Triple H and Shawn Michaels had already fought in an unsanctioned street fight and in an Elimination Chamber match, so it was only fitting that their Armageddon 2002 match for the World Heavyweight Championship was two-out-of-three falls. Adding to the intrigue, the first fall was a street fight, the second fall was a steel cage match, and the third fall was a ladder match. Triple H was able to pick up the all-important first fall in the street fight after he hit Michaels with the Pedigree.

Michaels bounced back in the steel cage match and pinned Triple H after he connected on a splash through a table. Everything looked like it was lining up for HBK as his specialty, the ladder match, would decide the contest. But “The Game” came to play and as both superstars were climbing the ladder, Triple H shoved HBK off, causing him to fall through a group of tables. Triple H continued his ascent up the ladder and grabbed the World Heavyweight Championship belt. Triple H would go on to hold the title for more than nine months—his longest reign to date. During this time he defended his title against the likes of Kevin Nash, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Kane, and “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner.