What If: Triple H Was Fired for the MSG Incident

This is my first in a new series in which I examine historical moments in wrestling history and changes in history that could have occurred because of them. Enjoy.

Back in the middle 1990s, a large amount of the booking power in the World Wrestling Federation was held by The Kliq. The Kliq consisted of backstage friends Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Triple H, and Sean Waltman.

Justin Credible was also close friends with the group, but was not usually considered a member. In the early stages of the group, Bret Hart was asked to join, but Hart decided against it.

The main focus of the group was to keep the five on top. At In Your House 4: Great White North in 1995, Shawn Michaels was supposed to lose his Intercontinental Championship to Dean Douglas, better known as Shane Douglas. Michaels did not want to put Douglas over, so he insisted that Douglas win by forfeit.

The match went on as Michaels had planned and Douglas won by forfeit. Later in the night though Scott Hall, who wrestled as Razor Ramon, defeated Douglas for the Intercontinental Championship. Douglas, outraged by the sequence of events, threatened legal action with the company and left for Extreme Championship Wrestling.

One of the most memorable moments with the Kliq was what is known as the Madison Square Garden Incident. While performing a major WWF house show at one of the most famous sporting venues four members of the Kliq Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H all broke character.

Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were leaving WWF for rival promotion World Championship Wrestling and Shawn Michaels and Scott Hall embraced each other with a hug. Then Triple H, who was working as a heel, came in and gave Hall a hug. Nash, who was also a heel, followed suit and the group embraced each other at once.

The problem at the time was that the WWF was still trying to keep kayfabe real. The WWF wanted fans to believe that only face wrestlers hung out with each other outside of the ring and had no association with heel wrestlers.

WWF Management was sent into a flurry because a fan had snuck in a camcorder and taped the whole MSG Incident. Management had to punish the Kliq, but there were many problems. Kevin Nash and Scott Hall were leaving for WCW and were untouchable.

Shawn Michaels was the WWF Champion and was WWF's highing drawing superstar so was nonpunishable. All of the punishment was placed onto non-other than Triple H.

See for all of this, Triple H was quite close to losing his job because of the MSG Incident, but he was not. Instead he lost his massive push and was booked to win the King of the Ring which was instead won by "Stone Cold Steve" Austin. We all know what happened to Austin afterward.

Triple H instead was put on jobber status and even had to be in a Hog Pen Match.

Now it is time to partake in my favorite activity, the What If Game. Now what if Triple H was fired? Here is how I think it would go down. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash would have gone to WCW and started the New World Order.

After a few months along with Ted DiBiase, Sean Waltman, and the Giant would have joined the New World Order. After a few years of moderate success, he would have finally won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in 2000.

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