Why Triple H Wore Biker Shorts As His Ring Gear In 2003, Explained - TheSportster

One could argue that Triple H has had one of the best looks in WWE over the years. Someone with the "Conan the Barbarian" look and physically-imposing body, throughout his WWE tenure Triple H's gritty image helped him be taken seriously as a main-event World Champion. However, even someone like him has had setbacks regarding his appearance, with one example during his "Reign of Terror" run on the Raw brand, where he wore biker shorts for a short period. As some fans who grew up around the Ruthless Aggression Era may remember the times Triple H rocked biker shorts, it begs the question as to what caused his new sudden change of attire for a short period.

Related: Triple H's Forgotten Run As The Face Of SmackDown, Explained

Triple H's Wold Heavyweight Championship Reign On Monday Night Raw

When the Ruthless Aggression Era began and the brand extension split Raw and SmackDown into distinct brands, Triple H was among the very superstars who benefited the most out of the two shows separating. When Brock Lesnar ran roughshod on SmackDown, arriving on the brand in August 2002 and winning his first WWE Championship shortly after, Triple H soon was crowned the World Heavyweight Championship by Raw general manager Eric Bischoff.

From that point, Triple H's main-event push showed no signs of slowing down as his "Reign of Terror" was only getting started. In less than three years, Triple H won the World Heavyweight Championship on five occasions, including his second title reign lasting almost a year. It wasn't until mid-2005 that he finally dropped the belt to Batista at WrestleMania, ending his championship dominance on Raw in the process.

Related: Why Triple H Was Better As Part Of D-Generation X (& Why He Was Better As Part Of Evolution)

Triple H Started Wearing Biker Shorts During His Feud With Goldberg

When Triple H's "Reign of Terror" began, it's worth noting the noticeable changes to his look even before taking up the biker shorts in late 2003. For instance, starting from his Unsanctioned Street Fight match with Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam 2002, Triple H shaved his facial hair and wrestled without it for almost two years. However, almost throughout his entire "Reign of Terror" run, Triple H wore his usual trunks as his attire.

While Triple H usually appeared in his regular trunks during his "Reign of Terror" years, many may remember the short period when he wore biker shorts with his logo on the back. In late 2003, Triple H's biker shorts were around for a couple of months until the end of the yera, as this was around the time he feuded with Bill Goldberg for the World Heavyweight Champion. Triple H's new look debuted on TV when he defended the World Heavyweight Championship during the Elimination Chamber match at SummerSlam 2003.

Some of the most noted matches that featured him with the biker shorts were his World Heavyweight Championship matches against Bill Goldberg, especially at Unforgiven 2003 when he lost the belt to him. Considering that Triple H hardly ever wore anything other than his usual trunks since his main-event push in late 1999, Triple H appearing biker shorts may seem odd to some fans.

Triple H Had To Wear Biker Shorts Due To An Injury

In 2003, Triple H suffered a groin injury during a match with Bill Goldberg, having to go the extra mile to recover while continuing to wrestle for the rest of the year. Instead of taking time off, Triple H had specially-made ring gear to help him recover from his groin tear, thus debuting the biker shorts.

WWE.com confirmed in an article why Triple H went that route with his biker shorts while citing the unusual nature of wearing such an overwhelmingly different attire. As the memory of Triple H's biker shorts became a topic on social media in late 2016, WWE.com covered the story by explaining the backstory of it. WWE.com staff also noted in that article that multiple people were helping Triple H get into the biker shorts, as these weren't just regular shorts that could get easily adjusted.

Related: The History Of Triple H's Pedigree Finisher, ExplainedThe biker shorts didn't last very long, as the attire disappeared before the year ended. Much like The Rock's tracksuit attire from early 1999, Triple H's bike shorts helped him continue to be a presence on Monday Night Raw as he still chased after the World Heavyweight Championship. After returning to his usual trunks, he won the World Heavyweight Championship for the third time at the Armogeddon 2003 PPV soon after.