A few words from HHH:
"Hi everybody, I just wanted you to know that I'll be spending the next few months fetching Steve Austin's slippers and generally making you sorry you ever cheered me."

An odd thing happened during Raw. Somewhere during the last match, I found myself cheering Steve Austin, cheering the Rock, and absolutely hating Triple H.

Try not to die of heart failure. Let me explain. I still think that H is the best wrestler in the business. However, he's become a mirror image of Goldberg, and it's starting to piss me off. Goldberg, as we'll all recall, refused to turn Heel. He claimed he 'owed it to his fans' to stay Face. He said he felt being a Face suited his real life personality better. He whined and complained and forgot the basic rule of Wrestling: Give the fans what they want.

The fans wanted a Triple H Face turn. He refused, apparently using the same rationale that Goldberg used to fight a Heel turn. All due respect to both men, but who the hell CARES which role you personally prefer? Play the role that works for current storylines. Play the role that involves the fans. Play the role like a professional, and spare us any "what about the CHILDREN?!?" sermons. This ain't the Peace Corps.

Steve Austin, bless his redneck soul, understands this concept. Triple H does not. Therefore, Austin rules, while Hunter sucks. Yeah, I said it. HUNTER SUCKS, AUSTIN RULES. So feakin' sue me already. Like maybe I don't already feel bad enough about writing a line like that.

My respect for Stone Cold Steve Austin grew about a billion percent Monday night. He came out, cut a legit Heel promo, made a Texas crowd boo him, and then proceeded to incorporate his new Heel personae directly into his ring performance. No more Invincible Stunning Machine. No more sucking up to the crowd. Instead, the magnificent bastard let the Rock do an absolute squash on him in a main event match. He also played up the Cowardly Heel routine, refusing to enter the cage and running from the Rock. THAT takes guts. THAT shows character.

As for the Rock, he came out and played the Outnumbered Babyface to perfection. It's what the crowd wanted, it's what the company needed. He fought the Good Fight, used his considerable in-ring skills instead of trite catchphrases, and generally acted like the Rock that we all used to love.

But not Triple H. Presented with a clear mandate from both storylines and the crowd to finally finish his never-ending semi-Face turn, he balked. He took the easy way out. He chose to be become Steve Austin's bitch. What a loser. I feel personally betrayed, just like nearly every member of the crowd at Raw felt betrayed. But not in a "Steve Austin joined with Vince, let's kill the bastard" GOOD kind of way. No, I felt betrayed in a "Why the hell can't Triple H get over it and do something new for a change" kind of way.

At this point, Triple H deserves his slow descent to Second Bananadom. Was he afraid to go up against the Rock in a battle for #1 Face? Did the Fed decide that a Benoit Face turn demanded that H stay Heel? Did Vince smoke too much Crack that day? Who knows? In the end, who cares? The fact remains that Triple H was faced with a life-altering decision on Monday, and made the wrong choice. I don't think I'll ever really think of him the same way again. On the other hand, hail to our new Heel of Heels, and my new personal Dark Overlord, Stone Cold Steve Austin!