dangerous than ever, King.
14:13And I get in that ring,
14:14and I'm literally moving faster
14:16than I've moved in years.
14:17I remember literally going back
14:19and looking through the video
14:22to see if it had been sped up
14:23because I can't believe I'm moving that fast.
14:26Triple H is there,
14:27and he's taking a beating,
14:28and I'm hitting him with everything I can on each one,
14:30and he's just, he's bringing it out of me.
14:32Now I've got to catch my breath
14:33because I have not moved that fast in years.
14:37There's two things responsible for that.
14:39There's the adrenaline rush
14:40that comes with the audience there in Chicago,
14:42and there's Triple H bringing out the very best in me.
14:46So when people try to judge the value
14:48of a performer or a worker or a wrestler,
14:53you know, there are the movesets,
14:55there's all these different things
14:56that you can tangibly judge.
14:58But one of the intangibles is,
15:00can you bring out the best in your opponent?
15:02Can you make that opponent better
15:04than he ever felt he could be?
15:06And that's, you know,
15:07the difference between being a superstar and a legend.
15:10So at the Royal Rumble,
15:12you're going to make me bleed.
15:15I've got some news for you.
15:18It will not be the first time,
15:21and it sure as hell will not be the last
15:25because I've got an awful lot of blood to give.
15:29I will take what you hold dearest,
15:32your cherished WWF championship belt.
15:36I will take it,
15:38and it will be mine,
15:41mine,
15:42all mine,
15:44baby!
15:44Baby!
15:51Madison Square Garden,
15:53it's where everyone aspired to be.
15:54I mean,
15:55the greatest quote ever
15:56can be attributed to Mr. McMahon's father,
15:59Vince McMahon Sr.,
16:00and he simply said,
16:01Vinny,
16:02the garden will always be the garden.
16:05Cactus Jack is back
16:08in Madison Square Garden,
16:10and this ain't
16:11Mrs. Boney's baby boy!
16:13I think both for Mick and I to know
16:15that we were going into the garden,
16:17getting the opportunity to main event,
16:19the Royal Rumble,
16:20a lot of pressure,
16:21but we were hell-bent on delivering.
16:24We knew we were going to deliver.
16:25We knew we were about to make something special.
16:27His opponent,
16:29to be accompanied by his wife,
16:32Stephanie McMahon-Hell Clay.
16:34I remember
16:35I walked Triple H out
16:37in the entranceway,
16:39and he kissed me.
16:41Michael!
16:43Hurts!
16:44That was the first time
16:46he had ever actually kissed me on the lips,
16:47and it kind of took me back,
16:50because I knew it was in character,
16:51but was it really in character?
16:53You know,
16:54I kind of had, like,
16:54the butterfly moment.
16:56And I knew that this was
17:00going to be
17:00one of the biggest matches
17:01of his career.
17:06But I don't know.
17:07That kiss sent
17:08bolts of electricity through me.
17:10Well, you know,
17:11look at it.
17:15And the mind games have begun.
17:18Trying to psych out your place.
17:19Trying to psych out the game.
17:22Walking into
17:23that type of match
17:25with somebody like Foley,
17:26man, there's a psych-up period.
17:28There's an adrenaline factor.
17:29There is a
17:30you are going to war.
17:32I don't know what
17:33Cactus Jack had to say
17:34to the champion,
17:35but the talking has stopped.
17:38No holds barred.
17:40Anything is legal.
17:43And you have to approach it
17:45with that mentality.
17:49Now they must be wondering
17:50what am I going to have
17:52to do here tonight
17:53to keep the challenger down.
17:55Now Cactus Jack
17:56has got a steel chair.
17:57But there isn't anything
17:58in the world
17:59I would have rather
17:59have done in that moment
18:00than go to war
18:01with Mick Foley.
18:02A prone Triple H
18:03on the team.
18:04Wait a minute!
18:05Driving right
18:06through the steel chair.
18:07Driving it.
18:08Running to the face
18:09of the champion.
18:10The challenger's got
18:11the cover.
18:12And a beer ball.
18:14This was a proving ground.
18:16There are some mean streets
18:18in Greenwich
18:18and he probably lived
18:19on the meanest one
18:20but still.
18:20Not at all!
18:21And Turtle Lake's
18:22laying in wait there
18:23with Cactus Jack.
18:25We're just looking
18:25to do the best we can.
18:27We're trying to have
18:27the best match we can.
18:29We're trying to create something.
18:31This is Cactus Jack's environment.
18:34These are Cactus Jack's rules.
18:36Cactus Jack's arena.
18:37That's why it's so unfair.
18:39These are Cactus Jack's fans!
18:40Oh, Turtle Lake's
18:41back drop
18:42running to the concrete floor.
18:44We do have civilians
18:45all around us
18:46and you have to be
18:47conscious of them
18:48on a certain level
18:49and you also put great faith
18:51in the WWE security team.
18:53They're fighting
18:54right through the fans here
18:55right through the people.
18:57It's a street fight.
18:58They can go anywhere.
18:58Look at that.
19:00If I could go back in time
19:02I probably would not
19:03suplex Triple H
19:05on a pallet
19:06that had a jagged
19:07shard of wood.
19:10I don't think I actually
19:16realized that the puncture wound
19:19in my leg from the pallet
19:21was really bad
19:24until later.
19:27But I remember looking down
19:28and seeing a piece of wood
19:30sticking out of my leg
19:31and thinking like
19:32oh jeez that's not good.
19:34In my mind
19:35it was like a sliver.
19:37When I pulled it out
19:38Jesus that thing
19:38went in there really far.
19:40I didn't really think
19:41about it after that.
19:42I do remember
19:42towards the end
19:43of that match
19:44and not really knowing why
19:45but thinking
19:46my one boot
19:47feels super heavy
19:48but nothing more than that
19:49it really was later
19:50when they pulled the
19:51you know my boot off
19:52when I was backstage
19:53it was pooling with blood
19:55and it saturated
19:55the bottom of my boot
19:57and all the leather.
19:58Adrenaline is a magical
20:00magical substance.
20:01I wasn't even aware
20:08that I made noises
20:09throughout the entirety
20:11of my matches.
20:11It just I guess came
20:19from my subconscious.
20:20Bang bang!
20:21Bang bang!
20:22Bang bang!
20:22Bang bang!
20:23Bang bang!
20:24Bang bang!
20:25Bang bang!
20:25Bang bang!
20:26Bang bang!
20:27Bang bang had maybe
20:28the most humble
20:31of wrestling origins.
20:33I dropped an elbow
20:34on nasty Ned Brady
20:36in Greensboro, North Carolina.
20:38I think it was one day
20:39before I lost my two top teeth
20:42in a car accident.
20:43I dropped an elbow
20:45and just the song
20:46from the B-52s
20:47a song that was popular
20:49at the time
20:49called Love Shack
20:50went through my mind.
20:51I looked up at the camera
20:52and I said
20:53bang bang bang
20:55on the door baby.
20:57So I never again
20:58used the words
20:59on the door baby.
21:04I'd say
21:05the more meaningful
21:06and the more I believed
21:08in that gesture
21:09the better the match
21:10was going to be.
21:13And I was a big believer
21:17in using things
21:18that were available to us.
21:19It's always great
21:20to have something
21:20stashed away
21:21underneath the ring
21:23and that night
21:24you know I believe
21:25we you know we did
21:26we had I don't believe
21:27we did.
21:27We had some goodies.
21:29It would be anything
21:30that he's the king of
21:31it would be hardcore.
21:31What?
21:34Is that?
21:35It looks like
21:35barbed wire
21:36in the 2x4 ring
21:37with barbed wire.
21:38I very distinctly
21:39remember that
21:40barbed wire 2x4
21:42coming out
21:42for the first time
21:43the shifting
21:45of the crowd
21:46to a different level
21:48of oh my god.
21:51The only time
21:53I'd ever experienced
21:55that type of
21:56in the moment shift
21:59in a crowd
22:00was Undertaker
22:02and Shawn Michaels
22:03in the first
22:03Hell in a Cell match.
22:04I remember
22:05just getting goosebumps
22:06in that moment
22:07as I was hearing
22:08the crowd.
22:09I've talked a little bit
22:10at my one man shows
22:11about what I call
22:12the Foley risk reward
22:13ratio analysis
22:15and there are some things
22:16that are genuinely risky
22:18that don't pay off
22:19in a reaction
22:20you know
22:21that makes that risk
22:22worth taking
22:24and then there's
22:25the barbed wire
22:26of 2x4 to 4x4.
22:28A 2x4 wrapped up
22:30in barbed wire.
22:33There's not a lot
22:34of risk going on
22:35it's
22:35nobody's likely
22:37to get
22:37two injured
22:38a couple puncture wounds
22:40maybe.
22:41Get him up.
22:42Look at TurboLake's now
22:43challenging Cactus
22:45to get up.
22:45Put him in the face.
22:46No!
22:47Whoa!
22:48Cactus Jack
22:49with a right hand
22:50Uh-oh!
22:51Now Cactus
22:52Oh!
22:53Hey!
22:54A little blow there
22:542x4
22:56down side.
22:56Get the fin out of the ring
22:57the illegal weapon
22:58of one of our Spanish
23:00announcers
23:00Hugo Sabinovich.
23:01Well Hugo loved
23:02to be part
23:03of the matches.
23:05Hugo was the guy
23:06who dove
23:07out of the way
23:08just in the nick of time
23:09during the Cell match
23:10with The Undertaker
23:11so he thrived
23:13on that stuff.
23:14Cactus Jack
23:14is confronting the referee
23:16he wants to know
23:18what that 2x4
23:19and with a Bob Weyer
23:20The referee snooched it off
23:22he told him
23:22where it is
23:23He's a performer himself.
23:42It was all
23:47in anticipation
23:48of upping the ante
23:49to something
23:50that people
23:51would be
23:51in awe
23:52of this character
23:53of the Cactus Jack
23:54character
23:55of this
23:55crazy
23:56do anything
23:58sadistic
23:59no regard
24:01for himself
24:02or his
24:03body
24:04or anything else
24:05and would do anything.
24:07Yeah!
24:08Oh my God!
24:10And the champion
24:11has busted open!
24:12Busted open
24:13he put his eyes out!
24:14They're right!
24:15They're ripping his nose off!
24:16We've got a new champion!
24:18It's our best song!
24:20They need to deliver on that.
24:21I had watched a lot
24:23of the Japanese death matches
24:25so to speak
24:26even the ones
24:26that Mick was involved in.
24:27I remember asking Mick
24:28about those matches
24:30and him saying
24:31oh my God
24:32they're terrible
24:32don't watch those.
24:33Oh no!
24:34On that 2x4
24:35another shot to the face!
24:37I remember watching them
24:38and thinking
24:38like oh yeah
24:39they are terrible.
24:40the guy would just
24:42fall into a bed
24:42of barbed wire
24:43or something
24:43for no apparent reason
24:45and they were in front
24:46of like nobody.
24:47Let's put that together
24:48in a way that
24:49we can tell a story
24:50with it
24:51so it all builds.
24:52Get out of there!
24:52Go to the hospital!
24:53Oh my God!
24:55That barbed wire
24:56is standing on the face
24:57of Hemsley
24:58ripping at his skin!
24:59We can tell the difference
25:00you know
25:01when I say we
25:02it's because I'm pausing
25:03to say whether we're fans
25:04whether we're part
25:05of the universe
25:06we can tell
25:07when the emotions are real.
25:08Freak bite rules
25:09mean these two men
25:10have a license to maim
25:11and that's exactly
25:12what we're seeing here.
25:13He said he was going
25:14to rip Triple H
25:15from limb to limb
25:16he said he was going
25:17to spill his blood.
25:20My parents are obviously
25:21very proud of my career
25:22and everything like that
25:23but I believe this was
25:24like the first big
25:25really big
25:26like me main eventing
25:28a pay-per-view
25:28that I bring them to.
25:32Triple H's a bloody mess
25:34on our table here.
25:36So they come to
25:37Madison Square Garden
25:38and I get them set up
25:39with tickets
25:40the whole thing.
25:41Don't admit
25:42this is not the way
25:43to admit
25:43come on Cactus
25:45Triple H is bleeding
25:46like a horse
25:47Don't do it
25:48Don't do it
25:50Don't do it Jack
25:52He's going to crowd ride
25:53Cactus is going to
25:55crowd ride
25:55Let's go
25:58For the love of God
26:01Here we are
26:01I don't believe I had
26:03given them any forewarning
26:04other than to say
26:06these matches with
26:07Cactus Jack
26:08it's probably going to be
26:08pretty aggressive
26:09My God
26:14this is where our table
26:15has been destroyed here
26:16I'm going to try to
26:18promote these guys
26:19for them to put their
26:20bodies through this
26:21there's nothing so
26:22extraordinary
26:23one of the richest
26:24prize in this game
26:25I don't think I had
26:35given them any more
26:36warning than that
26:38my parents were
26:39in the front row
26:40after the barbed wire
26:41came out
26:42I am bleeding
26:43heavily
26:43there's a moment
26:45where Mick
26:46clotheslines me over the
26:48top rope
26:48go over the top rope
26:50land and go sailing
26:51across the floor
26:53as I hit
26:54and I'm draped
26:54over the guardrail
26:55as I look up
26:56I'm face to face
26:58with my mom
26:58who is blubbering
27:01horrible
27:03as a parent
27:05funny
27:07as a son
27:09To hear her reactions
27:10was very
27:12poignant to me
27:13you know
27:13to watch a mother
27:14react to her child
27:16you know
27:17being in the ring
27:18one side of me
27:20the personal side
27:21thought
27:21you know
27:22oh my gosh
27:22I felt so bad
27:23and then the
27:23entertainer side
27:24of me was like
27:25oh my god
27:25this is awesome
27:26he's so delivering
27:28and if it looks
27:34like I am
27:34overjoyed
27:35it's because
27:35I am
27:36I mean
27:38it's coming back
27:38to life
27:39I can't physically
27:40do the things
27:41I did
27:4120 years ago
27:43but I get to
27:45I get to relive it
27:46the last words
27:58Mr. McMahon
27:58said to me
27:59before I stepped
28:00through the curtain
28:00were
28:01no thumbtacks
28:02what is that
28:04what the hell
28:05is that
28:06sandbag
28:06hit him over the
28:08head with a sandbag
28:09what
28:10I don't know
28:12I don't think
28:12I'm done
28:13oh my god
28:14the epic shift
28:16of him pouring
28:17those thumbtacks
28:18out in that
28:19arena
28:20you think you
28:21can't get them
28:21any higher
28:22but wait
28:22there's more
28:23this guy's sedustic
28:24he won't stop
28:25for anything
28:25right hands
28:27by Cactus Jack
28:28the game
28:30dangerously close
28:31to the
28:31thousands of
28:33thumbtacks
28:33on the canvas
28:34like they're
28:35thumbtacks
28:35it's not like
28:36it's gonna kill you
28:37it doesn't feel
28:38good for sure
28:39look at that
28:40oh my god
28:43oh my god
28:44Cactus Jack
28:45is a human
28:46pin person
28:46you know
28:47a suplex
28:48on a concrete
28:50floor
28:50let alone
28:51a jagged
28:52pallet of wood
28:54is going to hurt
28:55he's sick
28:55JR he may enjoy
28:56it I don't know
28:57for the love of god
28:58double A's
29:00the pedigree
29:01the pedigree
29:04that's gotta be over
29:05nobody gets up
29:06for the pedigree
29:07oh my Cactus
29:09kicked out
29:10Cactus kicked out
29:11oh my god
29:13I'm gonna believe it
29:13Cactus kicked out
29:14kicking out of the
29:15pedigree was something
29:16that was unheard of
29:18at the time
29:18I don't know
29:20if I was the first
29:21but I know
29:21when I kicked out
29:22I mean
29:23the roar
29:24was deafening
29:25and I mean
29:26there was just
29:27this feeling
29:28that the only way
29:30we could take this
29:31up a notch
29:32was to do that
29:33same move
29:34in thumbtacks
29:34and
29:35and I knew
29:36we'd catch
29:37hell for it
29:39look at that
29:40look at that
29:40volley
29:41Tim goes up
29:42it matters
29:42the square garden
29:43oh no
29:44no
29:45I just remember
29:48closing my right eye
29:49as tightly
29:50as I could
29:51and literally
29:52I thought
29:53to myself
29:53I could lose
29:54an eye
29:55but think
29:57of the pop
29:58the second pedigree
30:01on the front
30:02tax
30:02the second pedigree
30:04that's it
30:07got him
30:08you know
30:08you do
30:09the pedigree
30:10in the tax
30:11he lands
30:11I'm covering him
30:12I can see them
30:13sticking out of his face
30:14if I remember correctly
30:15he had one in his eyebrow
30:16it doesn't get any better
30:25than that
30:26I'm a kid from Long Island
30:27this is the same venue
30:28that I used to hitchhike to
30:30and take trains to
30:31now I've lost
30:32the biggest match
30:33of my career
30:34and yet people are
30:35chanting my name
30:36and at that point
30:40I start thinking
30:41about the
30:41you know
30:42the physical toll
30:43that the match
30:45had taken on
30:45both of us
30:46Triple H
30:51took such a pounding
30:52in that match
30:53I mean
30:53he just
30:53he really took
30:55a beating
30:55I believe
30:56even after it was over
30:57that my line
30:58you know
30:59the next day
30:59at Monday Night Raw
31:01was
31:01it's not whether
31:02you win or lose
31:02it's how you maim
31:03the game
31:04and he had been maimed
31:06like in a way
31:07that we were not
31:08used to seeing
31:09in WWE
31:10even if you've seen
31:11like some
31:12some bloody feuds
31:13you were not ready
31:15for the level
31:16of suffering
31:16that Triple H
31:17went through
31:18Bobo
31:19yes sir
31:19go in the crowd
31:21and somebody
31:21tell my parents
31:23I'm alright
31:23alright I'm going
31:24out there right now
31:24thanks
31:25can you cut anywhere else
31:26your forehead
31:27just my head
31:28we get back and I get
31:30stitched up and everything
31:32else and I remember
31:32I had it I was
31:33I had a hard time
31:34even with the stitches
31:35getting my head
31:36to stop bleeding
31:36so I had like this
31:38gigantic turban of
31:40gauze and
31:41I think I might have
31:43even had a towel on there
31:44to try to keep some
31:44weight on my head
31:46you know of course
31:50there he is
31:51this bloody mess
31:52standing there
31:53sweating
31:54and all I could think
31:56about was
31:57how worried I was
31:58about this man
31:59and we weren't dating
32:00we weren't together
32:01but man
32:03I certainly was worried
32:05about him
32:06and I still was thinking
32:08about the kiss
32:09so in my mind
32:16Royal Rumble
32:17is the last match
32:19of my career
32:19and then there's
32:21been some injuries
32:22Eddie Guerrero
32:22dislocates his elbow
32:24in the most horrific
32:25way possible
32:26and I get a call
32:27Mr. McMahon
32:28hey pal
32:29how about doing
32:30one more
32:30and man
32:32there's been an inference
32:34that this could be
32:35my last match
32:36of the Rumble
32:36but now we're going
32:37to put a sense
32:38of finality to it
32:39that my career
32:41is on the line
32:41with Mick putting
32:44his career on the line
32:45which at that time
32:46was tough for me
32:47to even digest
32:48what Mick was telling me
32:49about he was going
32:50to retire
32:51and he wanted
32:53to do it with me
32:53and he wanted to do it
32:54in Hell in a Cell
32:55the honor that he was
32:56going to give me
32:57that rub
32:58and it's hard
32:59to put words to that
33:01this has gone on
33:02too long
33:02it's time to finish
33:04it once and for all
33:05and no way out
33:09one more time
33:11but this is it
33:12your last shot
33:14at me
33:14your last shot
33:15at the WWF title
33:17what
33:17but one stipulation
33:19you name it
33:20I want your career
33:22on the line
33:24here's this guy
33:29his last match
33:30and his last moment
33:32you want it to be
33:33everything that it can be
33:34for him
33:35his career
33:35everything he's gone through
33:36what he's put himself
33:37through all that stuff
33:38it was a very emotional
33:40time
33:41and
33:41the honor
33:43all of it
33:44trying to keep that all straight
33:48and still be the pro
33:50and be the
33:50you know
33:51doesn't bother you
33:52and you know
33:53just everything
33:53that you do
33:54when you're
33:54trying to make a name
33:55for yourself
33:5617 days
33:58until the biggest match
34:00of my life
34:00at no way out
34:03in Hell
34:04in a Cell
34:05I think at that point
34:09in time
34:10the Hell in a Cell match
34:11it was still
34:12almost mythical
34:13like you just
34:16would say the word
34:17I want it
34:19in Hell in a Cell
34:20and
34:22it was an audible gasp
34:23in the crowd
34:24like a
34:25a shift
34:26you leave me
34:27with only one choice
34:29Hell
34:33in the Cell
34:35you asked for it
34:38you got it
34:40if you are in a
34:42storyline with somebody
34:43and you get to the point
34:44where it just cannot be
34:46settled in any other way
34:47it's
34:47gone as absolutely
34:49far as it can
34:50you've done
34:50everything possible
34:52with each other
34:53that the only way
34:54to settle this issue
34:56is
34:56inside
34:58Hell in a Cell
34:59and if you had seen
35:02Cell matches
35:03prior to that
35:04I was there for the first one
35:05with Taker
35:06and Sean
35:07I'd never seen anything
35:08like it
35:08and it blew my mind
35:10and then you go to the Mick
35:22and Taker one
35:24and there was nothing
35:25ever like it
35:26or has there been since
35:28after what Mick
35:31and I just had gone
35:32through at the Royal Rumble
35:33to think that we were now
35:35going into Hell in a Cell
35:36like it just took it
35:39to a whole nother level
35:40I was excited
35:41to get the call
35:42the chemistry
35:44with Triple H
35:44was there
35:46Royal Rumble
35:46had done a huge buy rate
35:48Mr. McMahon
35:49attributed it
35:49to the Rumble
35:50we had some words
35:52over what role
35:53Triple H and I
35:54played in that
35:55believe me
35:56we had some words
35:57but I thought
35:59okay
36:00okay
36:00let us take that ball
36:02and run with it
36:03as far as we can
36:04and do the very best
36:05we can
36:06to not only
36:06meet up
36:07with what we did
36:08at Royal Rumble
36:09but top it
36:11I remember going
36:20to a warehouse
36:20in Brooklyn
36:21where we had
36:22the cell constructed
36:23and talking through
36:25some of what
36:26these guys were going
36:27to be doing
36:28in the ring
36:28I remember
36:29looking at the cell
36:30itself
36:31and having the chance
36:33to really picture
36:34and envision
36:35you know
36:35what this was going
36:36to look like
36:37when you were live
36:38and you guys
36:39are going to do what
36:39the Hartford Civic Center
36:44has been sold out
36:45for weeks
36:46in anticipation
36:47for no way out
36:49when you're
36:53in that moment
36:54you know
36:55everybody talks about
36:56you walk through
36:56that curtain
36:57it's all real
36:57you have to have
36:59that mindset
37:00I don't know
37:06I always feel like
37:07I can tell
37:07when a performer
37:08and I say it
37:09even at NXT a lot
37:11or the Performance Center
37:12a lot
37:12I say to the talent
37:14I still feel like
37:14you're playing wrestler
37:15you don't believe this
37:19you don't buy it
37:20you're just playing
37:21a character
37:21you're not the guy
37:23you're the guy
37:25playing the role
37:26to me
37:29and what separates
37:30the ones that are great
37:31from the ones
37:31that are pretty good
37:32well
37:36it's quite a task
37:38to get ready
37:39for something like
37:40Helena Sal
37:41I more or less
37:45have to metamorphosize
37:46into a different
37:48human being
37:49kind-hearted
37:51benevolent guys
37:52don't fare well
37:53inside the Sal
37:55and so I have
37:57to become somebody
37:58who can fare well
37:59inside that Sal
38:01somebody's going to
38:02walk out of here
38:03with a WWF title
38:04I know Triple H
38:05has got to be concerned
38:06about one thing
38:06there have been
38:07promises fulfilled
38:08having the perfect
38:09opponent certainly
38:10does not hurt
38:11and we also heard
38:13Cactus Jack promise
38:14that he was going to
38:15jump off the top
38:15of this cage
38:16onto Triple H
38:18will that come true
38:19JR
38:20generally I needed
38:38just some type
38:40of jolt
38:40once I got out there
38:42I like to start
38:43the matches
38:44with something big
38:45and once there
38:56was a big move
38:58I would be jolted
38:59into that
39:00alternative reality
39:01of becoming
39:02Cactus Jack
39:03mankind
39:04whatever the situation
39:05might call for
39:06and another shot
39:11right to his
39:11right to his
39:12shoulder this time
39:13it was a mental
39:15game for me
39:15physically I
39:18couldn't do
39:19a fraction
39:19of what the
39:20other guys
39:21in the roster
39:22could do
39:22if I could wrap
39:31my mind
39:31around a concept
39:33and see it
39:35in my mind
39:36then I was
39:38going to give it
39:38a try
39:39and if it worked
39:40out the way
39:40I hoped it would
39:41that was great
39:43if it didn't
39:44sometimes
39:45that was even
39:45better
39:46look at Cactus
39:48there's just
39:48something inside
39:49him
39:49that won't
39:49let him lose
39:50maybe this is
39:51his night
39:51Cactus
39:52he baited Triple
39:53A10
39:54oh hello
39:55well the
39:58the nut shot
39:58is an art form
40:00that's somewhat
40:02of a barbaric
40:03birth control
40:03because what
40:05you're trying
40:06to do is not
40:06get hit in the
40:07nuts
40:07so usually
40:10there's a
40:11moment in time
40:12when you're
40:12doing a nut
40:13shot
40:13when you are
40:14thinking to
40:15yourself like
40:16I gotta really
40:17sell that big
40:17because it's a
40:18nut shot
40:18and then you
40:19end up really
40:19selling it big
40:20because it was
40:21a nut shot
40:21and you end up
40:24thinking like
40:24holy cow I hope
40:25he lets me sell
40:26this for a while
40:26because I really
40:27need time to
40:28recover from an
40:28actual nut shot
40:29there really is
40:30no art to it
40:31it's pretty much
40:33just trying to
40:33avoid getting hit
40:34in the nuts
40:34it can be difficult
40:42to get your
40:43signature moves
40:44into a match
40:46that has a
40:48you know
40:48a structure
40:49around that ring
40:50and so
40:56when one of your
40:57signature moves
40:58is that you fly
40:59through the air
41:00with an elbow
41:01and you realize
41:06you don't have
41:07the space
41:08you usually do
41:09to complete
41:10that move
41:11you have to
41:11improvise
41:12so I went up
41:12higher
41:13I went up
41:13to the second
41:13rope
41:14I did it
41:15with a chair
41:15tucked underneath
41:16my arm
41:17but because of
41:18the way I had
41:18to position my
41:19body in order
41:20to drop that
41:21elbow
41:21I ended up
41:23hitting my own
41:24face on my
41:25own chair
41:26and broke
41:27my nose
41:27in the process
41:28stop him
41:29stop him
41:30oh my god
41:31revenge
41:33at heart
41:34Tactus Jack
41:35just throw that
41:36tear
41:36right through
41:37the true
41:37body
41:38of the game
41:39and
41:40in ordinary
41:42circumstances
41:42a broken nose
41:43you know
41:43would be a cause
41:44for a timeout
41:46or it's not
41:46not in our
41:47business though
41:48now what
41:49and now Tactus
41:50has those heavy
41:51steel steps
41:52oh my god
41:55there's this one
42:00oddity in the
42:02sense that
42:03nothing we're
42:04doing as far
42:05as pinfalls go
42:06is eliciting much
42:07of a response
42:08and it wasn't
42:09until I threw
42:10the stairs
42:11at Triple H
42:12he ducks out
42:12of the way
42:13and they go
42:14through the cell
42:14structure
42:15and now this
42:17building comes
42:18alive
42:18I immediately
42:34think back
42:35to all
42:35of the times
42:36I've stressed
42:37that I
42:38will
42:38ascend
42:39that cell
42:40one more time
42:41and now
42:47with the benefit
42:49of previous
42:50failure
42:50that failure
42:51being
42:51hell in a cell
42:521998
42:53with the
42:54Undertaker
42:54where I was
42:55having a heck
42:55of a time
42:56ascending
42:57that structure
42:58WWE has put
42:59in some
42:59convenient
43:00footholds
43:00for me
43:01and every
43:02superstar
43:02that follows
43:04Stephanie's
43:11contributions
43:11to that
43:12rivalry
43:12cannot be
43:13understated
43:14Stephanie was
43:15great
43:16I was standing
43:29on the outside
43:29and I
43:30it's the time
43:31in the match
43:32when they
43:32start the climb
43:33and I just
43:34remember
43:34being so
43:35worried
43:36Triple H
43:38he hooks
43:40for safety
43:41at the top
43:42of the cage
43:42be careful
43:43Triple H
43:43he's almost
43:44hammered
43:45he's almost
43:46to the top
43:46of the cage
43:47look at this
43:49oh he saw
43:50in the head
43:50of Jackson
43:51yeah
43:51barbed wire
43:52thumbtacks
43:54all those things
43:55you know
43:56what's the art
43:57for them
43:57there isn't
43:58rubbing barbed wire
44:01rubbing
44:02the cage
44:04sometimes
44:06the hitting
44:06with the barbed wire
44:07is bad
44:07it's the pulling
44:08off of the barbed wire
44:09that is worse
44:11it just doesn't
44:12feel real comfortable
44:13well there is no art
44:21to taking that
44:22well you either
44:23do it
44:23or you don't
44:24do it
44:24how can this
44:25match continue
44:26how can he go on
44:27I've got this chair
44:28what I don't realize
44:30is that
44:31the audience
44:31is there
44:32you cannot
44:32have a throw
44:34that goes backwards
44:35right
44:35and I no longer
44:36have the gas
44:37in the tank
44:37to do it
44:38I try it
44:39two or three times
44:40I really want
44:41that chair up
44:42on top with me
44:43and once I realize
44:44it's not meant to be
44:45I start
44:46making that climb
44:48almost hit
44:49it did hit me
44:51hit us
44:51everything that we did
44:54in Royal Rumble
44:54how do you get it
44:55to another level
44:57oh look at this
44:58Jack is on the top
44:59that idiot
45:00what is he doing
45:01oh my kid
45:01just climbing to the top
45:02and Triple X
45:03has got the barbed wire
45:04but how do you get there
45:06in a way
45:07that tells the right story
45:08and then how do you get there
45:10where you don't see
45:11the setup coming
45:12Cactus must win the title
45:14or his career is over
45:15oh double arm DDT
45:16we've had an exciting match
45:19one that I think
45:21has come close
45:22to living up to
45:23the standards we set
45:25a month earlier
45:26and we just have to find a way
45:28to create a memory
45:30Cactus Jack
45:33has got the two by four
45:34and the barbed wire again
45:35and what could be worse
45:36than a two by four
45:37wrapped in barbed wire
45:39I don't know
45:40if anything could be worse
45:41oh my god
45:42fire
45:43oh my god
45:44that two by four
45:45and the barbed wire
45:46is burning
45:47what
45:47at one point in time
45:49there was a conversation
45:50had about fire
45:51and then it came up
45:53that maybe that
45:53that moment of fire
45:55would be the
45:56perfect distract
45:58Cactus has a dream
46:00and it's coming true tonight
46:01oh my god
46:04he's got the bed
46:05he's got the cool
46:06attention for you
46:07he's got a pile
46:08driving on the fire
46:09I think that's what
46:10Cactus was signaling
46:11a pile driver
46:13get that
46:14oh my goodness
46:15oh my god
46:17for the love of god
46:18the cage broke
46:20the ring broke
46:21and Cactus Jack
46:23has broken
46:24his head
46:25it's just such a
46:27crazy image of him
46:28on top of that cage
46:30with this
46:31barbed wire
46:32two by four
46:33and getting it lit
46:34and then him standing there
46:35with this crowd
46:36behind him
46:37and
46:37it just
46:38it's epic
46:40I would never forget it
46:41but
46:42it did exactly
46:43what it needed to do
46:44when everybody was so
46:46obsessed with
46:47oh my god
46:48there is this
46:49barbed wire two by four
46:50that is on fire
46:51what's gonna happen
46:52and the next thing you know
46:53he's getting backdropped
46:54and going through a cage
46:55and falling through
46:56it created an incredible moment
46:58and then when you
46:59went down the decision
47:01to have him then
47:01begin to come out
47:03of that hole
47:04like he's
47:05unstoppable
47:06you know
47:06in some manner
47:07that's gotta be it
47:35no dream was worth this
47:37kick out
47:37kick out
47:38kick out
47:38cactus
47:39wow
47:43it's
47:45world
47:46world
47:46world
47:46world
47:47world
47:47world
47:47world
48:07world
48:08world
48:09world
48:10world
48:11world
48:12world
48:13world
48:14world
48:15world
48:16world
48:17world
48:18world
48:19world
48:20world
48:21world
48:22world
48:23world
48:24world
48:25world
48:26world
48:27world
48:28world
48:29world
48:30world
48:31world
48:32world
48:33world
48:35You know, it's said a lot that, you know, there are moments in time when you see things
48:42happen that kind of elevate a talent to the next level.
48:47For me, there's nothing more in my career that elevated me to a different level than
48:54those two matches, the Royal Rumble and the Hell in the Cell match with Mick Foley in
48:592000.
49:01I'm going to put into words how much those two matches meant on solidifying Triple H as
49:05a main event player.
49:10And now the main event at WrestleMania will be a fatal four-way elimination match.
49:18Turns out I did come back.
49:20You, Triple H, will defend the World Wrestling Federation Championship against Big Show, against
49:30The Rock, and against this man, Mick Foley.
49:38One of the ways we promoted WrestleMania was by appearing on Saturday Night Live.
49:46And I remember Big Show going, do you think there's something going on between Stephanie
49:51and Triple H?
49:52I thought, absolutely not.
49:54I just thought she was a very talented and very, you know, motivated manager at his side.
50:00I didn't realize that it had bled over into real life.
50:06It's hard to say a particular moment where I thought, oh my God, you know, Steph is the
50:12one because, you know, it was so, so ridiculously against all intelligent choices.
50:23You know, we just, we were goofy around each other.
50:27Even just saying hello, we'd go to give each other a hug and it was super awkward and, you
50:31know, try to have a conversation and, you know, you walk away thinking like, God, I sounded
50:35so stupid.
50:36Like, why did I say that?
50:37We were just constantly around each other, constantly, didn't necessarily have to have
50:42a reason, but we're just constantly finding ourselves in the same places.
50:45Every time I was next to him or I would just be around him, I would have this, like, my
50:50heart would race and it still does.
50:53You know, I'm actually more in love with him every single day and we have three beautiful
50:59daughters and he's an incredible father.
51:02He is, he is my knight in shining armor.
51:05He is the man that I dreamed of my entire life.
51:08You know, it's a funny thing for me.
51:11All my, all my friends, my best friends in life, my relationships that have lasted my
51:17whole life, my in-laws, like, just all of it, everything, everything in my life stems
51:21in some way from, from WWE in some manner.
51:25But it, to me, it's not the defining characteristic of who I am.
51:30By far, my, my three girls and Steph and all of that is, is the most important thing in
51:36my life by far.
51:37And if the rest of it all went away, it'd be okay as long as I still had that.
51:45We're here.
52:00But!
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