Two-Man Power Trip

The Two-Man Power Trip
Steve Austin and Triple H holding the WWF Championship, and Intercontinental Championship, respectively, with both additionally holding up WWF World Tag Team Championships
Tag team
Name(s)	The Two-Man Power Trip
Billed heights	Steve Austin: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Triple H: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Combined billed weight	518 lb (235 kg)
Former member(s)	"Stone Cold" Steve Austin Triple H Vince McMahon (valet) Stephanie McMahon (valet)
Debut	April 2, 2001
Disbanded	May 24, 2001
Years active	2001, 2002 (reunion)

The Two-Man Power Trip was a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) formed in 2001, consisting of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Triple H. During its brief tenure, both members were notable for holding multiple championships simultaneously.

Background

By early 2001, both Austin and Triple H were established main-event competitors in the WWF. Austin had previously won the WWF Championship multiple times and was the company's central figure during its "Attitude Era". Triple H had also held multiple world championships, frequently portraying a villainous character.

Steve Austin and Triple H had a notable rivalry that stemmed from 1999. Steve Austin and Triple H both competed in the World Championship division. The feud escalated when Steve Austin was written off television for almost a year at that year's Survivor Series event, after being (kayfabe) knocked over by a car driven by Rikishi, so he could undergo neck surgery. The plot was later revealed to have been completely orchestrated by Triple H, in order to establish his dominance over the World Wrestling Federation in Austin's absence. This led to a series of one-on-one encounters beginning with a No Disqualification match at Survivor Series (2000), which ended in no contest and culminated in a Two-out-of three falls match at No Way Out (2001), which Triple H won.

History

Formation

At WrestleMania X-Seven on April 1, 2001, Austin defeated The Rock for the WWF Championship with assistance from Vince McMahon, which signalled a shift to a villainous role and an alignment with McMahon. On the following night’s episode of RAW is WAR, during a Steel Cage rematch between Austin and The Rock, Triple H intervened. Although initially appearing to confront Austin, Triple H instead attacked The Rock, aligning himself with Austin and McMahon. This new coalition became known as The Two-Man Power Trip.

Dominance and accolades

The group would quickly amass titles. On the April 5 episode of SmackDown!, Triple H defeated Chris Jericho to claim the Intercontinental Championship. This reign would only last a week, as Triple H would lose the Intercontinental Championship in an upset to Jeff Hardy, thanks to some interference from Jeff's tag-team partner and brother, Matt Hardy. Irate over losing due to interference and being beaten in what Triple H would call a "fluke", a rematch was signed for the April 16 episode of RAW is WAR and with Matt Hardy banned from ringside, Triple H won back the Intercontinental Championship, thanks to some help from Austin.

Shortly after, Austin and Triple H would begin feuding with the Undertaker and Kane, collectively known together as the Brothers of Destruction, which ultimately led to a "Winner Take All" tag team match at Backlash (2001), on April 29. In this encounter, Austin and Triple H defended the WWF and Intercontinental Championships against the Brothers of Destruction's WWF Tag Team Championships. The Two-Man Power Trip emerged victorious, resulting in both members holding all aforementioned championships simultaneously. The following night on the April 30 episode of RAW is WAR, Kane was scheduled to challenge Austin for the WWF Championship, but Kane was attacked backstage by Austin and Triple H before the match even started. Therefore, the Undertaker replaced Kane in the WWF Championship match and defeated Austin by disqualification, but did not win the WWF Championship because of the disqualification. Afterward, Kane came down to the ring to save the Undertaker from the assault given to him by Austin and Triple H, but Kane ended up being put out of action for two weeks after Austin and Triple H targeted his left arm. In the following weeks, the Undertaker attacked Austin, at one point taking one of his entrance vests and the WWF Championship. Around that time, the Undertaker received a phone call stating that his wife, Sara, had been involved in a car accident. The Undertaker found out that everything was okay and that there had not been a car accident at all. The Undertaker began to hunt down whoever made the phone call. Kane returned on the May 10 episode of SmackDown! and saved the Undertaker from an assault by Austin. The following week on the May 17 episode of SmackDown!, during Undertaker's match with Triple H, Austin appeared on the Titantron and admitted that he and Triple H were the ones who had made the phone call. This feud reached its climax three days later, at Judgment Day (2001), where Triple H would lose the Intercontinental Championship to Kane in a Chain match and Austin would defend his WWF Championship, defeating the Undertaker in a No Holds Barred match.

Dissolution

The alliance would end abruptly on May 21, as Triple H suffered a legitimate and career-threatening injury when he misstepped, causing him to suffer a tear in his left quadriceps during a WWF Tag Team Championship match against Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit on RAW is WAR. Despite his inability to place any weight on his leg, Triple H was able to complete the match. Near the end of the match, Jericho tried to pin Austin, but Triple H got in the ring and tried to hit Jericho with a sledgehammer. Jericho avoided the blow and the sledgehammer instead hit Austin, a situation Jericho and Benoit took advantage of, winning the match and the WWF Tag Team Championships from Austin and Triple H. With Triple H sidelined, Austin came out to the ring on the May 24 episode of SmackDown! and berated Triple H, blaming him for the tag team title loss, effectively disbanding the team.

On the January 17, 2002, episode of SmackDown!, the final episode before the Royal Rumble, Austin and Triple H reunited, now as fan favorites, and defeated Kurt Angle and Booker T in a tag team match, but this would not lead to a reunion of the team.

Championships and accomplishments

• World Wrestling Federation
  • WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times) - Triple H
  • WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - Steve Austin and Triple H