The most beloved groups in WWEAttitude Era isn’t The Oddities, The Ministry, or even Kaientai, but D-Generation X, which started out as the tag team of Shawn Michaels and Triple H. It wasn’t long before the group expanded its ranks to become a full-on stable, most famously boasting Chyna, X-Pac, Road Dogg, and Billy Gunn.
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Despite Shawn Michaels’ involvement in the group, more often than not, the leader of DX has been Triple H. His time with D-Generation X basically established The Game as a star, so let’s take a look at Triple H’s leadership of WWE’s rudest and crudest faction.
10 The Kliq
Triple H, Shawn Michaels, 1-2-3 Kid (Sean Waltman/X-Pac), Razor Ramon (Scott Hall), and Diesel (Kevin Nash) were The Kliq, a group of wrestlers with a surprising amount of political power backstage in the World Wrestling Federation. This ended with a 1996 incident known as “The Curtain Call,” when the group (sans Waltman) exchanged hugs in the ring after their last match together, as Hall and Nash were WCW-bound. It was a notorious, kayfabe-breaking scandal, for which Triple H alone would be punished, banished to the undercard.
9 The Beginning
Despite WWE wanting to keep the remaining members of The Kliq as far apart as possible in light of their “betrayal,” Michaels and Trips would begin to forge an alliance in 1997. Triple H would help out Michaels in a match via interference, and soon the two men would begin tagging together. Eventually, amidst a feud with The Hart Foundation, Bret Hart would refer to Shawn Michaels as a degenerate, which Michaels would turn into his new group’s name: D-Generation X.
8 The Original Lineup
Despite the members most WWE fans remember from the group, the original DX lineup is kind of weird when you look back: Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna, and Rick Rude. Naturally, as the biggest star in the company at the time, Shawn Michaels was leader of D-Generation X, with Triple H as second banana, and the other two as managers.
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In the lead-up to WrestleMania XIV, Mike Tyson ended up joining the group, too, which would directly result in Michaels’ downfall.
7 Shawn Michaels is Ousted
At WrestleMania XIV, Shawn Michaels defended his WWF Championship against Stone Cold Steve Austin, with Mike Tyson at ringside to ensure that Michaels won. Unfortunately, Tyson betrayed Michaels, costing him the title. In the aftermath, Triple H threw Michaels out of the group for his loss. In reality, Michaels had a back injury that forced an early (and thankfully temporary) retirement. But this worked in Triple H’s favor, as he had seniority in the group.
6 The Classic Lineup
It was in the wake of WrestleMania XIV that Triple H assumed the role of DX’s leader, but the group was in need of new blood. Michaels was gone and Rick Rude quit the WWF in disgust due to the Montreal Screwjob in 1997, leaving only Trips and Chyna. As a result, Triple H found a few guys worthy of the label of “degenerates”: The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn) and X-Pac, who was just returning from a stint in WCW as “Syxx.” This group would prove popular enough to justify a face turn.
5 “Invading” WCW
One of the most iconic (non-racist) moments of DX under Triple H’s leadership happened in April of 1998. The Monday Night Wars were in full swing, and WCW and WWF happened to be putting on shows in the same area of Virginia, less than 20 miles away from one another. To have a little fun with that Triple H and his cronies “invaded” WCW’s event, shooting vignettes where they goofed off outside the arena and made fun of the rival company.
4 Mocking Promos
DX had some incredibly notable feuds during this era, especially in their storyline with The Corporation, which included WWF Commissioner and former DX member Shawn Michaels. During these feuds they’d often mock their opponents in comedic in-ring promos by dressing like them, like during their feud with The Nation of Domination, which featured liberal use of body paint to resemble the predominantly black stable, resulting in one of the most iconic (racist) moments of DX under Triple H’s leadership.
3 Triple H Goes Corporate
Any good stable ends in deep and shocking betrayal, and DX is no different. The year 1999 was rife with inter-stable conflict, the most notable of which was Triple H’s betrayal of X-Pac amidst the latter’s defense of the European Championship. H and Chyna would interfere on behalf of challenger Shane McMahon, causing X-Pac to lose his title.
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From there, Triple H would join The Corporation, just as he would later do in real life.
2 Triple H Re-Assumes Leadership
The remaining members of D-Generation X fought for control in Trip’s wake, but soon DX would reform at relatively full power in late 1999, adding X-Pac’s onscreen girlfriend Tori and Triple H’s onscreen wife (and future real-life wife) Stephanie McMahon to their ranks. This version of DX often helped Triple H retain his WWF Title and also debuted the DX Express, their devoted tour bus. This would be the last time that DX would be a fully-fledged stable, as the group would gradually implode. As for the DX Express, that would explode, thanks to Steve Austin.
1 Co-Leaders
In D-Generation X’s in-ring iterations past the year 2000, Shawn Michaels -- who returned from injury in 2002 -- and Triple H were a tag team, heavier on being loveable comedic pranksters. They did manage to add one final member to their ranks, which really explains just how silly this late-period run was: Hornswoggle. But rather than one of the two men being the leader, Triple H and Shawn Michaels shared leadership duties over their sole member.
