McMahon-Helmsley Faction
Encyclopedia
The McMahon-Helmsley Faction (also referred to as the McMahon-Helmsley Regime, and the McMahon-Helmsley Era) was a large heel
stable in the World Wrestling Federation
which was founded in late 1999, had mostly faded away by early 2001 and finally ended in mid-2002. Although initially it was an affront to the Corporation
by the daughter of the owner, Stephanie McMahon, and one of its biggest up-and-coming stars, Triple H
(a.k.a. Hunter Hearst Helmsley), it evolved into an alliance between then-heel stable, D-Generation X
and a resurrected Corporation. It also included the majority of all heel wrestlers in the company at the time. The chief members (Triple H and the McMahons) would align as faces in 2009 against Randy Orton
and his Legacy
faction, but this was more acknowledged under the Team McMahon
name rather than anything else.
, WWF owner Vince McMahon's daughter Stephanie was set to marry Test but Triple H interrupted the ceremony. He played a video on the Titantron
showing himself marrying a drugged Stephanie at a drive-through chapel in Las Vegas
. This led to a match at Armageddon 1999 between Triple H and Vince McMahon with the stipulations being that if Triple H won, he would receive a WWF Championship
title shot on Raw, whereas, if Vince was victorious, Triple H would sign an annulment
. Triple H won the match, and afterwards, Stephanie turned on her father and hugged her new husband. The next night, Triple H announced the inception of the McMahon-Helmsley Era. His capture of the WWF Championship soon thereafter, coupled with Road Dogg and Billy Gunn's
dominance of the tag team
division helped cement the faction's power. With Vince injured and Linda
and Shane McMahon
absent, Stephanie was the sole remaining shareholder, so she and Triple H assumed control of the WWF.
, and assisted X-Pac
in his ongoing feud against Kane.
Midcard and lower card Superstars such as Jeff Hardy
became targets for the group, in order to protect the New Age Outlaws' Tag Team titles. Matt Hardy
had been previously injured, so the group made it their mission to cripple him so that the both of them would be injured. Others such as Big Show
, Test, Rikishi
, Kane, Chris Benoit
(an on and off ally of the faction), Funaki
and Too Cool
, and Edge and Christian
(before the duo turned heel) were also targets of the faction.
who appeared on Raw to tell Triple H and Stephanie that he thought that "the McMahon-Helmsley Era kinda sucks". The Rock would come to his defense, but Triple H forced them to face each other in a match where the loser would be fired. The Rock won the match and Mankind was fired. The Faction also tried to get The Rock fired, but their efforts failed.
On January 10, 2000, on an edition of Raw is War
, The Rock and most of the WWF locker room surrounding the ring and threatened to "walk out on Triple H's candy ass" if Mankind was not reinstated. Their backs against the wall, Stephanie and Triple H had no other choice but to comply, leading to Mankind challenging Triple H to a match for the WWF title at The Royal Rumble. After a brutal beatdown at the hands of Triple H on the January 10 episode of Raw, Mankind metamorphosised into Cactus Jack three days later on WWF SmackDown!, therefore making the match at the Royal Rumble, Triple H versus Cactus Jack, in a Street Fight.
At the Royal Rumble
, Triple H defeated Cactus Jack in a brutal, bloody Street Fight. Both men were repeatedly hit with a 2x4 with barbed wire wrapped around it. Triple H was split open early, and bled a great deal. Later on, Cactus was handcuffed and lying on the entry ramp. Triple H was about to hit him on the head with a chair when The Rock hit Triple H with a chair of his own. Cactus was then released by a police officer. After pile-driving Triple H through the announcers' table, Cactus brought a bag of tacks into the ring. Cactus was back-body dropped onto the tacks and then kicked out of the Pedigree. Triple H then pedigreed Cactus Jack on the tacks for the win.
At No Way Out 2000
, Cactus Jack lost a Hell in a Cell match to Triple H in which his career was on the line, and was forced to retire. Meanwhile, The Rock was defeated by Big Show
after interference from Shane McMahon, losing his WrestleMania 2000
title shot to Big Show. The Rock then challenged Big Show to a match to regain his title shot with Shane McMahon as the special guest referee. The Rock was victorious after a returning Vince McMahon punched out both Shane and Triple H (who had attempted to intercept Vince on his way to the ring) gave the 3 count in The Rock's favor. Linda McMahon then brought Mick Foley out of retirement and made the WrestleMania 2000
main event a "Fatal Four Way Elimination Match" between The Rock, Big Show, Triple H and Mick Foley. Each competitor would have a McMahon in his corner.
At WrestleMania 2000 Big Show and Mick Foley were quickly eliminated, while Shane, Stephanie and Vince fought amongst themselves. As The Rock prepared to pin Triple H, Vince McMahon turned on the Rock and secured a victory for Triple H. Vince claimed that backing Triple H was the only way to reconcile with his daughter, and accepted Triple H as his son-in-law. Shane abandoned the Big Show soon after, also backing Triple H.
Over the course of the next few months, the McMahon-Helmsley Faction faced opposition from a variety of wrestlers, including The Rock, Steve Austin
, The Undertaker, Kane, The Dudley Boyz
, Chris Jericho
, Too Cool
(Scotty Too Hotty and Grand Master Sexay
), Steve Blackman
and Rikishi
. Mick Foley became Commissioner of the WWF in mid-2000 and aided in the fight against the Faction. Announcer Jim Ross
was also a vocal critic of the Faction.
Triple H was a dominant champion throughout the first half of 2000, but twice lost the WWF Championship to The Rock, and had a close call against Y2J
. The first loss was at Backlash 2000, when Stone Cold Steve Austin knocked him out with a chair shot and Linda McMahon reinstated referee Earl Hebner
, whom Triple H had fired earlier in the year, to count the pinfall. His second loss was at King of the Ring 2000, when he, Vince and Shane defended the title in a six man tag match against Kane, The Undertaker and The Rock. Vince had hoped that his enemies' individual title aspirations would lead them to fight amongst one another, allowing him to divide and conquer
, but his plans were foiled when The Rock pinned Vince for the victory.
After Triple H lost the title, he would feud with Chris Jericho, with the remaining members of DX by his side. Shane went on to form a short-lived stable with former Faction allies Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Big Show, Edge and Christian. These allies would help Shane capture the Hardcore Championship from Steve Blackman. Triple H, Shane, Stephanie, and Kurt Angle formed an alliance to win the WWF Championship from the Rock, but this alliance would crumble after the love triangle between Helmsley, Angle, and Stephanie.
and X-Pac injured, the group was largely forgotten. However the following year saw Austin turn heel and join Triple H and Vince McMahon to form The Power Trip, with Stephanie siding with them. On May 21, 2001, Triple H was sidelined by a tear in his left quadriceps muscle
, which kept him out of action for a year, keeping him out of the Invasion storyline. Austin blamed Triple H for costing them the Tag Team Titles, whereas Stephanie blamed Austin for being selfish and not caring for Triple H's well-being. Stephanie would then go on to become co-owner of the ECW faction during the Invasion storyline, during which Austin turned on the WWF and became the WCW/ECW Alliance's leader. Triple H would make his return on January 7, 2002.
By early 2002, Triple H and Stephanie's marriage was on the rocks. After months of friction, Stephanie tried to fake a pregnancy
to hold onto her husband but Triple H found out with help from Linda McMahon
that it was fake, and dumped her in a ceremony when they were about to renew their vows. Stephanie would align herself briefly with Kurt Angle, and later with the Undisputed WWF Champion Chris Jericho and they would continuously torment Triple H in the weeks leading to WrestleMania X8
. Yet Triple H managed to overcome the odds and gave both Stephanie and Jericho the Pedigree, winning the Undisputed WWF Championship. The very next night on Raw, Triple H defeated Stephanie and Jericho in a Handicap match, with the stipulation that Stephanie would have to leave the WWF if she or Jericho were to lose. Triple H gave Stephanie a Spinebuster for the win, and led the fans into singing Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
as security escorted Stephanie out of the building. Stephanie made her return to the WWE in July 2002 as the new General Manager of Smackdown, with the main purpose of trying to keep Triple H in the Smackdown brand and prevent him from being lured into Raw by Eric Bischoff
. Triple H and Stephanie had one final encounter at Vengeance 2002
, and he decided to jump over to Raw under the encouragement of Shawn Michaels
. This also ended their on-screen relationship, though in real life Stephanie and Triple H would get married in October 2003.
9 years after the separation of the faction in a March 30, 2009 edition of Monday Night Raw, Triple H realigned himself with Vince and Shane to attack Legacy
(Randy Orton
, Cody Rhodes, and Ted DiBiase, Jr.
) who previously attacked the McMahons, as Orton was feuding with Triple H for his WWE Championship
. At this point, WWE began to acknowledge Triple H's and Stephanie's real life marriage.
On the August 24, 2009 edition of Monday Night RAW, Vince would realign with Triple H, along with original D-Generation X
member Shawn Michaels, to once again take on The Legacy.
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
stable in the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
which was founded in late 1999, had mostly faded away by early 2001 and finally ended in mid-2002. Although initially it was an affront to the Corporation
The Corporation (professional wrestling)
The Corporation was a heel stable in the late 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation .-History:The group was put together and led by WWF Chairman Vince McMahon in an attempt to secure control of the WWF and "crush the rebels" that were popping up on the WWF landscape...
by the daughter of the owner, Stephanie McMahon, and one of its biggest up-and-coming stars, Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
(a.k.a. Hunter Hearst Helmsley), it evolved into an alliance between then-heel stable, D-Generation X
D-Generation X
D-Generation X was a professional wrestling stable in WWE . The group originated in the midst of the WWF's "Attitude Era" from 1997 to 2000...
and a resurrected Corporation. It also included the majority of all heel wrestlers in the company at the time. The chief members (Triple H and the McMahons) would align as faces in 2009 against Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
and his Legacy
The Legacy (professional wrestling)
The Legacy was a villainous alliance of professional wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment. The group was led by Randy Orton and contained the tag team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase....
faction, but this was more acknowledged under the Team McMahon
Team McMahon
Team McMahon, also known as The McMahons in appropriate general reference to the family involved, is the name of a familial alliance in World Wrestling Entertainment , usually on its Raw brand and consisting of WWE chairman/majority owner Vince McMahon, his son Shane, and at least one wrestler...
name rather than anything else.
Origins
On the November 29, 1999 edition of Raw is WarWWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, WWF owner Vince McMahon's daughter Stephanie was set to marry Test but Triple H interrupted the ceremony. He played a video on the Titantron
Jumbotron
A JumboTron is a large-screen television using technology developed by Sony, typically used in sports stadiums and concert venues to show close-up shots of the event. Although JumboTron is a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, the word jumbotron is often used by the public as a...
showing himself marrying a drugged Stephanie at a drive-through chapel in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. This led to a match at Armageddon 1999 between Triple H and Vince McMahon with the stipulations being that if Triple H won, he would receive a WWF Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
title shot on Raw, whereas, if Vince was victorious, Triple H would sign an annulment
Annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost as if it had never taken place...
. Triple H won the match, and afterwards, Stephanie turned on her father and hugged her new husband. The next night, Triple H announced the inception of the McMahon-Helmsley Era. His capture of the WWF Championship soon thereafter, coupled with Road Dogg and Billy Gunn's
New Age Outlaws
The New Age Outlaws, later known as the James Gang and the Voodoo Kin Mafia, were a professional wrestling tag team in World Wrestling Federation, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , Jersey All Pro Wrestling, and Maryland Championship Wrestling consisting of B.G...
dominance of the tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
division helped cement the faction's power. With Vince injured and Linda
Linda McMahon
Linda Marie McMahon is an American professional wrestling magnate and politician. She is notable for her career developing WWE with her husband Vince McMahon. She was in the company from 1980 to 2009. During this time, WWE grew from a small regional business in New York to a large multinational...
and Shane McMahon
Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda...
absent, Stephanie was the sole remaining shareholder, so she and Triple H assumed control of the WWF.
Purpose
Principally, the faction ensured that Triple H did not lose the WWF Championship. The faction would therefore interefere in title matches where Triple H might lose, either intentionally causing a disqualification or attacking Triple H's opponent behind the referee's back. The group also helped Stephanie McMahon win and retain the Women's ChampionshipWWE Women's Championship
The WWE Women's Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion. Created in 1956, it was the oldest active professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment history until its retirement in 2010 as a result from a unification...
, and assisted X-Pac
Sean Waltman
Sean Michael Waltman is an American professional wrestler currently signed with WWE in their developmental program. He wrestled there under the ring names 1–2–3 Kid and X-Pac off and on from 1993–2002, World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Syxx, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ...
in his ongoing feud against Kane.
Midcard and lower card Superstars such as Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
became targets for the group, in order to protect the New Age Outlaws' Tag Team titles. Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
had been previously injured, so the group made it their mission to cripple him so that the both of them would be injured. Others such as Big Show
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
, Test, Rikishi
Solofa Fatu
Solofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:...
, Kane, Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
(an on and off ally of the faction), Funaki
Shoichi Funaki
is a Japanese/American professional wrestler best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one-time Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time Hardcore Champion.-Early years :...
and Too Cool
Too Cool
Too Cool is a professional wrestling tag team and former faction most notably active in World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment between 1998 and 2001 and for a short time in 2004.-1998–1999:...
, and Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
(before the duo turned heel) were also targets of the faction.
Opposition
The group was immediately opposed by MankindMick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
who appeared on Raw to tell Triple H and Stephanie that he thought that "the McMahon-Helmsley Era kinda sucks". The Rock would come to his defense, but Triple H forced them to face each other in a match where the loser would be fired. The Rock won the match and Mankind was fired. The Faction also tried to get The Rock fired, but their efforts failed.
On January 10, 2000, on an edition of Raw is War
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, The Rock and most of the WWF locker room surrounding the ring and threatened to "walk out on Triple H's candy ass" if Mankind was not reinstated. Their backs against the wall, Stephanie and Triple H had no other choice but to comply, leading to Mankind challenging Triple H to a match for the WWF title at The Royal Rumble. After a brutal beatdown at the hands of Triple H on the January 10 episode of Raw, Mankind metamorphosised into Cactus Jack three days later on WWF SmackDown!, therefore making the match at the Royal Rumble, Triple H versus Cactus Jack, in a Street Fight.
At the Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2000)
Royal Rumble was the thirteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 23, 2000 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York....
, Triple H defeated Cactus Jack in a brutal, bloody Street Fight. Both men were repeatedly hit with a 2x4 with barbed wire wrapped around it. Triple H was split open early, and bled a great deal. Later on, Cactus was handcuffed and lying on the entry ramp. Triple H was about to hit him on the head with a chair when The Rock hit Triple H with a chair of his own. Cactus was then released by a police officer. After pile-driving Triple H through the announcers' table, Cactus brought a bag of tacks into the ring. Cactus was back-body dropped onto the tacks and then kicked out of the Pedigree. Triple H then pedigreed Cactus Jack on the tacks for the win.
At No Way Out 2000
No Way Out (2000)
No Way Out was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , which took place on February 27, 2000 at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut...
, Cactus Jack lost a Hell in a Cell match to Triple H in which his career was on the line, and was forced to retire. Meanwhile, The Rock was defeated by Big Show
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
after interference from Shane McMahon, losing his WrestleMania 2000
WrestleMania 2000
WrestleMania 2000 was the sixteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on April 2, 2000 at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California...
title shot to Big Show. The Rock then challenged Big Show to a match to regain his title shot with Shane McMahon as the special guest referee. The Rock was victorious after a returning Vince McMahon punched out both Shane and Triple H (who had attempted to intercept Vince on his way to the ring) gave the 3 count in The Rock's favor. Linda McMahon then brought Mick Foley out of retirement and made the WrestleMania 2000
WrestleMania 2000
WrestleMania 2000 was the sixteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on April 2, 2000 at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California...
main event a "Fatal Four Way Elimination Match" between The Rock, Big Show, Triple H and Mick Foley. Each competitor would have a McMahon in his corner.
At WrestleMania 2000 Big Show and Mick Foley were quickly eliminated, while Shane, Stephanie and Vince fought amongst themselves. As The Rock prepared to pin Triple H, Vince McMahon turned on the Rock and secured a victory for Triple H. Vince claimed that backing Triple H was the only way to reconcile with his daughter, and accepted Triple H as his son-in-law. Shane abandoned the Big Show soon after, also backing Triple H.
Over the course of the next few months, the McMahon-Helmsley Faction faced opposition from a variety of wrestlers, including The Rock, Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
, The Undertaker, Kane, The Dudley Boyz
Dudley Boyz
Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
, Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
, Too Cool
Too Cool
Too Cool is a professional wrestling tag team and former faction most notably active in World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment between 1998 and 2001 and for a short time in 2004.-1998–1999:...
(Scotty Too Hotty and Grand Master Sexay
Brian Lawler
Brian Christopher Lawler is a professional wrestler. He is the son of color commentator and professional wrestler Jerry "The King" Lawler and brother of wrestling referee Kevin Christian...
), Steve Blackman
Steve Blackman
Steve Blackman is a American professional wrestler who is best known for his career in the World Wrestling Federation under his own name.-Stampede Wrestling and South Africa :...
and Rikishi
Solofa Fatu
Solofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:...
. Mick Foley became Commissioner of the WWF in mid-2000 and aided in the fight against the Faction. Announcer Jim Ross
Jim Ross
James William "Jim" Ross is a professional wrestling commentator, former professional wrestling referee, restaurateur, occasional wrestler, and former company executive of WWE, where he currently works as a commentator on the WWE Raw brand...
was also a vocal critic of the Faction.
Triple H was a dominant champion throughout the first half of 2000, but twice lost the WWF Championship to The Rock, and had a close call against Y2J
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
. The first loss was at Backlash 2000, when Stone Cold Steve Austin knocked him out with a chair shot and Linda McMahon reinstated referee Earl Hebner
Earl Hebner
Earl William Hebner is a professional wrestling referee currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and the twin brother of Dave Hebner...
, whom Triple H had fired earlier in the year, to count the pinfall. His second loss was at King of the Ring 2000, when he, Vince and Shane defended the title in a six man tag match against Kane, The Undertaker and The Rock. Vince had hoped that his enemies' individual title aspirations would lead them to fight amongst one another, allowing him to divide and conquer
Divide and rule
In politics and sociology, divide and rule is a combination of political, military and economic strategy of gaining and maintaining power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy...
, but his plans were foiled when The Rock pinned Vince for the victory.
After Triple H lost the title, he would feud with Chris Jericho, with the remaining members of DX by his side. Shane went on to form a short-lived stable with former Faction allies Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Big Show, Edge and Christian. These allies would help Shane capture the Hardcore Championship from Steve Blackman. Triple H, Shane, Stephanie, and Kurt Angle formed an alliance to win the WWF Championship from the Rock, but this alliance would crumble after the love triangle between Helmsley, Angle, and Stephanie.
Dissolution
Steve Austin's return in October 2000 further aided in the dismantling of the group. By late 2000, with Road Dogg out of the WWF, Billy Gunn returning as a faceFace (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
and X-Pac injured, the group was largely forgotten. However the following year saw Austin turn heel and join Triple H and Vince McMahon to form The Power Trip, with Stephanie siding with them. On May 21, 2001, Triple H was sidelined by a tear in his left quadriceps muscle
Quadriceps muscle
The quadriceps femoris , also called simply the quadriceps, quadriceps extensor, quads, is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh...
, which kept him out of action for a year, keeping him out of the Invasion storyline. Austin blamed Triple H for costing them the Tag Team Titles, whereas Stephanie blamed Austin for being selfish and not caring for Triple H's well-being. Stephanie would then go on to become co-owner of the ECW faction during the Invasion storyline, during which Austin turned on the WWF and became the WCW/ECW Alliance's leader. Triple H would make his return on January 7, 2002.
By early 2002, Triple H and Stephanie's marriage was on the rocks. After months of friction, Stephanie tried to fake a pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
to hold onto her husband but Triple H found out with help from Linda McMahon
Linda McMahon
Linda Marie McMahon is an American professional wrestling magnate and politician. She is notable for her career developing WWE with her husband Vince McMahon. She was in the company from 1980 to 2009. During this time, WWE grew from a small regional business in New York to a large multinational...
that it was fake, and dumped her in a ceremony when they were about to renew their vows. Stephanie would align herself briefly with Kurt Angle, and later with the Undisputed WWF Champion Chris Jericho and they would continuously torment Triple H in the weeks leading to WrestleMania X8
WrestleMania X8
WrestleMania X8 was the eighteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on March 17, 2002 at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario. The event marked the final WrestleMania event under the WWF name...
. Yet Triple H managed to overcome the odds and gave both Stephanie and Jericho the Pedigree, winning the Undisputed WWF Championship. The very next night on Raw, Triple H defeated Stephanie and Jericho in a Handicap match, with the stipulation that Stephanie would have to leave the WWF if she or Jericho were to lose. Triple H gave Stephanie a Spinebuster for the win, and led the fans into singing Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" is a song written and recorded by Paul Leka, Gary DeCarlo and Dale Frashuer, attributed to a then-fictitious band they named "Steam". It was released under the Mercury subsidiary label Fontana and became a number one pop single on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1969,...
as security escorted Stephanie out of the building. Stephanie made her return to the WWE in July 2002 as the new General Manager of Smackdown, with the main purpose of trying to keep Triple H in the Smackdown brand and prevent him from being lured into Raw by Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
. Triple H and Stephanie had one final encounter at Vengeance 2002
Vengeance (2002)
Vengeance was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on July 21, 2002 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. It was the second annual Vengeance produced by WWE. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment in which...
, and he decided to jump over to Raw under the encouragement of Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
. This also ended their on-screen relationship, though in real life Stephanie and Triple H would get married in October 2003.
9 years after the separation of the faction in a March 30, 2009 edition of Monday Night Raw, Triple H realigned himself with Vince and Shane to attack Legacy
The Legacy (professional wrestling)
The Legacy was a villainous alliance of professional wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment. The group was led by Randy Orton and contained the tag team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase....
(Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
, Cody Rhodes, and Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE, where he appears on its SmackDown brand...
) who previously attacked the McMahons, as Orton was feuding with Triple H for his WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
. At this point, WWE began to acknowledge Triple H's and Stephanie's real life marriage.
On the August 24, 2009 edition of Monday Night RAW, Vince would realign with Triple H, along with original D-Generation X
D-Generation X
D-Generation X was a professional wrestling stable in WWE . The group originated in the midst of the WWF's "Attitude Era" from 1997 to 2000...
member Shawn Michaels, to once again take on The Legacy.
Members
- At its height, the McMahon-Helmsley Faction included the following wrestlers:
- Stephanie McMahon
- Triple HTriple HPaul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
- D-Generation XD-Generation XD-Generation X was a professional wrestling stable in WWE . The group originated in the midst of the WWF's "Attitude Era" from 1997 to 2000...
(X-PacSean WaltmanSean Michael Waltman is an American professional wrestler currently signed with WWE in their developmental program. He wrestled there under the ring names 1–2–3 Kid and X-Pac off and on from 1993–2002, World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Syxx, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ...
, Road DoggBrian Gerard JamesBrian Gerard James is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE as an agent and producer. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation as "The Road Dogg" Jesse James or simply Road Dogg...
, Billy GunnMonty SoppMonty Kip Sopp is an American professional wrestler, best known as Billy Gunn during his tenure for World Wrestling Entertainment. He is probably best known as one of the members of the New Age Outlaws. He also worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Kip James...
- These wrestlers were also known to associate with the McMahon-Helmsley Faction:
- Big Show – associated with Shane McMahon.
- Kurt AngleKurt AngleKurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
– on and off due to relationship with Stephanie McMahon, as well as a partnership/rivalry with fellow Faction ally Chris Benoit. - Edge and ChristianEdge and ChristianEdge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
– due to confusion over what to call the Faction/Regime, Edge and Christian called it the "Fac-gime". They however, were also targets of the group prior to turning heel. Also often acted alongside Kurt Angle and occasionally alongside Chris Benoit. - The RadicalzThe RadicalzThe Radicalz were a professional wrestling stable in the World Wrestling Federation . Their members were former World Championship Wrestling performers Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko. Terri Runnels later joined the group by proxy after becoming Saturn's onscreen...
– specifically Chris Benoit. The stable later broke up and reunited with Triple H after he was revealed to be the mastermind behind Stone Cold Steve Austin's hit and run. - Test and AlbertT & A (professional wrestling)T & A was a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation. T & A had Trish Stratus as their team manager with their name being a pun on the initials of the two wrestlers and the slang expression "T&A" , spawning numerous coarse jokes on fan's signs and from commentator Jerry...
with Trish StratusTrish StratusPatricia Anne Stratigias , better known by her ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, actress and television personality currently signed with WWE. She is also a former fitness model....
– in spite of Test's open contempt for the McMahon family (due to a failed romance with Stephanie). They would later feud with Triple H after he became a tweener. Towards the end of 2000, Trish began an affair with Vince McMahon, and on orders from Stephanie, Test was ousted from the Faction. - The Big BossmanRay TraylorRay Walter Traylor, Jr. was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Big Boss Man and World Championship Wrestling under various ring names, most notably Big Bubba Rogers.-Early years:Traylor, a prison guard in...
and Bull BuchananBarry BuchananBarry Buchanan is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances as Bull Buchanan and B-2 in the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment.-National Championship Wrestling :...
– the Faction's enemies often enlisted the services of the A.P.A.Acolytes Protection AgencyThe Acolytes Protection Agency , was a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of Bradshaw and Faarooq. They wrestled for the American promotion World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment between October 1998 and March 2004....
Bossman and Buchanan were brought into the Faction as a countermeasure until Buchanan turned on the Bossman and later joined the Right to Censor. - The Dudley BoyzDudley BoyzTeam 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
– prior to later turning face. - Stone Cold Steve AustinStone Cold Steve AustinSteve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
– his heel turn to the side of Vince McMahon and Triple H to form the Power Trip was considered somewhat an extension of the Faction. - William Regal was a McMahon loyalist and was the WWF Commissioner during the reign of the Power Trip. He would hold onto this position until late in the Invasion, when he betrayed Kurt Angle and became Stephanie's "Alliance Commissioner." He would be back at Vince McMahon's side at the end of the invasion, becoming Intercontinental Champion and leading other former Alliance members in Vince's support.
- Vince McMahonVince McMahonVincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
,Shane McMahonShane McMahonShane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda...
,Pat Patterson and Gerald BriscoGerald BriscoFloyd Gerald "Jerry" Brisco is a former American professional wrestler, and prior to June, 2009, worked as a road agent for WWE on its Raw brand....
, ToriTerri PochTerri Poch is an American bodybuilder and former professional wrestler, best known for her appearances with the World Wrestling Federation as Tori...
) Joined The Faction After The Debut On December 13, 1999 - Mean Street PosseMean Street PosseThe Mean Street Posse was a villainous professional wrestling faction that formerly wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation. The faction consisted of Pete Gas, Rodney, and Joey Abs...
ex-lovers of Stephanie McMahon and aligned with Shane McMahonShane McMahonShane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda...
In rivalry with fellow Faction ally Test In The Summer of 1999 and conclude at SummerSlamSummerSlam (1999)SummerSlam was the twelfth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 22, 1999 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Results:Tag Team Turmoil...
and various attacks In Fall 1999 And Led To The Storyline With D-Generation XD-Generation XD-Generation X was a professional wrestling stable in WWE . The group originated in the midst of the WWF's "Attitude Era" from 1997 to 2000...
After Test and Stephanie McMahon's Wedding On November 29, 1999
Championships and accomplishments
- World Wrestling FederationWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
- WWF ChampionshipWWE ChampionshipThe WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
– Triple HTriple HPaul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
(2 times) - WWF Women's Championship – Stephanie McMahon-HelmsleyStephanie McMahon-LevesqueStephanie Marie McMahon-Levesque better known by her maiden name Stephanie McMahon, is WWE's Executive Vice President, Creative., former professional wrestling valet and occasional wrestler...
(1 time) - WWF Intercontinental ChampionshipWWE Intercontinental ChampionshipThe WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
(3 times) – Kurt AngleKurt AngleKurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
(1 time), Chris BenoitChris BenoitChristopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
(2 times) - WWF Hardcore ChampionshipWWE Hardcore ChampionshipThe World Wrestling Entertainment Hardcore Championship is a hardcore wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and is contested under "hardcore" rules, meaning there is no disqualifications, no countouts, and pin falls could be counted anywhere...
(3 time) – Gerald BriscoGerald BriscoFloyd Gerald "Jerry" Brisco is a former American professional wrestler, and prior to June, 2009, worked as a road agent for WWE on its Raw brand....
(2 times), Pat Patterson (1 time) - WWF Tag Team Championship (4 times) – New Age OutlawsNew Age OutlawsThe New Age Outlaws, later known as the James Gang and the Voodoo Kin Mafia, were a professional wrestling tag team in World Wrestling Federation, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , Jersey All Pro Wrestling, and Maryland Championship Wrestling consisting of B.G...
(1 time), Dudley BoyzDudley BoyzTeam 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
(1 time), Edge and ChristianEdge and ChristianEdge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
(2 times)
- WWF Championship
See also
- The Corporation (professional wrestling)The Corporation (professional wrestling)The Corporation was a heel stable in the late 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation .-History:The group was put together and led by WWF Chairman Vince McMahon in an attempt to secure control of the WWF and "crush the rebels" that were popping up on the WWF landscape...
- D-Generation XD-Generation XD-Generation X was a professional wrestling stable in WWE . The group originated in the midst of the WWF's "Attitude Era" from 1997 to 2000...
- The Power Trip
- Team McMahonTeam McMahonTeam McMahon, also known as The McMahons in appropriate general reference to the family involved, is the name of a familial alliance in World Wrestling Entertainment , usually on its Raw brand and consisting of WWE chairman/majority owner Vince McMahon, his son Shane, and at least one wrestler...