Triple H recently appeared on ESPN’s Cheap Heat podcast with Peter Rosenberg. Hunter Hearst Helmsley discussed a number of topics during his time on the podcast, including the company building a ‘physical’ Hall of Fame building with interactive elements.
“For me to say, ‘It’s on the way’ makes it sound like we’re already building it” Triple H began on Cheap Heat. “It is definitely something that we contemplated in our mind. It has to be done right.”
“In the world today, it’s a funny thing; people go like, ‘oh my God, that would be fascinating to go to see somebody’s old trunks’ or… Hall Of Fames like that, physical Hall Of Fames, museums like that tend to be money pits and not do well because over time, people will [see] them and just think, ‘well you need to make it something more’” Triple H added.
Triple H on Hall of Fame Building
“I think if it was interactive, with technology the way that it is now? Those objects were there, things that people can see and be wowed by, but also there’s reasons to keep going back” The Game continued, giving context as to why WWE may not have as of yet pulled the trigger on creating a building for their HOF.
“I’m of the opinion that, there means to be more than a thing you go to one time and go like, ‘Oh that was neat. I saw some boots'” The WWE executive noted. “But more of a, ‘you gotta go see this. I was there. There’s a virtual this, there’s a 3D that.'”
“Technology takes you to another level” Triple H concluded. “Like Disney, you go see these incredible things but also have these mind-blowing experiences around WWE and you can also spend the day there.”
Would you like to see a physical Hall of Fame built? Let us know in the comments
“Road Dogg” Brian James is not only making progress on his road to recovery but he is already back to working with the NXT brand, according to Triple H.
The Game provided the latest update on the wrestling veteran’s health during his media conference call following the NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver event.
Triple H mentioned that James has been recovering at home the last few days. He also revealed that the former DX member is already back to work and he worked from his home for the latest TakeOver event:
“I want to mention that Brian James, Road Dogg, has been home the last few days, he is recovering, but he is healthy, he is good. He is recovering at home, doing well. We had him set up, so he was on a headset over the last two days, and you know, kind of being involved and stuff.
“As he gets his strength back and everything, feeling good, he will be back at it, back to being the Road Dogg in no time. I just wanted to give a shout-out to him, and we greatly miss him here. He’ll be back soon enough, but he is doing well.”
Triple H and “Road Dogg” Brian James
Brian James Health Scare
Brian James suffered an apparent heart attack towards the ending of last month. He had to be hospitalized for a couple of days before being released and he has been recovering at home since then.
James was working as the head writer of SmackDown until WrestleMania 35. He was repositioned within the company after he resigned from the role and he has been working backstage at NXT since then.
During it, he revealed that he spoke with CM Punk in the past two years, which is a surprise considering that Punk didn’t highly of “The Game” in his famous interview on Colt Cabana’s podcast.
“Last time I talked to [Punk]? A year and a half… a year and three quarters ago?,” Triple H answered. “A funny thing that people constantly will say, when his return is or… but in some way, I don’t know whether he does or not, but that has to be what he wants. When people talk about, they go, ‘Make the call!’ What says if we make the call he wants to answer? What says if we make the call he doesn’t go, like, ‘Yeah, I’m not interested in doing that anymore.’ Maybe he’s just done with it.”
The Desire Needs To Be There
Triple H thinks those are conversations that only those people can directly answer and if Punk wants to do it then WWE would get word of that and have conversations or he would make a call to let them know about it. He said there has to be a desire there to do something like that instead of just reluctantly agreeing to it.
Triple H continued by indicating Punk had the chance to return to WWE while working with FOX Sports on the Backstage show.
“CM Punk worked with us on the FOX show, what, a year ago? There was opportunities there,” Triple H said. “There were people around each other at all times. You know, again, I’ll never say never but the desire needs to be there on all sides to make that happen.”
Punk decided to walk out of WWE on the Monday following the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in 2014 to go on hiatus. Months passed with him thinking he would return only to be fired on his wedding day.
Former MMA fighter and UFC legend Tito Ortiz recently revealed that he trained at the WWE Performance Center back in 2020. Speaking to SportsMattersTV, Ortiz thanked Shane McMahon and Triple H for allowing him to spend some time at the state of the art facilities.
“Last year in February, before this pandemic came about, I was actually at the WWE training facility” Ortiz began. “I was there for fourteen days; So I put in a lot of work and I learned a lot of stuff in a quick amount of time you know?”
“I think we worked 13 days, every day” Tito Ortiz continued. “And I was learning stuff that guys were learning who been there eight or nine months that were just learning. The coach is like you ‘catch on really, really quick.’ That’s always been a commodity for me that I am able to learn quickly; I am a fast learner with everything I do.”
Tito Ortiz Talks WWE and TNA
Ortiz also mentioned when he worked for TNA. This was back in 2013 as part of the Aces & Eights storyline. “It goes back to working hard; working for TNA was a blessing in disguise. I had an opportunity to sit down with Hulk Hogan, meet Hulk Hogan for who he truly is, a human being,” Ortiz mentioned.
Tito Ortiz finished by thanking Shane McMahon and Triple H in particular for giving him a chance to train at the WWE PC. “Once again, I got an opportunity to train at the WWE training facility and I loved it; I liked it, I thought it was great and I would fit in perfect [there],” Ortiz said.
“The pandemic came about and everything got to a halt, a stop where there was no audience. I understand I don’t want to take someone’s job who’s trying to take care of their family. I dunno, we will see what happens in the future” Ortiz added.
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle revealed another unbelievable story during the latest episode of The Kurt Angle Show podcast.
During Angle’s rookie year he was involved in a love triangle storyline with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. Kurt Angle would end up kissing Stephanie backstage whilst she was ‘concussed,’ and Angle revealed how Vince McMahon had to direct the scene.
“This was ridiculously weird,” Angle began on the podcast. “To come backstage with Stephanie and have to do a pre-tape that was going live so we weren’t going to tape it, it was going to be one take. I think Vince did that on purpose so we only had to kiss once.”
Kurt Angle Talks Vince Backstage
“We got backstage and Vince wants to direct it” Angle continued. “I was like holy s–t, Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon’s father is going to direct me kissing her during a pre-tape.”
“I was nervous as hell” Kurt Angle added. “Vince was four feet way, his eyes were open and I was like ‘this is so weird man. I don’t know how I’m going to do this.’ I went down to kiss her and we caught eyes and then we went to kiss and I stuck my lips out, I didn’t want to go with an open mouth because Vince was there and I didn’t want to disrespect Triple H or Stephanie.”
“After the pre-tape she goes ‘you kiss like a fish.’ I was like ‘what’d you expect Stephanie? Your Dad is here watching, he’s directing and your dating Triple H. What did you want me to do?’”
Triple H apparently put the ixnay on that storyline shortly after, but this has never been confirmed publicly.
AJ Styles had been lobbying for a match against Triple H at this year’s edition of WrestleMania but the plans couldn’t come together for this dream match.
During his recent media call to promote the upcoming NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver event, The Game talked about a number of things and explained why he turned down the offer for a bout against the Phenomenal One.
Triple H explained how AJ Styles wanted the bout and he kept asking for it from the former world champion as the Show Of Shows came closer. He revealed that in the beginning, he hadn’t said no to the match:
“He pestered with me every time I saw him! He would ask me about it and ask me about my schedule and as we got closer, man, I’ve said this before, getting ready for WrestleMania is a different thing. And the older you get, the harder it gets.
“When he first came to me, I said, ‘AJ, I’m not going to tell you no. Personally, I’d love to work with you and at this point, you can carry me to something.’ So, I’d love it.”
However as time passed by, Triple H realised that he wouldn’t be able to get in the shape for a match at the show. Even though Styles was still hoping for it until last minute, the King Of Kings decided to cancel the plans:
“There’s a part of me that wants to do it, and then there’s just a bigger part of me that says, ‘I’m so busy 24/7, that to even try and contemplate how to train in the way I would want to train and get in-shape – and by shape, I don’t mean look—in-shape ring wise so you don’t embarrass yourself once you get in there at 52.
“It’s a lot of work and I don’t know that I have – I’m not afraid of the work. If I could make more hours in the day, I could find time to do it. It’s just time.”
After getting a negative answer from Triple H, AJ Styles is now scheduled to compete in a tag team match. He will be teaming with Omos to challenge The New Day for the Raw tag team championships on night one of WrestleMania 37.
WWE Executive Vice President Triple H recently held a media call to promote the upcoming NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver event taking place during the WrestleMania week. During the interview, the Game who has a long history with The Undertaker was asked about the Dead Man’s comments about today’s product being ‘soft’ which received negative reaction from a lot of people.
Triple H first mentioned how the wrestling business is always changing and different people have different opinions which you can agree and disagree with. He praised the former world champion saying that he is bluntly honest with his opinions. However, the Game then said that Taker’s comments always have the best intention:
“His comments and his intention are always with the best of intent, or desire, to improve and I do believe he has a wealth of knowledge, that if he speaks… you know, there’s certain guys in the business that if they speak, they’ve been around a long time, seen a lot of things, and they’ve earned the right to, if they speak, you listen and you take the point of view, and you work with it. He’s one of those guys, for sure.”
The former DX member continued by comparing the whole debate to the debate about the music of different generations. He mentioned how everyone believes that a certain generation of music is better than the other but at the end of the day, they are all just opinions:
“So, if he says it and believes it, there’s something to it, then yeah, every generation is different and what people are willing to accept in generations. You know, everybody believes certain generations of music are better than others, too, and at the end of the day all of this is opinion. We all like what we like, we all dislike what we dislike, and we give our opinions on it, and it really comes down to what do the masses of people like.”
After the Final Farewell segment at last November’s Survivor Series event, there has been some talk of The Undertaker possibly coming to the Performance Center to help talent. Commenting on this possibility, Triple H said that he is looking forward to working with Taker and “making it all better at every level.”
The big news on Friday was Chris Jericho slated to make an appearance on the next episode of Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions series.
The episode will air on Peacock on April 11th, which is the day of the second night of WrestleMania 37. Austin has since gone into details about getting permission from Vince McMahon about having the AEW star on the show.
During today’s NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver conference call, Triple H was asked about the upcoming episode.
“We’re open for business. We’ve said it a million times on things. Vince has been very adamant in that. We’re open for business, whatever is best for business for WWE. Whoever that is.”
He noted that the funny thing is people sometimes create their own situations in their head but it’s not shocking to him. He pointed out how he hadn’t heard about the news until this call, but it’s not shocking to him in any way, shape, or form.
“People make comments about people that leave and that they received a nice call from Vince or whoever it is. That’s not shocking to me at all. The perception and the creation of what people believe in their heads when they have zero knowledge of it personally is amazing sometimes. The fantasy world that is created. It’s not shocking to me in any way.”
This will be the first time that an AEW star will appear on WWE programming.
According to reports from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, the focus of the meeting was the show’s move to Tuesday nights and it started with a reflection of the brand’s evolution since its inception.
Trriple H mentioned how the Black and Yellow brand has come a long way from being a small brand that sold out a show during the WrestleMania weekend to becoming one of the top brands in the company.
The move to Tuesday nights was sold as a good thing for the brand because they will have the lead-in from Raw on Mondays. It was said that everything is going to change now that the brand has its own night.
Triple H revealed that the change of nights has been in the works for some time. He noted that the USA Network first considered this change as far as a year back.
The Game also said that he hopes people will focus more on the show now rather than being worried about the viewership and TV ratings of NXT.
The first night of the NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver will be the final NXT episode on Wednesday nights and the show will start airing on Tuesday nights from April 13, following WrestleMania 37.
It was recently confirmed that WWE and USA Network will be moving the NXT program to Tuesday nights starting on April 13. Triple H recently spoke to Joe Otterson of Variety regarding the move.
“We now feel like we’re in a good place where we can move that consistent fanbase over to Tuesdays,” Triple H began. “We believe they’ll follow us. That way we can grow the brand more given the lead in from ‘Monday Night Raw,’ which we’ve seen in the past.”
Something that the company is likely not going to discuss is the ‘Wednesday Night Wars.’
The ‘wars’ saw AEW consistently beat NXT most Wednesdays in the overall rating and also in the key 18-49 demographic.
Triple H Talks NXT on Peacock
It was also confirmed that NXT will be airing on the NBC Peacock streaming service every Wednesday going forward. Triple H also discussed how this will help further the reach of WWE’s Gold brand.
“The ability for us to be on [Peacock], a bigger platform where so many more people have the opportunity to experience it and and to let it grow into something more, is very exciting,” Triple H noted. “And once you sample it? We believe that the product is something that people will stick with and become involved in.”
The move of NXT to Tuesday nights has been a wish of fans over the past few months. With NXT and AEW arguably being some of the best weekly programming in North American pro wrestling; this gives fans the chance to watch both on a live basis going forward.
Update: In an update to the situation, Dave Meltzer noted the following about Triple H’s absence from TV tapings:
“His situation is being kept secretive but it was said he was quarantining, but not that he has COVID.”
Original: WWE Executive Vice President Triple H was not present backstage at this week’s episode of Raw and he missed this week’s episode of NXT as well according to reports from Wrestling Observer Radio.
Though there is no word yet on why the former world champion was absent from the shows and there is no confirmation on whether or not he will be at Sunday’s Fastlane event.
Triple H was not the only name who missed the Black and Yellow brand’s weekly show and several other names who were expected were not seen on WWE programming this week either.
The company had announced Leon Ruff vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, and Imperium’s Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner vs. Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher for the episode but both these matches were nixed.
Ciampa ended up facing Barthel in a one on one match. After the changes, Leon Ruff and Isaiah Scott were not seen on the show at all and Timothy Thatcher also missed the episode.
Both Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae were not present in the arena either but they did appear via a pre-recorded segment from their home where the duo checked in with Austin Theory.
WWE executive vice president Triple H recently appeared on Roz & Mocha where he talked about a number of things including the upcoming Netflix documentary on Vince McMahon. The Game revealed that the Boss had always been hesitant to agree to a documentary on himself because he thought that nobody was interested in knowing about him:
“Prior to now, Vince was always hesitant to do it. With Vince, he really doesn’t see himself — while Mr. McMahon is one of the most epic characters ever, he doesn’t see himself as part of the programming. when you ask him about those things, he goes, ‘Nobody is interested in me. They want to know about the stars and performers.'”
Triple H continued by claiming that the story of the WWE chairman is amazing and every chapter of his life is unbelievable. The former world champion explained that no one gives Mr McMahon the credit for all the things he has been through and most people only see him as the evil tyrant businessman:
“The truth is, they do (want to know about Vince). The most difficult thing with Vince’s life is making it succinct. Every chapter of his life is a whole other unbelievable story. His story is amazing, all the things he’s been through, the trials and tribulations of getting to where he is. No one gives him the credit; they just see this billion-dollar global empire he’s created and see him as the evil tyrant businessman,”
WWE announced back in October 2020 that Netflix will be producing a multi-part documentary focused on the chairman of the boards. The director behind Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, Chris Smith will be directing the series while Bill Simmons will be serving as the executive producer. The documentary series is set to be one of the highest budgeted Netflix documentaries of all time, though no timetable for its release has been revealed so far.
Conor McGregor, the former UFC Champion has expressed interest in pro wrestling and working with WWE over the years, with many wrestlers offering their takes on whether he would be a good fit at the company or how he would fare as a champion with some even expressing their desire to work with him in the squared circle. While it doesn’t appear that McGregor has any plans of walking away from MMA for pro wrestling yet, he teased another possible link-up with WWE involving none other than current NXT Champion Finn Balor.
On Friday, Finn Balor uploaded a photo on Twitter of action figures of himself with the NXT Championship, Conor McGregor with the UFC titles, and Triple H in the center of both inside a toy WWE ring. McGregor took notice of the post, and retweeted it with the quote, “No more mr. nice guy!”
This caught the attention of Triple H, who responded by saying, “Just say when.” Triple H has talked about Conor McGregor working with the company many times before.
Triple H has always been interested with the idea of Conor McGregor working with WWE. Speaking on how he would be a good fit with the company, Triple H said: “I think Conor McGregor versus Vince McMahon with the billion-dollar walk on the line, I think that’s a match made in heaven.” Triple H joked. “I think the nature of what we do — even being entertainment — it lends itself to combat sports. It lends itself to people like Conor McGregor or Ronda [Rousey], as it does with Tyson Fury. It did in the past with Mike Tyson and Floyd [Mayweather]. Entertaining people are what makes those fights, a lot of times.”
Back in 2016, Triple H said Conor McGregor could come to the WWE anytime he wants to, stating that one doesn’t need to be huge to be a big star anymore. “He could come over, he’s got it all, man — he’s got the personality, the skills, the talk. He’s an entertainer, for sure. What does he walk around at? 180lbs? I have smaller guys now in the WWE. We have 200lb guys who are stars. You don’t need to be 300lbs anymore,” The Game said of McGregor.
WWE has seen many MMA stars join the company in the past — namely Brock Lesnar, Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler and Matt Riddle. Conor McGregor could also have a good stint at the company with someone like Finn Balor who has expressed interest in working with him before too.
Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair was recently a guest on the WINCLY podcast to discuss several professional wrestling topics.
One topic touched on during that conversation was the passing of Flair’s son, Reid, back in 2013. Reid Flair passed away from an apparent drug overdose in March of 2013 at the age of 25. While discussing the issue, Ric Flair noted that he buried Reid with one of his two WWE Hall Of Fame rings. This prompted his longtime friend Triple H to gift him a new Hall Of Fame ring with his late son’s name inscribed on it.
“I’ve moved on. Trust me, I’ve had words with Hunter, and I’ve had words with Stephanie,” Flair said. “I’ve argued with them, and we’ve had tough times too. I was drinking a lot, and Steph and I had a bad argument.
“I said something terrible, but they’ve forgiven me and so has Hunter, and Vince has never left my side ever since the day I met him. And they couldn’t have done more for my son. I can remember after we buried Reid, I put one of my Hall of Fame rings on Reid. At NXT one time, Hunter said, ‘I need to talk to you,’ and I maybe thought I had done something wrong.
“And he called me into his office, and he had a duplicate ring with Reid’s name engraved on it. That’s someone who cares. I spent half the time with Hunter than I did with those guys (the Horsemen).”
Flair continues to play a role in WWE today, even after his official in-ring retirement with the company back in 2008. He’s actually locked in a storyline with his daughter, Charlotte Flair, on Monday Night Raw. Ric Flair was previously managing Charlotte’s rival, Lacey Evans, before her real-life pregnancy forced her out of the ring. Now, Ric will likely continue his storyline with Charlotte heading into WrestleMania this April.
Former NFL kicker and one time NXT performer Pat McAfee recently addressed his future with WWE. Speaking on his Pat McAfee Show podcast, the man who looked extremely impressive in his debut against Adam Cole last year discussed where he goes from here with the company.
NXT head Triple H recently addressed Pat McAfee’s status in WWE during a recent media call. “Pat’s limitations are…he’s a busy guy,” Triple H said. “Pat is one of the most successful… I hate to put a title on what he does because I feel like it’s limiting to him, but like you say… podcaster, media personality, sports world personality… almost every weekend that I look online during football season Pat seems to be trending on the weekends. His coverage of football, his association with FanDuel, just everything that he does.”
Pat McAfee on NXT/WWE Return
“I was talked about in the wrestling community yesterday by Triple H, actually, about my future plans. It was interesting,” McAfee began on the Pat McAfee Show. “I mean, all very nice things he said there, but me learning about being written off TV did happen live on the air. He’s a very nice man, Mr. H, for everything he said. He did say, basically, like, ‘Pat has been very busy. Kind of a fat a– right now. He’s going to have to get back into shape,’ basically is what he said. And then maybe we’ll think about something.”
“I’ve not heard anything, by the way,” McAfee continued. “Have not heard anything. No ideas. But I do believe the first step would be to have the diet match the amount of conditioning I’ve been doing in the Oculus. And when that happens, look out.”
There’s currently no confirmation on when or where Pat McAfee will return to WWE or NXT programming.
Velveteen Dream hasn’t been seen on NXT programming since his match with Adam Cole in December and Triple H was recently asked about his status.
The Game held a media conference call ahead of the NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day which is scheduled to take place this Sunday, on February 14.
During the call, the former World Champion was asked about Dream, who has been a controversial figure since he was accused of inappropriate behavior with minors, and Triple H said that he has nothing to add:
“There’s really nothing to add with Velveteen Dream. We’ve gone over it a million times. Status update – he’s still training. He had a little bit of a physical thing here for a bit. But, still there, still with us, still PC, still training, still on the roster.”
Triple H has previously claimed that the company has looked into the accusations about the 25 year old star and they have moved on from the controversy because they didn’t find anything.
The King Of Kings also provided an update on the status of Pat McAfee and explained that the former NFL player is just taking a break from his busy routine:
“He’s a busy dude. We’ve been talking about it. He had said, ‘Look, give me a moment to breathe when the Super Bowl is over.’
He just got married not that long ago. He’s like, if I don’t take a breath for a minute after this Super Bowl, I might not be married for much longer. My words, not his. I think he just needed to take a breather.”
McAfee has been away from WWE programming since December as well and he hasn’t been seen on NXT TV since his team lost the WarGames match to Undisputed Era.
Vince McMahon was among a few top WWE executives to buy more WWE stock in recent days.
WWE has uploaded several SEC filings to their corporate website regarding Vince, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, Kevin Dunn, and WWE President Nick Khan increasing the amount of WWE stock that they own. All of the purchases were done on February 5th.
Vince has picked up 19,875 shares for a total of 89,496, which totals over $4 million.
Vince’s daughter, Stephanie, added an additional 5644 shares of WWE to her name and has 82,042 in total stock, which is over 3 million dollars in worth.
Triple H, the son-in-law of Vince and husband to Stephanie, picked up 5644 shares, which now sees him have a total share of 87,046. His total stock is also worth a little over $4 million.
Khan also acquired 15310 shares of stock. Dunn, who is one of WWE’s longest-tenured employees, added 7552 shares bringing his total number of shares to 81,411.
This comes at a time where WWE is at its most profitable due to the increase in TV rights fees. The company has also recently signed a United States streaming deal with NBCU to move its US rights of the WWE Network to Peacock.
Triple H recently reacted to comments made by NFL Indianapolis Colts Linebacker Darius Leonard. The Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development was called out by Leonard on this week’s episode of The Bump on WWE Network.
Appearing on The Bump, Darius Leonard stated that he wanted to take Triple H’s “belt.” The NFL Linebacker also said “I don’t think you want any smoke with the Maniac.”
“Interesting, you really must have ALL the smoke!” The Game wrote on Twitter. “If you ever need to find me, I’ll be at the CWC every Wednesday for WWE NXT. Pat McAfee can give you directions. Just be sure to bring your helmet, so as The Rock says, I’ll turn it sideways & ah.. you know the rest!”
Interesting, you really must have ALL the smoke! 😂@dsleon45. If you ever need to find me, I’ll be at the CWC every Weds for @WWENXT. @PatMcAfeeShow can give you directions… just be sure to bring your helmet, so as @TheRock says, I’ll turn it sideways & ah.. you know the rest! https://t.co/5YNgulu4g8
Triple H then appeared on the NFL Network and again offered Darius Leonard the chance to back up his recent comments. You can see Triple H’s remarks to Darius Leonard in the video player embedded below.
Discussion: Do you think that we’ll see Darius Leonard appear in NXT?
There was a time when John Cena was heavily critical of The Rock for his part-time schedule but the Cenation leader has since taken the same path and Triple H believes that he has earned his current spot.
The Game was recently a guest on The Michael Kay Show where he talked about things like having fans at the upcoming WrestleMania 37 event and more.
During a discussion about John’s status for WrestleMania, the host Michael Kay pointed out how Cena himself has become a part timer now. Replying to it, Triple H said that he has earned it:
“You find yourself when you’re in the thick of it being that guy that says, ‘I’m here every day. This is my house and my place,’ but then you get to where John Cena is, you get to where The Rock is. You get to where Taker is or [Ric] Flair or anybody else where you’ve earned the right with fans to come back every now and then and tip your cap and for them to say, ‘man, thank you for all of that’ and for you to re-live those moments.
John has earned that. Whether he spoke badly about it in the past and meant it, or whether he didn’t,” said Triple H, “he earned that right. He’s earned that right to pick his spots.”
John Cena had a feud with The Rock back in 2012-13 when the duo main evented two consecutive WrestleManias. The 16-time world champion at the time criticised The people’s champion for leaving the company for Hollywood.
However, the former champion has since followed the Great One’s path and he has admitted that he was wrong about his opponent and he was ignorant.
Triple H spoke with the Hindustan Times this week to promote WWE Superstar Spectacle. During the discussion, The Game spoke Brock Lesnar’s WWE future, a potential Roman Reigns vs. The Rock ‘dream match’ and more.
Triple H recently returned to the ring on an episode of WWE Raw. This has prompted questions about his status for April’s WrestleMania 37 pay-per-view. Triple H gave the famous “never say never in WWE” reply.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre was recently diagnosed with Covid-19. McIntyre’s absence resulted in him being called upon to lace up his boots on short notice. He says, “you hate to pass up that opportunity” to entertain WWE fans. As for WrestleMania, “we’ll see.”
Triple H on Brock Lesnar’s Future
Brock Lesnar is no longer under contract, but WrestleMania season is upon us. WWE likes to reach out to part-time legends to fill out the top matches on their biggest show of the year. When asked about Lesnar’s status for WrestleMania 37, Triple H says it really comes down to what Brock Lesnar wants to do.
“One of the things I have learnt about him is Brock Lesnar does what Brock Lesnar wants to do,” said Triple H. “Nobody can talk him into doing things differently. So time will tell. If wants to show up at WrestleMania he will, if he doesn’t he won’t. The only way to get that answer is to call Brock Lesnar.”
Roman Reigns vs. The Rock is a WrestleMania dream match that both men are interested in. There’s no question that Reigns vs. The Rock is the biggest marquee match WWE could assemble. However, The Rock is the biggest movie star in the world with a very busy schedule. Much like Triple H said about Brock Lesnar, The Rock’s in-ring future is entirely up to him.
“If The Rock can make it happen, he looks in shape, I am sure he would love to do it if his schedule permits. He works hard. The only person that works more than The Rock is Vince McMahon. If there is a will and a way, he will make it happen and WWE will do everything. If fans want to see it, we will make it happen. But it really comes down to does The Rock want to it and does he have the time to do it.”
Triple H added that whatever adrenaline rush The Rock gets from making movies, there’s no way it compares with the rush he’d get from competing in the ring.
Visit Hindustan Times to check out the full interview with Triple H.
AJ Styles faced The Undertaker in a highly praised boneyard match at last year’s edition of WrestleMania and he wants to face another legend at this year’s edition of the show.
The former WWE Champion recently spoke to WWE Now India and answered fan questions such as the origin of the Styles Clash and more.
During the interview, the former champion was asked which star he wants to face next at WrestleMania after his match with The Dead Man and Styles took the name of Triple H:
“Triple H is definitely the next guy I’d like to face at some point if it could happen, maybe not. But it was an absolute pleasure to be in the ring, or not necessarily the ring, the Boneyard with the Undertaker.”
This is not the first time AJ Styles has expressed interest in a match with the King Of Kings and the Phenomenal One has previously listed him alongside people like Edge and Drew McIntyre as potential opponents.
Triple H also made a brief return to the ring earlier this week during Monday’s episode of Raw and the Evolution member seemed to be in pretty good shape.
With the probability of the Undertaker not competing at WrestleMania this year being high, it’s very much possible that Triple H could be brought in as a special attraction. It would be interesting to see if all this talk leads to an actual match between him and AJ Styles.
Triple H kicked off Monday’s episode of WWE Raw to do a promo in the ring. This was done to create buzz around the show following the news that WWE Champion Drew McIntyre tested positive for COVID-19 and had to pull out of his non-title match with Randy Orton on the same episode.
This segment saw Triple H welcome everyone to the show before being interrupted by Orton, who said the office decided to show up because McIntyre couldn’t. Orton asked him whether he will rule that he will enter the Royal Rumble Match last or hand him the WWE Title. Triple H wasn’t interested in doing either. Triple H brought up Orton’s history with attacking and talking down to various legends over the past few months. Triple H called him a prick for doing so.
Orton challenged him to a fight and Triple H said no because there’s no benefit to him. Orton threw a jab at Stephanie McMahon for having Triple H’s balls and she wasn’t there for him to get them. Triple H punched him then accepted the challenge.
Triple H fought Orton in the main event of the show. It started with six minutes left in the show. They brawled around the ring with no referee. Triple H grabbed a sledgehammer then as the lights started to go out, it was put on fire and then Triple H disappeared. Alexa Bliss showed up and threw a fireball in the face of Orton to end the show.
There had been a rumor earlier in the day of this happening. It turns out that the future WWE Hall of Famer hadn’t worked a match on Raw since 2016 when he went over Dolph Ziggler in a singles match.
Since 2010, Triple H has greatly reduced his in-ring schedule. He worked 9 matches in 2016, 14 in 2017, 4 in 2018, and 4 in 2019.
Before this match on Raw, the latest contest that Triple H competed in was in June 2019 when he teamed up with Shinsuke Nakamura to defeat Robert Roode & Samoa Joe in a tag team match.
WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor was recently interviewed by Vicente Beltran of the ViBe & Wrestling podcast. The Irish Superstar would discuss a number of topics during his time on the show, including working with Triple H and Shawn Michaels in the ‘developmental’ brand.
“For me? I feel very fortunate that I’ve gotten to work very closely with some of my heroes in the wrestling business” Finn Balor began. “Shawn Michaels and Triple H being two. Obviously, I’ve worked very closely with Triple H for many years since I began at NXT. And of course William Regal.”
“Then more recently in the second run with NXT? Shawn Michaels is heavily involved behind the scenes” Finn Balor then continued. “So, getting to know him and learn from him and pick his brain on what he feels is a good direction to take the business? I’ve learned so much from.”
Balor finished by talking about how surreal it has been to work work with some of the wrestling legends he grew up idolizing.
“It’s always very surreal to be working with these guys that you idolized or you grew up watching and had their t-shirts or had their action figures. Now you’re having a discussion or debate on what you think is a good direction to go. I feel very fortunate to have that kind of environment in NXT.”
Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development for WWE Triple H recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Game was appearing on the show as part of the ‘Royal Rumble Royalty’ segment of the show, discussing historic moments and memories from Rumbles past.
During the show Triple H was asked about the shocking return of John Cena back in 2008. When Cena appeared at number 30 in the Royal Rumble that year it was a huge shock; Cena was injured and the timetable for his return was far past the Rumble in Madison Square Garden that year.
Triple H was one of the men in the ring during that match and he lasted to the final two with Cena. “When you’re in there with a guy like John [Cena]? The energy is up anyway, the excitement level is up. You know what you’re about to go do.”
Triple H on Royal Rumble 2008
“And you know, as we’re coming down to that moment? And John’s about to come out? I know where we’re going and I know this place is about to become unglued” Triple H would continue. “I knew if we play it right? They (the fans) won’t sit down, like if we can, if we can deliver on it in this way? It will just be incredible.”
Triple H would also discuss why moments like that are why some performers find it difficult to leave the ring and retire. “You know how when you get to the end? It’s all about how hard it is to walk away, how hard it is to walk away from the camaraderie and the limelight of it, the meaning of it, you know? It is incredibly difficult because you know what it meant to you in those moments, that energy and adrenaline. And you know what it means to those other people and then even when you can be a part of that for them.”
“It’s incredible. I think it’s part of the buzz even now that I get” Triple H continued. “Whether it be NXT, and putting stuff together and watching new talent or new talents have that moment. That moment when the light bulb goes off, that moment when they have their, sort of arrival, and their big moment.”
If you’ve never seen the match and Triple H facing off with John Cena check the whole thing via the video below.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque says charisma is the top factor the company looks for when recruiting talent.
WWE’s Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development spoke at this week’s Learfield IMG College Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. There are other factors such as athleticism and physical attributes, but charisma, heart and hunger are what sells him on signing people to WWE and NXT.
“For us, charisma is king,” said Levesque. “I’m looking for that person, male or female, that walks into a room and you’re drawn to them. That just has that charisma factor.”
Charisma is the x-factor when signing wrestlers, but WWE employs the same outlook when hiring executive employees.
“You’re looking for the people that have the skillset … but it’s funny for me, I’ll take heart and hunger. … They’ll work a lot harder and they might make mistakes, but in those mistakes you’ll find excellence. And they’ll go above and beyond to prove themselves.”
Triple H spoke very highly of the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, calling it the “key to th future” where WWE creates the superstars of the next generation. He said 95% of the rosters of Raw, SmackDown and NXT came up through the PC.
He added that WWE is still looking to build Performance Centers all around the world, especially in the Middle East and India.
“Over time our intent is to build a Performance Center in India and to have people training there and build an NXT brand.”
