Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton brought a unique crossover to the court on March 11, 2025, debuting custom Puma All-Pro NITRO PE “DX” sneakers inspired by WWE legend Triple H. The shoes, designed as a tribute to D-Generation X, brought the legendary faction’s signature attitude to the hardwood during the Pacers’ matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Inspired by DX…I hope the fines aren’t too crazy @TyHaliburton22
The sneakers prominently featured design elements reflecting Triple H’s iconic wrestling persona, reinforcing Haliburton’s well-documented appreciation for WWE.
Triple H himself acknowledged the tribute, posting on social media: “Inspired by DX… I hope the fines aren’t too crazy.” His comment referenced the NBA’s uniform and footwear regulations, which sometimes result in fines for non-compliant designs.
R-Truth and Triple H are two happy veterans after Friday night. Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano defeated Grayson Waller and Austin Theory to become the new WWE Tag Team Champions on SmackDown. and a celebration was in order.
Truth had no sour grapes for DIY after recently losing his own Tag Team Championships to The Judgment Day as once he saw a photo of Triple H standing with the new champs. However, Triple H traded places with Ciampa, holding the title alongside Gargano, leaning into the running bit that R-Truth believes DIY are DX.
Like another famous faction in The Beatles, Ciampa and Gargano have had a long and winding road as both men have been trying to find their footing on the main roster after being top names in NXT. Both men had gotten hampered by major injuries and were also pigeon-holed by creative under the Vince McMahon regime.
Ciampa and Gargano actually competed against Awesome Truth in the tag team ladder match at WrestleMania 40 and leaning into the joke, Ciampa and Gargano had DX-themed gear.
Truth is no stranger to mistaken identity as its the very thing that perpetuated his Tag Title loss to The Judgment Day. He thought Liv Morgan was once his right-hand gal in Carmella and wanted true love to work out for her and Dominik Mysterio, thus giving The Judgment Day the opportunity.
NBA players may get paid to play a game for a living, but it\’s serious business to the powers that be. Joel Embiid has already been slapped with a fine for celebrating like DX, and he\’s not stopping.
Joel Embiid\’s Crotch Chopping History
WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H previously extended an invitation to Joel Embiid for WrestleMania 40 following the NBA star\’s fine for performing D-Generation X\’s signature taunt. He laid down a crotch chop, just like a DX member; and while it captured headlines, the NBA didn\’t dig it.
The Philadelphia 76ers player laid down D-Generation X\’s signature crotch chop during a game against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 29th. Subsequently, it was revealed that the Cameroonian player received a $35,000 fine for this action. This is what caused Triple H to extend his invitation.
Embiid, who is well-known for his expressive on-court celebrations, once again made headlines as he led the Philadelphia 76ers to victory against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. In a standout performance, Embiid contributed significantly to the win, scoring an impressive 41 points.
As the game reached its decisive moments in the fourth quarter, Embiid added to the excitement by making a midrange jumper and drawing a foul in the process.
That is when Embiid directed a playful taunt towards the opposing team, signaling them to \”suck it.\” The DX crotch chop came back, and we can only imagine that the NBA will take action with another fine. We have to assume that Triple H will hear about that if it happens.
DX owned up to putting countless kids in detention during their run as a stable in WWE\’s Attitude Era. Emulating the \”suck it\’ taunt may appear fun on television, but it doesn\’t fly with teachers. It\’s also a good idea to keep the gesture off the NBA court, but Joel Embiid didn\’t get that memo.
Degeneration X reunited at the conclusion of tonight\’s episode of RAW to celebrate 25 years in WWE and the celebration continued after the red brand went off the air.
The group arrived in a mini tank and drove down the entrance ramp as the crowd in Barclay\’s Center erupted. X-Pac paid tribute to Chyna to begin the celebration.
Road Dogg had the crowd chant Billy Gunn\’s name and sent out a message to him after RAW went off the air. Shawn Michaels thanked the crowd and joked that they should put DX out of their misery if they are back in the ring 25 years from now. The Game asked \”are you ready?\” and ended RAW with a \”let\’s get ready to suck it!\”.
After the promo, Degeneration X celebrated with the crowd before X-Pac and Road Dogg exited the ring. Triple H and Shawn Michaels stood with each other in the ring and posed as the crowd in Brooklyn cheered.
The two legends shared a hug in the ring and raised each other\’s hands for another pop from the audience at Barclays. Triple H and Shawn Michaels posed on the turnbuckles and on the entrance ramp before heading backstage. You can check out the full celebration in the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcoc1nDtNzc
In addition to Degeneration X reuniting to celebrate 25 years in WWE, The Beast Brock Lesnar returned during this week\’s RAW. Seth Rollins also captured a championship this week on the red brand. You can check out the full results from this week\’s RAW in the takeaways below.
Shawn Michaels is very fond of his days in one of the most popular wrestling factions of all time, Degeneration-X.
The WWE Hall of Famer recently spoke with the New York Post about the group\’s legacy ahead of their 25th Anniversary reunion at the October 10th edition of Monday Night Raw, which will take place from the Barclay\’s Center in New York.
One of DX\’s most famous signature taunts was the crotch chop, a move the Heartbreak Kid credits fellow Hall of Famer Sean Waltman for originating.
\”The first place I remember seeing it was Sean Waltman, who was then known as 1-2-3 Kid and later X-Pac, doing it over in the UK. Then all of a sudden, we were doing it as a group, to each other, kind of thinking it was funny.\”
Everything In DX Felt Natural
Michaels would later discuss how comfortable the group felt while on television together, explaining that a lot of their on-screen chemistry stemmed from their friendships off-screen.
\”From a television standpoint, as we started to do DX, it just felt kind of natural. A lot of things that we did on TV as DX were things we were doing as friends behind the scenes long before we ever brought it to TV.\”
Despite being a heel faction DX became super over with the WWE Universe. When asked why he thought they were being cheered Michaels states that their amusing antics and occasional truth bombs probably resonated with fans.
\”At first, they felt like we were doing it to them — and their favorite superstars — and they booed us. But after awhile they found it amusing because some of the things we said were true and resonated. Nothing seemed to bother us. We always had a witty comment for someone else.\”
DX would not have been the group it was without the presence of the Ninth Wonder of the World, Chyna. Michaels acknowledges this, adding that not only was Chyna a trailblazer for women\’s wrestling, but that her impact probably would not have been the same if she was wrestling today.
\”From a performer standpoint she would clearly fit in and be phenomenal. I think what makes her the awe-inspiring, innovative and transforming woman that she was was that she did it earlier than all of them. It would be a bit more commonplace today. She would certainly have an incredible career — but I don’t know that she’d be the trail blazer today that she is if she were currently doing it today.\”
Michaels is now one of the main heads of NXT since Triple H took over for the now retired Vince McMahon.
Longtime WWE photographer Tom Buchanan says he was shocked and offended at an idea Vince Russo had for a 1998 WWF Magazine cover shoot featuring DeGeneration-X (DX).
DX was at the forefront of the Attitude Era, a chapter in WWE history that was all about pushing the limits, testing boundaries and often times, crossing the line. WWE programming featured antics that were \”edgy\” to say the least and would no longer be socially acceptable.
According to Buchanan, Vince Russo came up with an idea for DX\’s WWF Magazine cover shoot that he refused to carry out. In the end, Russo\’s \”out there\” concept never saw the light of day, but we now know what he intended to do.
If you know anything about the Attitude Era and the type of humor that was popular at the time, you probably won\’t be shocked to learn the proposed \’punchline\’ relates to the late WWE Hall of Famer Chyna\’s gender identity.
DX, The American Flag & Chyna\’s…
Here\’s the full story Buchanan posted on Facebook:
\”In life there are battles you win, battles you lose, and battles that are negotiated to an uncomfortable settlement.
In the late 1990’s WWF was getting very edgy, and that was especially so in the magazine division under the direction of Vince Russo. We started publishing RAW Magazine in 1996 with the general concept that it would be a “shoot” oriented publication for a mature audience seeking the edge of edginess, and the legacy WWF Magazine would be a “work” publication for a family-type readership.
So I was troubled, really troubled, when Russo said we would celebrate United States Independence Day by putting Degeneration-X (DX) on the cover of the July 1998 WWF Magazine, and then presented his creative vision for the image. In his mind the five members of DX would be positioned behind a big American Flag with Chyna dead center. The American flag would cover their midsections but leave their bare shoulders exposed, and they’d be wearing old style white judicial wigs. At the bottom we’d see their bare legs in goofy slippers. The center of the American Flag would be right bellow Chyna’s belly button, and we’d position a piece of wood poking against it from behind, giving the impression that Chyna was sporting a giant erection while surrounded by naked men.
I found the entire concept offensive, and told Russo straight up that I wouldn’t shoot it, which was an almost unheard of flat-refusal. That turned into an ugly shouting match in the second floor hallway of Titan Tower, and we both had to back off and let the temperature cool for a bit. Within a day or so I had calmed down and could articulate specific concerns about desecration of the American Flag and the grotesque insinuation that Chyna had a penis. Plus, this photo was planned as the cover of a family magazine that lived or died with newsstand sales, which required that big distributors be willing to carry the magazine, and that shopkeepers in the American heartland be willing to display it openly on their magazine racks.
We fought hard. Eventually Russo agreed that we didn’t need to use a current American Flag, and could substitute the Betsy Ross flag. That helped, but he still insisted on the simulated nudity and the erection gimmick. That was a no-go for me, but I agreed to ask freelancer Rich Freeda if he would be willing to shoot the picture.
I checked in with Rich and gave him a no-penalty option of refusal, with a commitment that I’d take the heat. Rich was also uncomfortable, but he was willing to do the shoot as long as I was there to negotiate with Russo and the talent. I quietly worked with our art directors to come up with softer alternatives in case the whole shebang blew up on set, and then we scheduled the shoot backstage at a TV event. My recollection is that none of the talent were bothered by the flag, but Chyna balked at the simulated nudity and the insinuation that she had a penis.
I grabbed Russo, and after talking it over with me and Chyna, and Rich Freeda, he reluctantly agreed that Chyna could be in front of the flag, dead center, looking tough, while the seemingly naked guys were being smug and goofy behind the flag. And that’s the way Rich shot the photo, as I looked on, still not happy with the image, but knowing I had at least softened it from the original plan and brought us to an uncomfortable settlement.\”
The Final WWF Magazine Cover
Here is the WWF Magazine cover in question, which was a toned-down version from what Vince Russo originally envisioned:
![\"DX](\"https://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2022/08/image-22-517x675.png\")