Triple H has recalled the ultimatum he gave Randy Orton and Batista about joining Evolution during WWE's Ruthless Aggression era.WWE’s Ruthless Aggression Era docuseries has been a hit on the WWE Network, and episode three is set to be released later today.Episode one covered the decision to usher in the Ruthless Aggression era following the end of the Attitude Era and the Monday Night Wars with WWE’s acquisition of WCW.Episode two covered the rise of John Cena, from OVW’s Prototype, to The Doctor of Thuganomics, to the Cena which we know today.Episode three is set to cover the iconic Evolution stable which involved Ric Flair and Triple H, as well as two relative newcomers to WWE, Randy Orton and Batista.

During a preview of the episode on the WWE Network’s Twitter, The Game is being interviewed about Evolution where he revealed a conversation he had with The Viper and The Animal about joining the group.

Triple H said he knew some folks backstage would react negatively to Orton and Batista joining Evolution, and this was something they needed to understand from the start.

He said: “Dave, Randy, listen, let me talk to you guys. I pulled them in a room and I said, ‘So you are about to hit the hate button from everybody.’

“Every single person in this room, they’re going to tell you, ‘Why man, this is a great opportunity,’ and they’re going to bury you. All of a sudden, everybody you thought was your friend, you’re going to find out they’re not your friends.”

The Animal recalled the conversation he had with Triple H about Evolution as well later in the clip, where he decided to jump in the car with The Game and The Nature Boy. The Viper made the same decision.

Batista said: “[He said] a lot of guys are gonna hate you for it because they know where this is going. Do you wanna make friends or you wanna make money? You wanna make money, jump in this car. I jumped in the car.”

Evolution would go on to become one of the greatest stables in WWE history, achieving multiple title reigns.

Evolution held the World Heavyweight Championship five times (Orton once, Triple H four times), the World Tag Team Championship twice (Batista and Flair), and the Intercontinental Championship twice (Orton and Flair). Batista also won the 2005 Royal Rumble while still in the group.

It’s almost a guarantee that, in the not so distant future, Evolution will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for what they managed to achieve inside the squared circle, and rightfully so.