With 14 world championships and countless more unmatched accomplishments under his belt, Triple H will be forever recognized and remembered as one of the most decorated and celebrated competitors in WWE history.

Despite that, he still doesn't tend to get the credit he deserves for having as many monumental matches as he has had over the course of his career. Whether he was known as Hunter Hearst Helmsley or going by "The Game" Triple H, he has always possessed an innate ability to tell a story in the squared circle.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock, Shawn Michaels and Batista are only a handful of his most memorable rivals, all of whom he contested classics with over the past two decades. Each of those outings was not only exceptional from an in-ring standpoint but also helped mold The King of Kings into the living legend he is today.

Even 23 years removed from his WWE debut, Triple H is still at the top of his game between the ropes—as seen at WrestleMania 34, when he, Stephanie McMahon, Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey had the best bout of the evening. Whenever he does decide to lace up the boots again, fans are guaranteed something special.

In light of The Cerebral Assassin's 49th birthday Friday, let's look back at his greatest matches.

Honorable Mentions

Triple H vs. Chris Jericho (Fully Loaded 2000): This Last Man Standing match occurred around the time that The Game was at his peak as a heel, contesting classics month after month. Relative newcomer Chris Jericho stepped up to the plate on this night and led The Cerebral Assassin to an outstanding encounter.

Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit (Backlash 2004): Following one of the most highly anticipated WrestleMania matches of all time, these three managed to recreate their magic from one month earlier in a second Triple Threat for the World Heavyweight Championship. This time, however, Benoit had the home-field advantage in Canada and once again overcame the two former D-Generation X members to retain his title.

Triple H vs. John Cena vs. Edge (Backlash 2006): Two years later, Triple H returned to the main event of Backlash and competed in yet another three way, this time against John Cena and Edge. This marked a turning point in Triple H's career because he began to win over the audience despite his best attempts to be as ruthless of a heel as possible.

Triple H vs. Daniel Bryan (WrestleMania XXX): For months, Triple H made life miserable for Daniel Bryan in WWE, and it never seemed the two were destined to cross paths on a major stage. Thankfully, the stars aligned at WrestleMania XXX, and the two kicked off the night in fantastic fashion with a remarkable match that earned Bryan the right to compete for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship later on.

Triple H vs. Dean Ambrose (Roadblock 2016): Roman Reigns vs. Triple H at WrestleMania 32 was all but set in stone by March 2016, but that didn't stop fans from buying into Dean Ambrose as a legitimate threat to The Game's WWE title reign. Ambrose gave Triple H the fight of his life and came close to clinching the championship on a few different occasions before falling short.

7. Triple H vs. The Rock (SummerSlam 1998)

By 1998, Triple H was still trying to find his footing in WWE, though his ascension to D-Generation X leader helped his development tremendously. The unruly stable ran rampant over the roster throughout the year before meeting its match in The Nation of Domination.

More specifically, Triple H and The Rock became archrivals out of this heated faction war and traded wins over the Intercontinental Championship that summer. When their 2-out-of-3 Falls match ended in a draw at Fully Loaded in July, they met one more time at SummerSlam to determine who the better man was.

To ensure there was no controversy regarding the finish, the intercontinental title was hung high above the ring in what was one of WWE's first televised ladder matches. Both competitors brought their A-games and pushed each other to the limit.

The lack of disqualifications allowed Mark Henry and Chyna to interfere and attempt to aid their respective faction leaders. Triple H was the one who reigned supreme, much to the delight of the fans in attendance that night at Madison Square Garden.

As if anyone still needed to be convinced, Triple H and The Rock were on the ascent in WWE and proved at SummerSlam 1998 that they were the future of the company. This would also be far from their final one-on-one encounter.

6. Triple H vs. Batista (Vengeance 2005)

For all the talk from fans that Triple H has buried several Superstars over the years, The Game sure played a key role in getting over a number of new names as well. Chief among them was Batista, who would have never attained the level of success he did without Triple H.

In early 2003, Triple H handpicked Batista to be a part of his new stable, Evolution, which essentially ruled Raw for the better part of the next two years. Once Randy Orton was ousted from the faction, Batista started to see the writing on the wall and took the initiative by turning on Triple H before he was inevitably betrayed by his mentor.

Their matches at WrestleMania 21 and Backlash were both solid and ended with Batista decisively defeating Triple H to walk away as the World Heavyweight champion. However, he had yet to prove he was on the same level as The Game, and the only way to do that was by beating him at his specialty match: Hell in a Cell.

At Vengeance, Batista and Triple H went to war and contested one of the most brutal and bloodiest bouts all year. From steel chains to steel steps, the ruthless rivals stopped at nothing to inflict pain on each other in their pursuit of the prestigious prize.

Although it looked like Triple H had Batista's number and was finally on the verge of a victory, one Batista Bomb was enough to put The Game down for the count and send him packing from WWE for a few months so he could heal his wounds.

5. Triple H vs. Cactus Jack (No Way out 2000)

Speaking of iconic Hell in a Cell matches, few are more memorable than the one contested between Triple H and Cactus Jack at 2000's No Way Out pay-per-view. Before doing the honors for Batista in the same type of match five years later, Triple H was put on the map with the performance he had on this night against Cactus Jack.

The two had an outstanding match together one month prior at the Royal Rumble, which saw Triple H best Cactus Jack in a New York City Street Fight. As a result, Jack didn't have much left to lose, opting to offer his career in an exchange for one more shot at the strap.

This marked Triple H's debut inside the structure, while Mick Foley had basically become a star in his Hell in a Cell match with The Undertaker at King of the Ring two years earlier. Despite Jack's experience advantage, The Game was on such a roll at this point that he had what it took to not only go toe-to-toe with Cactus at his own game but beat him as well.

It was nothing short of an extremely emotional affair, with Jack fighting for his career while Triple H was relentless in his efforts to annihilate his challenger. This included incorporating fire and barbed wire into the mix, but most of those hardcore weapons backfired on Foley and were what cost him his career.

Foley's fall through the top of the structure down through the canvas below is a sight that is etched into fans' forever, and with that win, Triple H became the main event player he was born to be.

4. Triple H vs. The Undertaker (WrestleMania XXVIII)

The theme of historic Hell in a Cell matches featuring Triple H continues with yet another unforgettable affair, this time between himself and The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVIII. Their previous encounter a year earlier ended in such a way that there was doubt over whether Undertaker had enough left in the tank to beat The Game, thus setting the stage for the anticipated rematch in Miami.

This time around, it was a different ballgame. Triple H and Undertaker were starting to enter the twilight of their careers, so it was necessary for this contest to have as many bells and whistles as possible to ensure the match went off without a hitch.

In addition to Shawn Michaels' appointment as the special guest referee, a Hell in a Cell stipulation was announced for the matchup, which was perfect considering their history inside the structure. Despite being much less extreme than the aforementioned installments, they more than made up for it with their stellar storytelling and how close Triple H came to ending Undertaker's storied streak on multiple occasions.

For nearly a half-hour, the living legends had the crowd engaged in the action. From facial expressions to subtle mannerisms, everything they did served a purpose and captivated the crowd.

Triple H was unsuccessful in his mission to hand The Deadman his first loss at the Show of Shows, but he undoubtedly earned his respect in defeat. Granted, it wasn't exactly the "end of an era" given they will be rekindling their rivalry later this year at Super Show-Down in Australia, but the bout was still sensational.

3. Triple H and Steve Austin vs. Jericho and Benoit (Raw, May 21, 2000)

Monday Night Raw has hosted myriad instant classics for more than a quarter of a century, but arguably the best bout in the show's illustrious history is often overlooked because of Chris Benoit's involvement and how he has largely been erased from the annals of WWE history.

Nonetheless, this WWE Tag Team Championships clash from the May 21, 2000, edition of Raw between Triple H, Steve Austin, Chris Jericho and Benoit deserves recognition. Aside from Triple H's injury toward the end, the bout didn't have any long-term effects, but it did have everything you could want out of a wrestling match.

Austin and The Game had just joined forces and were already clicking as tag team partners, taking the tag titles from The Undertaker and Kane at Backlash the month prior. Benoit and Jericho, on the other hand, were the polar opposites of their opponents in terms of in-ring style and size yet had no trouble keeping up with the two top-tier talents.

The energy in the arena once Jericho received the hot tag from Benoit was unreal, and the final stretch was fantastic. Even after Triple H tore his quad, he chose to continue the match and fought valiantly until Jericho pinned him for the twin titles.

Again, don't expect to see this contest crack any of WWE.com's top-10 lists or be openly talked about on-air as a result of Benoit's involvement. That said, Triple H was never the same again after the injury, so this match was important in ushering in a new era in the evolution of The Game.

2. Triple H vs. Steve Austin (No Way Out 2001)

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin achieved the seemingly impossible by becoming the first and only man (to date) to win three Royal Rumble matches in January 2001. With that, he cemented his spot in the main event of WrestleMania 17, but before vying for the WWE Championship, he still had unfinished business with Triple H from late 2000.

Upon Stone Cold's return to the ring, it was revealed Triple H played an instrumental role in putting The Texas Rattlesnake on the shelf for nearly a year. The two battled back and forth for months, but it wasn't until No Way Out 2001 that their heated rivalry finally came to a head.

Since one stipulation wasn't going to be enough, the two were placed in the inaugural Three Stages of Hell match. The first fall saw them face off in a standard singles match before battling in a Street Fight. After each of them scored one win, they concluded the contest inside a steel cage.

The intensity from both men, the bad blood between them and the excellent effort they put forth made this contest tremendous. They were also given a ton of time to go the distance and steal the show, which is exactly what they did.

Having Austin emerge victorious seemed to be the logical outcome since he was slated to headline WrestleMania, so Triple H's clean win was a pleasant surprise and another example that he was on the biggest roll of his career.

1. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit (WrestleMania XX)

After ruling Raw with an iron first for nearly two years, Triple H had become the measuring stick for success in WWE by WrestleMania XX. Only an elite few stars could say they had beaten The Game one-on-one, and even in multi-man matches, he was rarely pinned.

During the midst of his long-running rivalry with Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit had quietly began building momentum by winning the 2004 Royal Rumble match and entering the World Heavyweight Championship contest between the two at WrestleMania. Despite looking like a random three-way on paper, they were determined to deliver the greatest Triple Threat match in WWE history.

It was already well established that Triple H and Michaels worked well against each other, but Benoit proved to be an amazing addition to the equation. The crowd desperately wanted to see Benoit win the world title, but first he had to overcome the odds and two of WWE's best wrestlers.

With Michaels incapacitated on the outside, Benoit managed to secure his Crippler Crossface finisher on Triple H in the middle of the ring. After what felt like forever, The Game finally tapped out, giving Benoit the victory and the coveted championship.

WWE could have easily had Benoit beat Michaels for the win, but the visual of Benoit tapping out Triple H was a much bigger deal and launched him to superstardom. Triple H may not have had his hand raised, but his performance on this night was enough to convince fans he was every bit as great as he claimed to be.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.