BINGHAMTON, N.Y.-- If Friday's house show here at the Broome County Arena was any indication, then Triple H's return to RAW this coming Monday will be absolute magic. T
The Game wrestled his first match in nearly eight months in front of a sold-out crowd here at the Arena, receiving a hero's welcome as he and Kane defeated Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle.
"I was waiting nearly eight months to hear that music hit, for me to be in my gear ready to roll, ready to hit that ring," Triple H told WWF.com after the bout. "Tonight was the night, and there's no better feeling than that in the entire world. As long as I live, I'll never forget tha tmoment when my music hit tonight."
The Game had been on the sidelines after tearing his left quadriceps in a tag match last May. The injury proved more severe than originally thought, and a six-month recuperation turned into eight months.
He says his surgically repaired leg felt just fine after Friday's match.
"I felt pretty close to 100 percent," Triple H said. "Nothing I did hurt, nothing I did felt weak. As far as I'm concerned, I'm back and ready to roll."
Angle, Jericho and Kane were introduced first for the tag match, and after Kane's music ended, the arena filled with chants of "Triple H! Triple H!" When the first chord of The Game's music hit, the place just exploded. Triple H headed for the ring- stopping to hug Federation agent Blackjack Lanza on the way- and walked into the arena, as the cheers reached a crescendo.
The Game looked emotional as he headed for the ring, soaking up the applause all the way. Even after the opening bell rang, the "Triple H!" chants continued, and when The Game finally tagged into the bout, the crowd roared in approval.
Triple H showed no apparent signs of ring rust, executing a number of his signature maneuvers during the bout. But no maneuver earned bigger cheers from the crowd than the Pedigree, which he used to put away Chris Jericho and pick up the win.
"I was a little big hesitant at first, but once I got out there, the people were there and the adrenaline was flowing, and you just start going," Triple H said. "Every time I did something, it felt fine. By the end of it, I was doing everything full tilt, and everything was there the same way I always do it. I can't complain about a thing, because it felt great."
As pleased as he was with his in-ring performance, he says the fans' response made the night all-the-more special.
"I couldn't have gotten a better reaction," Triple H said. "The people seemed thrilled to see me and gave me quite a response when I came out."
If the Binghamton show is any indication, then it will be damn near impossible for Triple H to be anything other than a mega-babyface upon his return. As someone who has always thrived on being the top heel in the business, The Game admits it would be hard to be a heel anytime in the near future. But he also admits that he's so happy to be back, that he doesn't care if he's a face or a heel upon his return.
"As long as there's people out there and I can wrestle in front of them, that's all that matters to me right now," he said.
Triple H attributes much of the babyface response to the recent video that has aired on Federation television, featuring clips of him interspersed with the U2 song "Beautiful Day."
"It's a masterpiece," Triple H said of the video. "They did an unbelievable job. That's what the World Wrestling Federation does- they put together these epic pieces that just tell such a story. That piece portrayed such emotion and it really showed what I did and what I went through to get where I am here today. I couldn't have been more thrilled with that video."
As much of a rush as Friday night was, The Game says that Monday's RAW will be the stuff that legends are made of.
"Madison Square Garden is the premier arena in the world," he said. "After eight months of not being on TV, for me to walk out for the first time in Madison Square Garden- if you wanted to write a storybook comeback, that would be it. It's going to be the thrill of my life."