Triple H & Shawn Michaels' Forgotten 3 Stages Of Hell Match, Explained
Mia Walsh
Published Mar 27, 2026
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When Shawn Michaels returned to WWE in 2002, he started off in the reformed nWo, but then quickly wanted to move back into an alliance with DX partner Triple H. However, that lasted one episode of Monday Night Raw, and it ended when Triple H turned on his long-time friend. The two had a violent feud that culminated in the Three Stages of Hell match.
While this is the match that ended their feud at the time, and the WWE Championship was on the line in the match, it is not a match that many people talk about today. Everyone remembers their non-sanctioned match at SummerSlam. There was also the Elimination Chamber match where Shawn won his final world title. However, here is the story of the Three Stages of Hell match at Armageddon that ended their feud.
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Shawn Michaels And Triple H Had A Brutal Feud When HBK Came Back In 2002
After Shawn Michaels made his surprise return in 2002 to join the nWo, it sent shock waves through WWE. Michaels had retired after a back injury, and it looked like he would never return. When he did finally come back, it was part of a faction he had never worked with before. That was short-lived and Michaels never had a real feud during that time that mattered. That all changed when the nWo broke up and Shawn attempted a reunion with DX partner and best friend Triple H. The two finally reunited on Monday Night Raw, but it ended when Triple H attacked Shawn before they could deliver their "Suck It" line. He Pedigreed Michaels and the feud was underway.
Their first major Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H match came at SummerSlam. It was a non-sanctioned match with no rules, and it gave Shawn a chance to prove he was fully back from his injury. He took massive bumps and even did a big ladder spot. This match proved that HBK was not just back in WWE, but he might be better than ever. Shawn Michaels won that first match between the two men. Then, when Survivor Series rolled around, Michaels and Triple H were both in the very first Elimination Chamber match. While Triple H came in as the world champion, HBK won the match after coming in as the final entrant and eliminating both Chris Jericho and Triple H to win his fourth and final world title. This led to Triple H challenging Shawn Michaels for the title at Armageddon in a match called the Three Stages of Hell.
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The Three Stages Of Hell Match Between Shawn Michaels And Triple H Is A Forgotten Masterpiece
This wasn't the first Three Stages of Hell Match, and it wasn't the last. The match originated in 2001 at No Way Out when "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was involved in a feud with Triple H, with no title on the line. It started at Survivor Series in 2000 when their no-disqualification match ended in a no-contest when Austin and Triple H fought to the outside and Austin dropped a car on his enemy. This led to Three Stages of Hell at No Way Out 2001 where Austin won a singles match, Triple H won a street fight, and then Triple H won inside a steel cage. One year later, Triple H did it again, this time against Shawn Michaels at Armageddon.
Because of the violence involved in this feud, it made little sense to have a regular match like Austin and Triple H did. Instead, it was three specialty matches. The first match was a street fight, the second took place in a steel cage, and the third was a ladder match. Shawn Michaels came in with his world title and Triple H wanted it back. The first fall was the street fight and both men hit each other with everything they could find. They fought all over the ringside area with Triple H bleeding almost immediately. However, despite that, Triple H took the first fall with a Pedigree. The cage came down next and the two men went inside, where it was Michaels' turn to get busted open. Despite this, HBK came off the cage with a splash through a table to pin Triple H and tie it up. This led to the ladder match. With Michaels as the originator of the match, most thought it was his match to win. However, the two brutalized each other with the ladders and Triple H ended up throwing Michaels off the ladder and through four stacked tables to win the match and recapture his title.
After the match, Triple H went on to form Evolution while Shawn Michaels moved into a feud with Chris Jericho that led to their WrestleMania masterpiece. There have now been five Three Stages of Hell matches in WWE history, with Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole in the most recent one at NXT TakeOver Toronto in 2019. However, nothing really touched the first two with Triple H battling "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels. With the title on the line in the Michaels match, that will likely go down as the most important one of its kind in WWE history - even if no one really talks about it anymore.
