Moose turned heads at TNA Lockdown on Sunday, August 23, in Chicago, Illinois, with a special entrance ahead of his match against Frankie Kazarian. After the event, he confirmed the presentation was a tribute to Triple H.
The entrance featured the string quartet ATLYS performing a live classical arrangement of Moose’s theme. The former TNA World Champion also appeared seated on a throne before making his walk to the ring, calling back to the kind of grandiose entrances Triple H delivered throughout his career.
On social media, Moose explained that he grew up watching WWE‘s current Chief Content Officer as one of his favorite wrestlers:
“Growing up @TripleH was one of my favorites to watch mostly because of the larger than life entrances he would present at big shows. This is me showing homage.”
The tribute came on a landmark night for TNA. Lockdown returned after a ten-year hiatus and was held at the Credit Union 1 Arena, with the entire main card taking place inside the steel cage.
Inside the cage, however, Moose came up short against Kazarian. In the closing stretch of the Escape the Cage Match, Moose connected with a Spear that sent Kazarian through the cage door. Since the stipulation required escaping the cage, Kazarian hit the floor first and was declared the winner.