WWE Vice President Triple H recently had an interview with Pat McAfee on The Pat McAfee Show where he discussed things like the coronavirus pandemic and more.

The Game’s special appearance on commentary during the March 13 episode of SmackDown created a lot of buzz on social media, though reports had later revealed that the original plans only called for him to be part of the opening segment of the show.

During the interview, Triple H talked about this change and revealed that the blowing fan reaction of his first appearance on the show made them alter things:

“I get on commentary for Cole to continue the reset but by the time I get off commentary in that first segment it’s blowing up and as I’m walking off to the side, everybody is pulling me back going, ‘Don’t take the headset off! Man, you gotta go back out there, do the rest of the show.’

I was like, ‘I don’t want to do the rest of the show.’ They talked me into it, so I went back out there” recalled Triple H. “and for me, it was just, ‘Alright, like, I’m not gonna be very good at this, so I’m just going to play the idiot.'”

• Also Read: Triple H References Reports Of Demotion During SmackDown Commentary

The former World Champion then praised Michael Cole for his job and said that while he takes a lot of criticism, the man is gifted at what he does.

Triple H continued by recalling how Cole did not know that he was going to be back on the announcers’ desk and praised him for keeping the show together while also dealing with the ‘butt of his jokes’.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Triple H has addressed the current status of WWE’s black-and-gold brand amidst the current coronavirus outbreak. During an interview with PWInsider, “The Game” noted how the brand is doing well despite the global situation forcing them to perform in front of zero fans.

“Again, we’re like everybody else trying to deal with very stressful circumstances and trying to do the best with circumstances that are changing on a minute by minute basis,” Triple H explained. “If you go back a month ago and tell people that you’re in the situation that you’re in today, it’s almost unthinkable. But here we are.”

He continued, “Over the last few weeks we’ve gone to doing all our shows without fans out of the Performance Center to the point of even, for the most part, doing WrestleMania that same way. The decision to shift NXT slightly to not doing a Takeover separate and bringing Takeover and putting them onto the weekly episodic series really just came down to, I think, a decision of amount of content that needed to take place in a very short period of time leading into WrestleMania and everything else, and it just made sense for us to do it in a different factor.”

Taking TakeOver To NXT

NXT TakeOver: Tampa Bay was due to take place this Saturday, April 4. Coronavirus concerns, however, forced WWE to cancel all their WrestleMania week plans. TakeOver included. Rather than delay the event, WWE instead set all matches scheduled for TakeOver for future NXT episodes.

Triple H argued how, given TakeOver was a separate event from WrestleMania 36, it made sense to approach their matches from a different angle.

“When you take into consideration the fact that it’s a separate event, but really no one’s going to be there to see it live anyways, it really made sense for us to do it this way.”

He continued, “We’ll start tonight with Keith Lee defending the North American Championship against Dominik Dijakovic and Damian Priest and continue into next week. Not all the matches, at this point, will be able to take place, but we’ll get there down the line and continue to create the content that we can.”

Delivering Entertainment During COVID-19

Triple H then stressed how WWE is committed to providing entertainment to people worldwide. He noted how their programming can help people forget the real-world situation, if only for a few hours.

“And it won’t be perfect, it won’t be exactly what everybody wants it to be, maybe in some manner,” Triple H said. “But if they can forget about that and just tune out and turn it on and just let themselves been entertained, hopefully we can do that for you and let you forget about it for a brief period of time.”

WrestleMania 36 will air on the WWE Network this weekend on April 4 and April 5.

Triple H did an interview with Pwinsider.com to talk about a wide range of topics including the decisions made by WWE regarding the coronavirus and running shows. 

More specifically, NXT, which did take a week off in mid-March with no matches or in-ring talking segments but rather aired three video packages. Since then, WWE has taped several episodes of the weekly show on the USA Network. 

“There is that intimacy with NXT, but no matter what brand it is, Smackdown, NXT, whether it’s WrestleMania or whether it’s Takeover. You’re working for that reaction, and that is really what the performance is about. I think the shifting of that in some way, it’s a totally different mindset working in an empty arena.”

Triple H continued by noting how performers have talked about their performance and they go bigger in this direction because of that reaction. In this situation, they don’t have that reaction from fans so they’re trying to pull their best feelings out, for what those reactions would be and timing of things.

Despite those challenges, he thinks the talent has done a phenomenal job in this situation as they’ve all stepped up together as a team and helped each other out. By seeing them looking out for each other and giving each other advice, it’s inspiring to see. 

“I think we all believe right now, and nobody is being required to do any of this, the talent aren’t required to do this, if they have a problem, they don’t perform. And nothing is going to be held against them.”

Triple H stated that while everybody has their own feelings on this and for the most part, their talent, crew, and staff want to do this. He called seeing their talent wanting to perform despite the circumstances is inspiring. 

While at these tapings, Triple H brought up seeing the people there and everybody is having fun. 

“They’re all banding together, feeling like they’re in this together and they’re in this challenging situation, but they’re all doing their best to make it work out.”

He brought up how it reminds him of when WWE used to go over to Iraq and Afghanistan under trying circumstances performing shows for the troops. He thinks it’s the same thing as there is a bond and a sense of camaraderie. He added that he’s all proud of them. 

Seth Rollins Says WWE Will Recollect After WrestleMania Amid Coronavirus Concerns

Triple H has shared his relief at not having to compete during this year’s WrestleMania. “The Game” joined ESPN SportsCenter for an interview where he spoke about how his current role demands his attention full-time. He explained how he wouldn’t have been able due to his current responsibilities. If he had been expected to wrestle, Triple H noted how it would just be an “added burden.”

“Right now, I’m a full-time office guy. It’s funny, ironically I wasn’t scheduled to be in this year’s WrestleMania anyways. Every year as time goes by, it gets more and more hectic for me. Getting in the ring just becomes an added burden.”

Triple H continued, “Especially this year, with the way things turned out, and what we wanted to accomplish, I was very thankful I wasn’t scheduled to be in the ring this year, because it would have been almost virtually impossible to do everything else that’s happening.”

Triple H’s New Role

“The Game” hasn’t been a full-time competitor for several years now, rarely competing. When he does, however, it tends to be in a marquee matchup. Triple H’s comments come following the revelation that his job role recently changed.

During the interview, Triple H also addressed Roman Reigns’ decision to pull out of WrestleMania 36. He noted how Reigns’ pre-existing condition could potentially make him more susceptible. Reigns has previously twice beaten leukemia.

WrestleMania 36 airs on April 4 and April 5. The event, which has been pre-recorded, was relocated from Raymond James Stadium out of concern of the coronavirus pandemic.

H/T to WrestlingNews for the transcription.

It has been widely reported that Roman Reigns will not appear on the pretaped WrestleMania 36. WWE has yet to acknowledge that Roman will not be on the show, however. Reigns had been scheduled to take on Bill Goldberg for the WWE Universal title on the card.

Triple H recently appeared on ESPN Sportscenter and addressed WWE talent missing the event.

“You know, there are various talents, and I don’t wanna get into the specifics of WrestleMania because that’s a must-see event, but we don’t like to take precautions with our talent, any more so than we need to, and all of our talents are in this in a voluntary capacity,” Triple H said on the program.

He would continue to mention Roman Reigns specifically on the show. Triple H noted that Roman Reigns’ pre-existing condition (Roman has twice beaten Leukemia) could potentially make him more susceptible.

“If they don’t want to be a part of this, they feel there’s a risk, for whatever reasons, be it themselves or somebody around them, they don’t have to be here. Nothing is held against them for that. Same with our crew and everybody else. We don’t want to take chances on that, and with Roman having a pre-existing condition, that would make him more susceptible to something, it’s understandable.”

• Backstage Update On Roman Reigns Pulling Out Of WrestleMania

Triple H’s appearance on the show can be viewed in the player below:

h/t to Sportskeeda for the quote

AEW on-air talent and former WWE agent Arn Anderson recently talked about the relationship between Triple H and WWE CEO Vince McMahon. This week’s episode of the ARN podcast focused on WrestleMania 31, which featured the controversial encounter between Sting and the aforementioned HHH.

Arn Anderson on Triple H/Vince McMahon

Anderson was discussing how a number of WWE fans believe that the company will be different once/if Triple H takes over the creative reins overall. The match between HHH and Sting was arguably a creative train wreck, and co-host of ARN Conrad Thompson asked if it was Triple H who likely booked the match or if Vince McMahon had final creative say.

“I know that Hunter will never be able to override Vince’s idea” Arn Anderson began. “No matter how good [the idea] is that he has. Or how it applies, or what you know is more appropriate. It would always be Vince’s idea.”

“the harder you push against him [Vince], the harder he pushes back. “

Arn Anderson

Anderson would elaborate further, saying that “the harder you push against him [Vince], the harder he pushes back. And he just happens to have a lot more weight behind his push.” Arn would also discuss how the flow of the match was almost nonsensical; especially with the talents who were hitting finishers that were easily kicked out of. “There was a whole bunch of sh*t. I mean why would you kick out of Shawn Michaels Superkick on top of Hunter’s Pedigree? And all the other finishes you compile and pile on top of each other?”

Arn would finish by saying that “you’re not building anybody, you’re killing everything off. I don’t understand why guys of this era don’t understand your finish is the one thing that should be sacred. Once you hit your finish on the guy, he’s beat. That’s why it’s your finish. If you didn’t have confidence in it because it had a proven record; then why is it the move that you choose to win a match?”

Check out more here:

• Chris Jericho & Matt Hardy Recall Pitching Ideas To Vince McMahon
• Billy Gunn On His Response To First WWE Contract Offer From Vince McMahon

WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed Triple H and his potential move into the CEO position once Vince McMahon retires.

Henry stated that he believes Triple H would change the scope of the company, by putting more emphasis on a number of featured talents instead of one or two ‘top guys.’

Mark Henry on Triple H

“I think Triple H would broaden the title picture” Henry began on the latest episode of Busted Open. “Like it is at NXT. There are six or eight guys right now that can be champion on NXT. They have a lot more versatility in NXT, they don’t put all the stock in one person to be the lead.”

Henry elaborated further, describing how he believes HHH would make the ‘main roster’ more of a ‘wild west.’

“And that’s that’s the biggest change I think that he would make. Triple H would make it a more of a wild wild west. Wide open. You know, one week a guy’s challenging, the next week, another guy challenging. To find out who’s the cream of the crop.”

There were recent reports that ‘The Game’ had actually taken a ‘demotion’ in WWE. Hunter’s new title in WWE is Executive Vice President, Global Talent Strategy and Development; whereas he previously worked as the EVP of Talent, Live Events, and Creative. Triple H himself took a shot at the reports on the first SmackDown live at the Performance Center, saying he has apparently been “demoted but is even busier.”

It will be interesting to see if HHH is still likely to take over the helm of WWE once Vince McMahon leaves or retires.

How do you think Triple H will change the format/presentation of WWE if/when he ever takes over from Vince McMahon?

The recent reports of Triple H receiving a demotion within WWE made a lot of buzz and it appears that the Game has also heard these talks.

This week’s episode of SmackDown Live aired from Performance Center due to coronavirus threats and only the essential personnel were in attendance for the show.

The godfather of NXT was also present for the episode and Triple H took over the commentary duties alongside Michael Cole for the night.

What’s interesting is that during the episode Cole mentioned how busy H was and replying to him, The King Of Kings said that “I am the only man in the history of the world that can get demoted and get busier apparently”:

For those who don’t know, it was reported recently that WWE has edited Triple H’s job title from being the Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative to Executive Vice President of Global Talent Development & Strategy.

In the new position, the former Champion is made in charge of running NXT and overseeing the global development of the brand, including the negotiations for TV rights.

His previous duties of negotiating with talents have been taken over by Vince McMahon’s Chief of Staff Brad Blum and many people within the company are seeing it as a ‘quiet demotion’ for Triple H.

Triple H has shared his thoughts on ‘The British Bulldog’ Davey Boy Smith‘s induction into the Hall of Fame.

Taking to Twitter, he highlighted Smith’s decorated career. He noted how he provided a national sense of pride for the United Kingdom. Triple H added how this induction allows the British Bulldog his rightful place in the Hall of Fame.

“A favorite of the @WWE Universe, decorated career and a source of national pride for the entire @WWEUK, British Bulldog is taking his rightful place in the #WWEHOF. Together, we can celebrate his in-ring career and memory as a father, husband, and Superstar.”

British Bulldog Announcement

Corey Graves revealed the news that Smith would be inducted into this year’s class during his podcast, After The Bell. He was joined by Smith’s son, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Tyson Kidd and Natalya. It was revealed during the episode that Smith Jr. will have the honor of inducting his late father. The Hall of Fame ceremony takes place on April 2 during WrestleMania week.

“It’s been long overdue but I am really excited and glad to be inducting my father into the 2020 Hall Of Fame,” Smith Jr. said. “It’s something that is great not only for my family but the WWE Universe as well.”

‘The British Bulldog’ joins Dave Batista, The Bella Twins, JBL and the nWo as part of the 2020 Hall of Fame class.

Triple H is generally considered to be the successor of Vince McMahon. However, the latest news on the matter is not very positive for the Game and reports suggest that he has been given “quiet demotion” within the company recently.

According to reports from Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The former World Champion’s roles within the company have changed recently and his job title has been edited as well.

Triple H had been working as the Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative since 2013 and he also has the Senior Producer and creator role with NXT.

However, things have changed recently and the former Evolution member has been given the edited job title of Executive Vice President of Global Talent Development & Strategy.

• Also Read: Jerry Lawler On If Coronavirus Will Affect WrestleMania

His main job was being the head of talent relations but The Game has now been moved away from this role and his main duties now are the operation of NXT, selling the NXT TV rights to oversees partners, and overseeing the global expansion of the NXT brand.

Brad Blum, who is Vince McMahon’s Chief of Staff, has taken over Triple H’s previous duties which include the duties of negotiating contracts with talents.

This is a big change and according to the report, people within the company have called it a “quiet demotion” for Triple H.

This change had been kept quiet for almost 5 months before finally being revealed in an SEC filling and the situation has been described as ‘curious’.

Former WWE Superstar Mark Jindrak has responded to the WWE Network’s recent episode of their ‘Ruthless Aggression’ series. The episode focused on the stable Evolution, charting their formation, rise, and implosion.

During the episode, Triple H reflected on how Jindrak was being considered for the group. He acknowledged he didn’t feel Jindrak was a good fit for the stable, approaching Vince McMahon to air his concerns over his possible inclusion. Although they did film promos spots including Jindrak, he was ultimately not signed off to join Evolution. Triple H highlighted Jindrak’s immaturity at the time and the negative effect it had on a younger Randy Orton.

Taking to Twitter, Jindrak reacted to Triple H’s words. He reflected on the sentiment, sharing how it’s “nice to have closure after 17 years.” Humble to the criticism, Jindrak admitted that he understood why “he didn’t want me in the group.” Despite this understanding, Jindrak then lobbied a challenge at ‘The Game’.

“Well it feels nice to have closure after 17 years. I understand why he didn’t want me in the group. But it won’t stop me from challenging him at Wrestlemania. HHH vs. Mark Jindrak . See you in Tampa Paul. Bring your black suit”

The first three episodes of Ruthless Aggression are available to stream on the WWE Network now.

Tyson Fury defeated Deontay Wilder on Saturday and avenged a controversial draw from their first fight. Triple H was interviewed about his feelings regarding Fury’s victory and noted that the heavyweight boxing champion did exactly what he said he was going to do.

“What a performance, an unbelievable boxing performance,” Triple H said to Fight Hub TV regarding Fury’s fight against Wilder. “What heart shown by Deontay Wilder to stay in there that long, that hurt, that bad and just keep going and going and going. Amazing heart. Hats off to both of them, amazing performance on both sides but Fury did what he said he was going to do and just dominate.”

Triple H was in Fury’s locker room before the fight. He was asked what he said to Fury before the contest.

“I just told him ‘good luck,'” Triple H said. “We did some business together with Tyson and the WWE recently and he’s a great guy. I had a chance to be around him a lot and do some media with him and help him train for that. Great guy, I know how hard he works. I know what this means for him, I’m happy for him.”

It was noted during the conversation that Fury could head back to WWE after his fighting career is over.

“He’s custom made for it man, I think he had a lot of fun with us,” Triple H said.

Triple H’s comments can be heard in the player below:

Vince McMahon’s recent comments about possibly moving PPVs out of the WWE Network has sparked many rumors and people have been discussing the impact of this move.

During the media call following Takeover: Portland, Triple H was asked about these comments from the Boss and what value can NXT bring to potential streaming partners. Replying to it, the Game said that NXT has incredible value wherever it sits:

“I think there is a lot of speculation in the question of new platforms. Vince said on an earnings call about opportunities but if you take all of that off the board, just where it is right now NXT has incredible value wherever it sits, whether that be USA or the WWE Network,”

Triple H continued by saying that he looks at it as an offshoot. He explained that if NXT with a dedicated roster and a two-hour show is the main trunk of the tree then there’s offshoot in NXT UK.

Vince McMahon On Possibly Moving WWE PPVs Out Of WWE Network

Mr. McMahon had teased the possibility of potentially moving the WWE PPVs to a different streaming service during the 2019 Q4 earnings call. He explained that there is no better time for this because all the majors are ‘clamoring for our content’:

“Right now there’s no more better time to exercise the selling of our rights to all the majors who, quite frankly, all the majors are really clamoring for our content. So that could be a significant increase, obviously, in terms of revenue.”

Reports since then have revealed that WWE is in negotiations with ESPN for a potential deal to sell the rights of their PPV. They are said to be looking for a deal similar to what UFC has with the company. You can check out a detailed report on the matter here.

The card for WrestleMania 36 is starting to take shape but this year’s show will not feature one future WWE Hall of Famer. 

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Triple H is not scheduled for the show. If he doesn’t work then it will be the first time since WrestleMania 23 that Triple H has not wrestled at the event.

As previously reported, Ronda Rousey and WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg are currently not scheduled for WrestleMania 36. It was also noted that there are plans for six different women’s matches to be featured on the card. 

Female matches on the card include Shayna Baszler vs. RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, Naomi vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley, the 3rd annual WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal, a tag team match with WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Asuka and Kairi Sane, and another match to be named.

The 7th annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is also set to take place this year. There’s also no word on what Sheamus and Daniel Bryan will be doing. The belief is that there will be a blow-off to the feud with Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins. 

WWE presents the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event on Sunday, April 5, 2020 in Tampa, Florida at the Raymond James Stadium that will air on the WWE Network. Here is the updated confirmed card:

• WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre
• WWE NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair

Jerry Lawler Talks Matt Hardy’s WWE Status and AEW

Triple H has spoken about Cathy Kelley and what she meant to WWE. Kelley recently left the company, with last Sunday’s NXT TakeOver: Portland event being her last show. Speaking on a post-TakeOver media call, Triple H addressed Kelley’s departure before noting how there is already talent eager to take the newly vacant role.

He noted how WWE has a system in place to train people and ready them for roles. That way, if an opportunity arises, the company has a talent pool available to fill it. Triple H stressed how WWE trains people across all aspects of the business before promoting them within their system.

“It’s one of the things that we’re constantly doing and is what the system is built to do. When I say the system, I mean the PC, NXT, all of it,” he said. “We’re training everything that has to do with our business – camera guys, sound guys, directors, backstage interviewers, ring announcers. If you look at it from the beginning, the people who cut their teeth as directors and producers in the beginning of NXT are now the directors and producers of Raw, SmackDown and WrestleMania.”

Triple H Believes It’s Not Goodbye, More “See You Down The Road”

When it comes to Cathy Kelley, Triple H noted how he can’t say enough good things about her. He shared how she has a “mental level IQ and is super smart” as well as being a consummate professional. Reflecting on panels that he and Stephanie McMahon have attended alongside Cathy, he added how she “brings so much to the table.”

“This is very bittersweet for her. It’s funny because I knew she was leaving a while ago and it took her forever to come and talk to me about it. She didn’t want to break down and become emotional about it.”

Triple H continued, “I just told her that it’s not ‘goodbye’ as it’s ‘see you down the road.’ Life’s crazy and you could end up back in the same path and doing the same thing. There’s so many ways we could work together. She’s phenomenal and we have other people in the pipeline – that’s what we do here. There’s another 2-3 chomping at the bit to get the opportunity and they will knock it out the park as that’s what we do. I’m thankful for the time she spent with us and I’m sure we’ll see her down the road as well.”

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Triple H has addressed Charlotte Flair accepting Rhea Ripley’s NXT Championship challenge at WrestleMania 36. He spoke about their impending matchup during a post-TakeOver media call, crediting Vince McMahon with the idea. The match was confirmed during last night’s NXT TakeOver: Portland event following Flair’s ambush of Ripley.

Charlotte Flair Versus Rhea Ripley

According to Triple H, USA Network had no involvement in the decision to have Flair face off against the NXT Women’s Champion. “I believe that this was, to be honest, it was shocking to me when it was first mentioned to me. I believe that this was really just a decision from Vince [McMahon]’s part on understanding where the other stories are going for the women.”

Looking to build new opportunities and stories fans haven’t seen before, Triple H noted how WWE was looking to deliver more original narratives with new pairings. “[…] I think you see that with Shayna Baszler going after Becky Lynch, and you see that in different ways on SmackDown with where they’re going so this was a way of Charlotte Flair needing to be in that big epic role. I think it really had nothing more to do with that.”

He continued, “I think people put too much stock into building up other things. It’s easy to put your tinfoil hat on and start to talk about stuff, and I’m sure just even saying that, everybody will be like, ‘Oh my God, there’s no way they didn’t…’ Whatever, you believe what you want. It really comes down to that, this is good storytelling and that’s what the goal is here, it’s just really good storytelling across the board.”

Charlotte Flair will challenge Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 36. The event takes place on April 5th from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

We have seen women’s matches headline many WWE shows in recent times including the main event of WrestleMania 35. However, so far, none of the NXT Takeover events have been headlined by a women’s match.

During a recent interview with Yahoo Sports! the godfather of NXT Triple H talked about a number of things and he explained what they look for while choosing the main event for the special NXT shows.

Triple H first revealed that people ask him how he feels about women headlining the Takeover events and claimed that when he looks at Takeovers, all he looks at is where it lays out from a storyline standpoint.

The Game then said that to him, it’s not a thing about woman or man and he wants to see the biggest storyline with the most emotional connection in the last spot:

“To me, it’s not a man, woman thing, not a tag team or singles title thing, not anything else.’ said Triple H. “Whatever the biggest storyline and whatever has the most emotional connection is what I want to see in that last spot.

You don’t put the biggest battle scene in the middle of the movie and then taper it off toward the end. You want to approach this that way.”

Apart from this Triple H also talked about the growth of Bianca Belair as a performer and how she came in with no experience and has grown into this role.

The former World Champion said that Belair is feeling it and 6 months ago, it would have been hard to imagine that she would be in this position.

When NXT presents Takeover Sunday night from Portland, it won’t be the night before a major WWE PPV. Triple H noted during a recent interview with Yahoo Sports that the change in PPV schedule which sees NXT Takeover events presented on Sundays independent of WWE events has created a different vibe backstage.

“When you come into an area and you know that tomorrow night there is going to be another pay-per-view taking place, there’s a slightly different buzz,” Triple H said. “The conversations are different, some of the people are different. There’s also this moment of, ‘Hey, we have to prove ourselves so when we leave here we can say, follow that.’ When you’re in this business, every time you step into the ring, you want to leave with a moment that fans will remember you by. When you have the stage to yourself and you have the whole audience, that’s different, but the buzz is just as high.”

Triple H also took some time during the interview to talk about Bianca Belair vs Rhea Ripley. Belair won a battle royal on a recent edition of NXT to earn the shot against the new champion.

“You find yourself in this situation where you have Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair both on fire right now,” Levesque said. “If Bianca Belair wins this, would anybody be upset if it was Bianca versus Charlotte, if that was the road we went down? Would anybody be upset if it was Rhea and Charlotte? Would anybody be upset if it was a triple threat? There are so many opportunities because you have phenomenal talent, performing in incredible ways and the storylines write themselves. It’s win-win-win.”

The full interview with Triple H can be read here.

Triple H has addressed rumors that WWE intends to rename the NXT Women’s Championship. It had been reported that the company planned to drop the word “Women’s” going forward, with the belt simply being referred to as the NXT Championship. Speaking on an NXT TakeOver: Portland media call, Triple H dismissed the idea.

“There were conversation that were had,” Triple H admitted. “It was basically about not having to beat it into the ground when you say it, but it just got run with and once… when you have that many people working on a product, and something gets taken the wrong way, everybody in trying to do their job, just spreads it.”

He continued, “There was never an edict, there was never anything. It really was what it was, of just trying not to… if you’re showing a graphic, you don’t have to say, the title belt that says ‘Women’ s’, the graphic that says ‘Women’ s’, the announcers saying ‘Women’ s’, so everybody is… but you get it. There are pictures of women there, you get what it is. You don’t have to beat it into the ground. It was more of, it just got run with and speculated on.”

NXT Champion

Since the rumors first started, there has only been one time that a WWE graphic has showcased current champion, Rhea Ripley, as “NXT Champion.” This graphic was used during WWE’s Worlds Collide event. Since then, there have been no other occasions where the genderless description has been used.

Rhea Ripley is set to defend her NXT Women’s Championship against Bianca Belair this Sunday. The two will compete at NXT TakeOver: Portland, which takes place from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Former NXT Champion Shayna Baszler made her Raw debut this week but it appears that she isn’t considered a member of the red roster, just yet.

Triple H held a media call this week to promote Sunday’s NXT Takeover: Portland event and talked about things like NXT Championship possibly being defended at WrestleMania, dropping the term women from NXT titles and more.

When asked about Shayna’s appearance on Raw where she attacked and bit Becky Lynch, the Game first joked that he is wearing a big collar to avoid getting bitten by her. H then claimed that Shayna is still considered an NXT star:

“At this point I’m not 100% sure as far as right now goes? I sort of look at this like sports teams in a way of where do things net out and you’ve got to make deals to get people to go different places.” said Triple H. “As far as I’m concerned right now, Shayna Baszler’s still an NXT talent until we make a deal for her to go someplace else”

The WWE Vice President later also teased the possibility of the Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch coming to NXT to take revenge of the attack on Raw.

Apart from this, Triple H talked about the ratings battle between NXT and AEW and commented on the reports of Matt Riddle having heat with Vince McMahon, which you can check out here.

Matt Riddle has been very outspoken about wanting to wrestle the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and him repeatedly calling out the Beast led to an interaction between the two at Royal Rumble.

However, while Brock told Riddle to stop talking about him, the NXT star hasn’t slowed down. Reports suggest that this has caused him to have heat with Vince McMahon who believes that Matt has no respect for the hierarchy of the business.

Triple H was asked about these reports during a recent media call to promote the upcoming NXT Takeover: Portland event and the Game claimed that the Boss has not expressed his disapproval on anything:

“To be honest with you, I haven’t asked anybody about it. Vince didn’t express his disapproval of anything that was said, and I’m sure if there were an issue, he would’ve called me directly. He’s not shy about that.

The WWE Vice President then mentioned the confrontation between the two stars. He said that they had a conversation which was between them and he doesn’t know if it’s a work:

“To be honest, I read something [and I go], ‘I don’t know if that’s a work, that’s legit. I don’t know.’ I don’t care either way from that standpoint, I’m entertained by it. If somebody has a problem with it, they come to me, and I’ll help deal with the problem.”

Triple H then praised Matt Riddle as an incredible performer who is very vocal and said that the former UFC star writes checks which in his mind, he can cash.

NXT Takeover: Portland will take place from Moda Center in Portland, Oregon this Sunday on February 16. You can check out an updated match card for the event here.

Triple H signed with WCW in early 1994 but was gone the following year. He signed his first WWF contract in January of 1995 shortly after. Eric Bischoff was asked about his reaction to Triple H’s departure on a recent episode of his 83 Weeks podcast.

“I remember (Triple H gave notice) and I remember I didn’t really care,” Bischoff said. He would continue to say that he never had high aspirations for Triple H in WCW.

“Look, I wasn’t excited about hiring Paul Levesque,” Bischoff said. “I really could have taken or (left) him.”

Bischoff continued to say that Triple H not living near Atlanta was an issue in WCW at the time.

“I was really trying to concentrate our roster and build our roster around people who lived in close proximity to Atlanta,” he continued.

“I wasn’t excited about Paul when he came in and I wasn’t that disappointed when he left,” Bischoff said in contrast to reports Conrad Thompson had read. “Not that I didn’t think that he had talent, not that I didn’t think he was all that valuable.”

Bischoff would continue to say, however, that he feels Triple H saw going to WCW as a way to get noticed by WWE.

“I think he looked at WCW as a transition and a platform and an opportunity to get noticed to go to WWE,” he continued.

Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the player below:

A new report has surfaced online that suggests that Triple H is high on one WWE NXT UK star. 

Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT noted on Twitter that he spoke with a WWE official over Royal Rumble weekend who told him that Triple H “is obsessed” with Ilja Dragunov. 

The 26 year old Russian signed with WWE in February 2019. Dragunov lost to Finn Balor in the Worlds Collide opener from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on the WWE Network last month. 

This comes after it was reported by Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels is a “huge proponent” of NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin. 

Devlin recently captured the title from former champion Angel Garza at WWE Worlds Collide when the two stars took on Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and Travis Banks in a Fatal 4 Way Match. 

It was reported at the time that the idea behind the title win is for him to defend across all brands – RAW, SmackDown, NXT, and NXT UK. 

WWE has already confirmed that Devlin will make an appearance on Wednesday’s NXT episode on the USA Network as well as Friday’s WWE 205 Live episode on the WWE Network in San Jose, CA at the SAP Center. 

• Alexander Wolfe Injured During Worlds Collide Main Event (Video)

The match between Undertaker and Goldberg at last year’s Super Showdown event was one of the most highly criticized bouts of the year. It saw both these legends making critical mistakes during the fight and botching their signature moves in scary ways.

The WWE Vice President Triple H recently had a lengthy interview with Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT in UK where he talked about things like false rumors of Enzo Amore returning to the company and more.

While discussing the much-talked bout between the two legends in Saudi Arabia, the Game claimed that people can say whatever they want but his hat goes out for both of them:

“People can say what they want about Saudi Arabia or the match between ‘Taker and Goldberg. My hat goes off to both of them, it was a bad situation.” said Triple H. “I can attest to it. It was about 105 [degrees] and 100 percent humidity ringside.”

The former World Champion, who himself faced Randy Orton in a singles match on the PPV earlier in the night mentioned that the two talked about the show after the event.

Triple H revealed that there were moments during their match where he wanted to change gears. However, he couldn’t do it because it was humanly impossible in the condition they were facing. Per him, competing at the event was like wrestling in a sauna.

Apart from this, Triple H also revealed why his WrestleMania 32 match with the Rock was canceled and discussed competition on Wednesday nights. You can watch his full interview at this link.

WWE had planned to do a match between The Rock and Triple H at WrestleMania 32 and the company had even teased this bout via a backstage promo long before the show.

However, for the disappointment of fans who were hoping to see these wrestling legends get in the ring to compete with each other one more time, this bout was canceled later on.

Triple H was asked about the reason behind the change in plans during his recent interview with TalkSport and the Game revealed that it was canceled due to scheduling issues:

“Scheduling. I don’t remember the details of it but it was one of those things The Rock and I had talked about doing to the point where we even did the backstage promo where we were like ‘let’s throw a scene out there and see what happens’.

And we did and it blew up, and of course, [then] we talked about it some more and then scheduling just got in the way.” revealed Triple H. “It would have been a blast to step in there with him one more time and tear it up.” (Transcription: sescoops.com)

Triple H continued by revealing that they had planned this bout way in advance but then The Rock’s schedule changed and a few months before WrestleMania he informed the officials that he can’t pull it off anymore.

Apart from this, Triple H also talked about NXT competing against AEW on Wednesday nights, his match with Batista at WrestleMania 35 and more. You can check out his full interview at this link