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WWE WrestleMania 33: Seth Rollins vs. Triple H Reminiscent of Shawn Michaels Match from SummerSlam 2002

By Rob Wolkenbrod

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Triple H vs. Seth Rollins in an Unsanctioned match sounds pretty much like one that the Game did in 2002.

Triple H vs. Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 33 seemed like the plan for WrestleMania 32, which changed due to Rollins’ knee injury. It then got set up in August 2016, but another ailment to the same spot impacted the chances of this happening at WrestleMania 33. However, based on the Architect’s physical battles on Raw and the Game’s recent appearance, it seems this is going to happen on Apr. 2.

An interesting wrinkle was added to this plan, though — it’s not actually going to be a match. Triple H said on Raw, he wants to make this an Unsanctioned bout. That means this will never be made official and anything will go, so these two will be able to beat the living daylights out of each other.

Going with the unsanctioned stipulation is a perfect way to highlight the angst between these two. It’s gone beyond having your standard wrestling match, as this become person between Rollins and the Cerebral Assassin. So why not let them just trade punches, kicks, suplexes and attacks with foreign objects? It pretty much means this will be a war.

Triple H isn’t unfamiliar with the Unsanctioned match stipulation, however. In 2002, he had his famous feud with Shawn Michaels begin, who had just returned from a career-threatening back injury. They developed potentially the most personal rivalry in WWE history, which saw their friendship end and result in collisions for the next two years.

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At SummerSlam 2002, the first of their long series of matches began, with an Unsanctioned contest. They spent nearly a half hour using chairs and garbage cans; wrestling was sprinkled in too, but not overly technical. Instead, a majority of the moves used was to drive the other into a foreign object or a maneuver that was one of their most impactful. This led to HBK getting busted open from the brutal assault of his vicious former friend, who was in the heart of his early 2000’s heel run.

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The King of Kings probably had the edge for most of this match, showing his dominance over the man who just survived a devastating back injury. In-ring psychology was used to this body part, too, leaving Michaels in pain and struggling to survive. He eventually found an opening, though, and got the jackknife pin.

15 years later, things look very much the same for Rollins and Triple H’s Unsanctioned match.

The long, personal rivalry is there, which dates back to 2014 and the Authority. Triple H had taken Rollins under his wing for nearly two years, making him the next big star and the Corporate Guy. Cracks were shown before the former Shield man’s first knee injury, though, which weren’t able to be followed up on until August 2016.

Then comes the match itself, which is another easy situation to use Triple H’s in-ring psychology. As with Michaels’ back, Rollins’ knee is prime for targeting. Any and all submission moves will be used on it, and chairs. Given the unknown condition of the injury body part, however (It hasn’t even been two months since Rollins got hurt), how big of a risk will they be able to take in this match?

The finish also should be set up similar to the SummerSlam 2002 match. Rollins, however healthy he may really be, won’t be billed as so at WrestleMania 33. So he can pull a play out of the Showstopper’s book by sneaking in a pinfall attempt and winning at an impromptu moment.

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The potential is there for this WrestleMania 33 match with Seth Rollins and Triple H to look like SummerSlam 2002. If anything, it’s kind of difficult for it not to. Whatever the case may be, it should succeed as a hardcore showing that will be anything but wrestling.