The showdown between King Booker and Triple H at SummerSlam will be about more than a royal title. It is about two potential future Hall of Famers who are at a crossroads in their careers and feel like they have something to prove.For weeks, the mere suggestion that there can be another king in WWE has whipped King Booker into a royal snit. Jerry “The King” Lawler’s 30-year-claim to the throne threw Booker in a bug-eyed rage. But no other “blasphemous” claim has enraged the former World Heavyweight Champion more than the notion that Triple H is The King of Kings. King Booker could not control his outrage when Lawler informed him of his SummerSlam match during his coronation ceremony on Raw. Booker gave Lawler a savage beating and was clearly sending Triple H a message.
SummerSlam will mark the long-awaited, much anticipated return of Triple H, who has been sidelined since New Year’s Evolution with a quadriceps injury. The term “King of Kings” is not just a catchy moniker for Triple H. He is a 10-time World Champion who has won and done it all in WWE. He has had classic matches with a who’s who of all-time greats. Triple H loves to compete – and win – on the grandest stages in sports-entertainment. His thirst for gold is unquenchable and he has said that he wants to win an 11th World Championship.
Triple H has had to stew on the sidelines for almost eight months, rehabbing his injury and watching others bask in the spotlight. At SummerSlam, he will feel like he has to send a message. He will feel like he must eliminate all the “pretenders” to his throne. He will feel like he has to remind others who he is – The Game, the measuring stick by which all other Superstars are measured. In Triple H’s mind, he begins his journey back to a World Championship at SummerSlam, and King Booker stands in his way.
However, King Booker will not be a royal steppingstone for anybody. Although his British brogue is questionable at times, he also has a legitimate claim to the title “king.” Booker became king after winning the King of the Ring last year. However, he was sports-entertainment royalty before he ever wore a crown. King Booker is not only a former World Heavyweight Champion, but he is also a five-time former WCW Champion. He has one more than 30 championships in his illustrious career. Booker has seen and done it all and has always amazed skeptics with his ability to pull out a victory in high-pressure situations. Like The Cerebral Assassin, he knows how to win and will do anything to have his hand raised. And in critical situations, you can always count on his lovely, devious wife, Queen Sharmell, to help him out.
Make no mistake about it: King Booker may want this victory as badly as Triple H. Like Triple H, he has had a Hall of Fame career. But he is offended that experts so willingly refer to his opponent as The King of Kings yet see his monarchy as a punchline. Defeating Triple H at SummerSlam would put an exclamation point on King Booker’s career.
Triple H and King Booker are not strangers to one another. They met more than five years ago when Triple H successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XIX. But that was a long time ago, and so much has changed for both Superstars. Will King Booker cement his claim to throne and spoil Triple H’s return? Or will he be forced to bow down to The King of Kings? The only way to find out is to check out SummerSlam live on pay-per-view at 8/7 .
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