Hunter Hearst Helmsley tore his left quadracept muscle on Monday night in San Jose during his tag team title match with Stone Cold Steve Austin against Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho. He went to clobber Jericho, who had Austin in the Walls of Jericho, and he planted his leg wrong.

Triple H is scheduled to have surgery with well-known orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews on Thursday in Birmingham, Alabama, and is expected to be out of action for at least three months.

In an interview with WWF.com, Helmsley seemed upbeat, and realistic about the injury. "I'm a young guy. I'm 31 years old. I'm not even near my peak in this business yet. This is not a big deal. It's a bump in the road. I'll be back in a few months and in the grand scheme of things this is not a big deal," he told the web site.

After the match, which Benoit and Jericho won to become new WWF tag team champion, Helmsley was carried out by the referee and a trainer. Backstage at the arena, the doctor on hand was Dr. Arthur Ting from the San Jose Sharks. Ting arranged for an MRI to get done. "I went right from the ring, to a stretcher, to a vehicle, to the MRI place -- still in my gear. I got the MRI done and it showed that I had indeed tore my quad. There are four sections to your quad. I tore the underneath section. It looks like it's a complete tear."

The injury obviously leaves a gaping hole in the top of the WWF cards. Early indications are that Kurt Angle will be elevated into that spot. Vince McMahon acknowledges the injury to HHH on Thursday's Smackdown!

-- SLAM! Wrestling