Triple H Could Have Went To WCW With Scott Hall & Kevin Nash: Here's Why He Didn't

• Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were leaving WWE for WCW.
• The Kliq hugged in the ring after a match in Madison Square Garden.
• Vince McMahon punished Triple H to make an example of him.

1996 was a time of change for professional wrestling. WWE was no longer the only big name in sports entertainment, as the deep pockets of Ted Turner had made WCW a force to be reckoned with. WCW had already landed huge names like Hulk Hogan and the "Macho Man" Randy Savage, but in 1996 they acquired a few younger ones in Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, who went by Razor Ramon and Diesel in WWE.

Hall and Nash were part of a backstage group of friends known as The Kliq with Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Sean Waltman. In May 1996, Hall and Nash were scheduled for their last WWE match at a house show in New York City's Madison Square Garden. The main event saw HBK defeat Nash in a steel cage, but then Scott Hall and Triple H entered the ring too as all four men hugged and raised their arms to the crowd. The audience roared, but with babyfaces and heels being friendly together in the ring, this broke kayfabe.

Vince McMahon couldn't punish Hall and Nash, who were out the door, and he wasn't going to do anything to HBK, who was the WWE Champion, so the up-and-coming Triple H took the fall. He wasn't fired or suspended, but he was knocked down the ladder. Triple H had been scheduled to win the King of the Ring tournament, but that was now off the table. Hunter Hearst Helmsley was going to have to work his way back up from the bottom.

Vince McMahon Offered Triple H A Chance To Leave WWE

Triple H Could Have Joined Scott Hall And Kevin Nash In WCW

• Vince McMahon offered to create a loophole in Triple H's contract to give him an out.
• Triple H had just recently wrestled for WCW.
• He didn't want to go back to WCW because of how unorganized they were.

The Curtain Call incident has been talked about many times over the last three decades, but in a recent interview on FLAGRANT, Triple H spoke about what came next for him in a private conversation with Vince McMahon. Triple H said Vince told him:

"'If you want to leave, I understand. This is not all on you. If you want to leave, if you think you can get a job with Turner, with those guys, if you want to leave, I understand that, I'll make it where there's a loophole in your contract, and you can get out.'"

Vince McMahon sounding so defeated shows just how bad things were for WWE in 1996. Everyone was leaving, so he was willing to make it easier for someone else to get out too. Luckily, Triple H didn't even consider it. He immediately said no because he'd just come from WCW. He told FLAGRANT:

"They didn't have a clue what they were doing there. It was literally the inmates running the asylum."

Triple H told Vince he'd only leave if he had to. He was willing to do the time for his crime, but if McMahon could tell him there was light at the end of the tunnel where he'd be given an opportunity, he would stay. Vince told Triple H he had no issue with him, but for a period of time, he had to make an example of him. Triple H trusted those words so he stayed.

Triple H Would Have Been Part Of The nWo

WWE May Have Missed Out On The Attitude Era's Biggest Heel

• Triple H's charisma would have shown in the nWo.
• He would have gotten lost among the huge names in WCW.
• Triple H stayed in WWE and formed DX with Shawn Michaels. 

Triple H didn't return to WCW, but you have to wonder what it may have looked like. Imagine him alongside Hall and Nash in the WCW takeover and the formation of the nWo. With his charisma and talent, he would have been a very popular member of the group, but while it would have been a good move at first, it would have been a mistake in the long run. With so many huge names in WCW, Triple H would probably have gotten lost in the crowd and fallen down the ladder to make way for the aging stars who were always being pushed.

WWE was suffering badly in 1996, but by staying, Triple H became an instant focus because so many big names were gone. Being best friends with Shawn Michaels allowed WWE to create their own version of the nWo with DX. When Shawn Michaels injured his back and had to retire for several years, Triple H was more than ready to be a singles star. He became the biggest heel of the Attitude Era, becoming the top villain for guys like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock, and Mick Foley. Then he married Stephanie McMahon, rose up the corporate ladder, and the rest is history. If Vince McMahon had simply fired Triple H or given up on him so much that he quit, none of what's happening now would ever exist.