Stone Cold Steve Austin Says Triple H Outsmarted Him in Their First Match in WWE

Published 03/17/2021, 12:51 PM EDT

WWE legends Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H shared the ring many times. From beating the hell out of each other to teaming up to form the Two Man Power Trip, Austin and the Game have a unique story.

Triple H was the vicious corporate heel to Austin’s anti-babyface hero. The first time they faced off was in 1996, which the Game talked about on Twitter.

Triple H remembers his first match with Stone Cold Steve Austin

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WWE COO and NXT’s Executive Producer Triple H posted a tweet on account of Austin 3:16 Day. Despite 3:16 coming from a Bible verse and not a date, WWE capitalized on this day to celebrate the Texas Rattlesnake.

Triple H and Austin squared off for the first time in 1996 at In Your House: Buried Alive. Although the PPV is mostly remembered for its Buried Alive main event between Mankind and Undertaker, Austin and Triple H had a pretty great opener.

However, both men are still confused over who was the heel, and who was the face?

I remember that match! I ended up being the baby… You outsmarted me! 🤣🤣🤬
Thanks for the memories. Two man Power Trip ended way too soon.. https://t.co/ZJParcp2Ic
— Steve Austin (@steveaustinBSR) March 16, 2021

Austin picked up the win over the young Hunter Hearst Helmsley, who was on his way to becoming Triple H. The Game posted a tweet remembering their first encounter, which led to their incredible rivalry during the Attitude Era.

“This lead to decades of Stunners, pedigrees, incredible crowds, tons of laughs & A LOT of beer (he drank, I mostly wore)”, wrote Triple H.

WWE is celebrating Steve Austin Week on the WWE Network, highlighted by documentaries about Austin’s career. The week ends with the much-awaited episode of the Broken Skull Sessions with Randy Orton.

The Game vs the Texas Rattlesnake

Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin had a brutal rivalry that stretched across 3 years. In 1999, Austin won the WWF Championship from The Rock at WrestleMania 15.

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He held the title till SummerSlam, where he met Triple H and Mankind in a triple threat match. Triple H won the title back from Mankind the next night.

Austin lost to Triple H at No Mercy in 1999 after The Rock accidentally hit him with a sledgehammer meant for the Game. However, Austin would get his title shot again. But the most shocking incident occurred.

A car driven by Rikishi ran Austin over, rendering him unable to compete. The Samoan claimed he ‘did it for The Rock’, but the actual mastermind behind the incident was Triple H.

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The Game smashed Austin with a sledgehammer and tried to run him over at Survivor Series. However, his plans were foiled. Their feud ended in a brutal Three Stages of Hell match at No Way Out 2001, which Triple H won in brutal fashion.

Was Triple H a Better Pro Wrestler than The Rock?

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Nathan Fulgado is a WWE and AEW author at EssentiallySports. Having published close to 1000 professional wrestling articles, Nathan is currently pursuing his Journalism degree from Xavier's College. He has previously worked at Free Press Journal as a local journalist.

Stone Cold Steve Austin Says Triple H Outsmarted Him in Their First Match in WWE

Triple H remembers his first match with Stone Cold Steve Austin

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The Game vs the Texas Rattlesnake