Triple H

Triple H
Triple H in March 2015
Born	Paul Michael Levesque (1969-07-27) July 27, 1969 Nashua, New Hampshire, United States
Residence	Weston, Connecticut, United States
Occupation	Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative for WWE Professional wrestler
Years active	1992–present
Employer	WWE
Salary	$1.5 million (2013)[1]
Title	Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative (2013–present)
Spouse(s)	Stephanie McMahon (m. 2003)
Children	3
Family	McMahon
Website	WWE Corporate Bio
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Hunter Hearst Helmsley Jean-Paul Lévesque Terra Ryzing[2] Terror Risin' Triple H
Billed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[3]
Billed weight	255 lb (116 kg)[3]
Billed from	Boston, Massachusetts (as Terror Risin' / Terra Ryzing) Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France (as Jean-Paul Lévesque) Greenwich, Connecticut (as Hunter Hearst Helmsley / Triple H)[3]
Trained by	Killer Kowalski[3]
Debut	March 24, 1992

Paul Michael Levesque^[4] (born July 27, 1969),^[5] better known by his ring name Triple H (an abbreviation of the name Hunter Hearst Helmsley), is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion in his ninth reign; the Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative of WWE; and the founder and current shareholder of WWE NXT. He is married into the McMahon family, which maintains majority ownership of WWE.^[1] In addition to his corporate role, Levesque makes regular appearances on WWE television as an authority figure and wrestler.

Levesque entered several bodybuilding contests after graduating high school in 1987. He commenced his professional wrestling career in the International Wrestling Federation in 1992, under the ring name Terra Ryzing. He joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994, where he was repackaged as Jean-Paul Lévesque, a French Canadian aristocrat.^[5] In 1995, Levesque moved to the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), where he became Hunter Hearst Helmsley and, later, Triple H.^[6] In 1997, Triple H co-founded the influential D-Generation X stable, which became a major element of the WWF's "Attitude Era". After winning his first WWF Championship and beginning a storyline marriage with Stephanie McMahon in 1999, Triple H became a regular main event wrestler (in 2003, Levesque married McMahon in real life). Over the next two decades, he would win a total of 14 world championships and lead stables the McMahon-Helmsley Regime, Evolution, and The Authority, with whom he continues to perform.^[3][7] From 2010 onwards, Triple H began wrestling on a part-time basis as he took on a greater behind-the-scenes role within WWE.

In the course of his career, Levesque has held a total of 25 championships, including nine WWF/E Championships and five World Heavyweight Championships (his 14 WWE world titles are second only to John Cena's 15).^[8][9] Triple H was the winner of the 1997 King of the Ring tournament, the 2002 and 2016 Royal Rumbles, and has headlined WrestleMania, WWE's flagship pay-per-view, six times (WrestleMania 2000, WrestleMania X8, WrestleMania XX, WrestleMania 21, WrestleMania 22 and WrestleMania XXV); he will headline the event for a seventh time at 2016's WrestleMania 32,^[10] thus tying Hulk Hogan's record.^[11]

Triple H has won the PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year Award a record five times. He has also won the PWI Feud of the Year Award four times. Outside of professional wrestling, he has made numerous guest appearances in film and on television, including the lead role in the WWE Studios production The Chaperone.

Early life

Levesque was born in Nashua, New Hampshire.^[12] He watched wrestling for the first time when he was five, a match involving Chief Jay Strongbow. Levesque began to take up bodybuilding at the age of 14, because he wanted to look like professional wrestlers. Following his graduating from high school in 1987, Levesque entered several bodybuilding competitions.^[13] He was crowned Teenage Mr. New Hampshire in 1988.^[14]

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1992–1994)

Levesque was trained to wrestle by Killer Kowalski at his school in Malden, Massachusetts.^[3] His class mates included fellow future WWF wrestlers Chyna and Perry Saturn. Levesque made his professional debut on March 24, 1992 in Kowalski's promotion, the International Wrestling Federation, performing under the ring name "Terra Ryzing". In July 1992, Levesque defeated Mad Dog Richard to win the IWF Heavyweight Championship.^[2]

Levesque wrestled for various promotions on the East Coast independent circuit until 1994. During this period, he was managed by John Rodeo.^[15]

World Championship Wrestling (1994–1995)

In early 1994, Levesque signed a one-year contract with World Championship Wrestling (WCW).^[14][16] In his first televised match, Levesque debuted as a villain named Terror Risin', defeating Keith Cole. His ring name was soon modified to Terra Ryzing, which he used until mid-1994, when he was renamed Jean-Paul Lévesque.^[6][17] This gimmick referred to his surname's French origins and he was asked to speak with a French accent, as he could not speak French.^[18] During this time, he began using his finishing maneuver, the Pedigree.

Levesque had a brief feud with Alex Wright that ended at Starrcade 1994^[6] with Wright pinning him.^[19] Between late 1994 and early 1995, Levesque briefly teamed with Lord Steven Regal, whose upper class British persona was similar to Levesque's character.^[17] The team was short-lived, however, as Levesque left for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in January 1995 after WCW turned down his request to be promoted as a singles competitor.

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE

The Connecticut Blueblood (1995–1997)

In a modified version of his gimmick in WCW, Levesque started his WWF career as a "Connecticut Blueblood".^[18] According to Levesque, JJ Dillion originally gave him the name of Reginald DuPont Helmsley, but Levesque asked for a name to play with the first letters; management ultimately agreed to his suggestion of Hunter Hearst Helmsley.^[20] He appeared in taped vignettes, in which he talked about how to use proper etiquette, up until his wrestling debut on the April 30, 1995 episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge.^[21] He made his WWF pay-per-view debut at SummerSlam, where he defeated Bob Holly.^[22] In the fall of 1995, Levesque began a feud with the hog farmer Henry O. Godwinn, culminating in an infamous "Hog Pen Match" at In Your House 5: Seasons Beatings, where Levesque was victorious.^[23]

Although he was highly promoted in the first few months after his debut, Levesque's career stalled during 1996, starting off with a feud with Duke "The Dumpster" Droese following a loss during the Free for All at 1996 Royal Rumble.^[24][25] Up until that event, his angle included appearing on television each week with a different female valet (which included Playboy Playmates Shae Marks and Tylyn John).^[6] Sable was his valet at WrestleMania XII, and after his loss to Ultimate Warrior,^[26] as part of the storyline, he took his aggressions out on her. The debuting Marc Mero—her real-life husband—came to her rescue, starting a feud between the two wrestlers.^[27]

On June 1, 1996, Helmsley appeared on an episode of WWF Superstars in a match against Marty Garner.^[28] When Levesque attempted to perform the Pedigree, Garner mistook the maneuver for a double underhook suplex and tried to jump up with the move, causing him to land squarely on top of his head and suffer neck damage.^[28] Garner sued the WWF, eventually settling out of court and later discussed the incident in an appearance on The Montel Williams Show.

Levesque was known backstage as one of the members of The Kliq, a stable of wrestlers including; Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman and Scott Hall, who were known for influencing Vince McMahon and the WWF creative team.^[24] It has been claimed that he was scheduled to win the 1996 King of the Ring tournament, but the victory was instead awarded to Stone Cold Steve Austin after the Madison Square Garden Incident, in which the Kliq broke character after a match to say goodbye to the departing Nash and Hall.^[29] Despite the punishment, Helmsley did have success following the MSG Incident. Mr. Perfect became his manager and he won the WWF Intercontinental Championship for the first time on October 21, 1996, defeating Marc Mero.^[27][29] When Mr. Perfect left the WWF, his departure was explained to be a result of Helmsley turning his back on his manager as soon as he won the Intercontinental Championship. Levesque held the belt for nearly four months before dropping it to Rocky Maivia on the February 13, 1997 special edition of Monday Night Raw, called Thursday Raw Thursday.^[30] For a very brief time, Helmsley was accompanied by Mr. Hughes, who was his storyline bodyguard.^[31] After losing the Intercontinental title, he feuded with Goldust, defeating him at WrestleMania 13.^[32] During their feud, Chyna debuted as his new bodyguard.^[33]

D-Generation X (1997–1999)

Helmsley was being highlighted again in 1997, winning the 1997 King of the Ring tournament by defeating Mankind in the finals.^[29][34] Later that year, Shawn Michaels, Helmsley, Chyna and Rick Rude formed D-Generation X (DX). This stable became known for pushing the envelope, as Michaels and Helmsley made risqué promos—spawning the catchphrase "Suck It", using a "crotch chop" hand motion,^[35] and sarcastically deriding Bret Hart and Canada. By that point, Helmsley had fully dropped the "blueblood snob" gimmick, appearing in T-shirts and leather jackets. During this period, his ring name was shortened to simply Triple H.^[29] Even after the DX versus Hart Foundation storyline ended, Helmsley continued to feud with the sole remaining Hart family member Owen Hart over the WWF European Championship. This ended in a match between the two at WrestleMania XIV, with the stipulation that Chyna had to be handcuffed to then-Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter. Helmsley won after Chyna threw powder into Slaughter's eyes, momentarily "blinding" him and allowing her to interfere in the match.

After WrestleMania, Michaels was forced into temporary retirement due to a legitimate back injury sustained at the Royal Rumble,^[36] with Triple H taking over the leadership position in DX,^[29] claiming that his now-former associate had "dropped the ball". He introduced the returning X-Pac the night after WrestleMania and joined forces with the New Age Outlaws.^[29][37] As 1998 went along, D-Generation X became more popular, turning the group from villains to fan-favorites. During this time, Levesque adopted an entrance gimmick of asking the crowd "Are you ready? I said, are you ready?", followed by a parody of rival promotion WCW's ring announcer Michael Buffer's famous catch-phrase, "Let's get ready to rumble", substituting the word "rumble" with the DX slogan, "suck it". Also during this time, he began a feud with the leader of the Nation of Domination and rising WWF villain, The Rock.^[13] This storyline rivalry eventually led to a feud over the Intercontinental Championship, which Triple H won in a ladder match at SummerSlam.^[13] He did not hold the title long, however, as he was sidelined with a legitimate knee injury.^[13] When The Rock won the WWF Championship at Survivor Series,^[38] the rivalry between the two continued, as DX fought The Corporation stable, of which The Rock was the main star. Triple H received a shot at the WWF Championship on the January 25, 1999 Raw in an "I Quit" match against The Rock, but the match ended when Triple H was forced to quit or see his aide Chyna chokeslammed by Kane.^[13] This began a new angle for Triple H, as Chyna betrayed him by attacking him after the match and joining The Corporation.^[13]

At WrestleMania XV, Triple H lost to Kane after Chyna interfered on his behalf, and she was thought to have rejoined DX.^[13] Later on in the night, he betrayed his long-time friend and fellow DX member X-Pac by helping Shane McMahon retain the European Championship and joined The Corporation.^[13] turning heel in the process. In April, he started to move away from his DX look, taping his fists for matches, sporting new and shorter wrestling trunks, and adopting a shorter hairstyle.^[13] Levesque's gimmick changed as he fought to earn a WWF title shot.^[13] After numerous failed attempts at winning the championship, Triple H and Mankind challenged WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin to a Triple Threat match at SummerSlam, which featured Jesse "The Body" Ventura as the special guest referee. Mankind won the match by pinning Austin.^[39] The following night on Raw, Triple H defeated Mankind to win his first WWF Championship.^[13]

Triple H dropped the WWF Championship to Vince McMahon on the September 16, 1999 SmackDown! before regaining it at Unforgiven in a Six-Pack Challenge that included Davey Boy Smith, Big Show, Kane, The Rock, and Mankind. He defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin at No Mercy before dropping the title to Big Show at Survivor Series. Triple H then continued his feud with Vince McMahon by marrying his daughter, Stephanie McMahon. He then defeated McMahon at Armageddon. As a result of the feud, an angle with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon began which carried the WWF throughout the next seventeen months; together they were known as the "McMahon-Helmsley Faction".^[40]

McMahon–Helmsley Era (2000–2001)

By January 2000, Triple H had dubbed himself "The Game", implying that he was on top of the wrestling world (as in not merely the "best in the game", but that he was the game) and was nicknamed "The Cerebral Assassin" by Jim Ross ("The Game" nickname was originally intended for Owen Hart, with Triple H adopting the nickname in honor of Owen).^[41] On the edition of January 3 of Raw is War, Triple H defeated The Big Show to win his third WWF championship.^[42]

Triple H feuded with Mick Foley in early 2000. They both fought at the Royal Rumble in a Street Fight Match for the WWF Championship, which Triple H won after performing two pedigrees on Foley. The feud ended at No Way Out in a Hell in a Cell, where Triple H retained the title and forced Foley to retire. Triple H pinned The Rock at WrestleMania 2000 to retain the title,^[43] but lost it at Backlash to The Rock.^[44] He regained it three weeks later, in an Iron Man match at Judgment Day,^[45] only to lose it back to The Rock at King of the Ring.^[46] Triple H then entered a storyline feud with Chris Jericho, which culminated in a Last Man Standing match at Fully Loaded. Afterwards, Triple H entered a feud with Kurt Angle, initially over the WWF Championship but then as a love triangle between himself, Angle, and Stephanie. On the August 3 SmackDown!, Triple H and his wife, Stephanie McMahon, along with Kurt Angle, were booked in a Six-man tag team match by Commissioner Mick Foley, against the Dudley Boyz (Buh-Buh Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley), which Triple H, McMahon, and Angle won. After the match, as Triple H left the ring, Angle and McMahon hugged in a victory celebration, frustrating Triple H and marking the beginning of the Triple H-Angle feud. On the edition of August 24 of Smackdown!, Angle kissed Stephanie McMahon after she was injured during a tag team match. At SummerSlam, The Rock defeated Triple H and Angle in a Triple Threat match to retain the WWF Championship after Angle received a concussion during a botched pedigree on a commentary table by Triple H. On edition of August 28 of Raw is War, Angle interfered in a match between Eddie Guerrero and Triple H by attacking both men with a chair. On edition of September 11 of Raw is War, Angle interfered in Triple H's match with Chris Jericho and distracted Triple H, causing Triple H to leave the ring and chase Angle. Later that night, Angle attacked both Triple H and McMahon after his Handicap match against T & A. The feud culminated at Unforgiven, where Triple H defeated Angle with a Pedigree after a low blow from Stephanie.^[46]

A later storyline feud between Triple H and Steve Austin started when it emerged that Triple H had paid off Rikishi to run down Austin at Survivor Series, causing him to take a year off. In the storyline, Triple H said he had did it in order to shield Austin from the WWF Championship and end his career. In reality, Austin's previous neck injuries started bothering him again, forcing him to have surgery. In 2000, Triple H and Austin had a match at Survivor Series that ended when Triple H tried to trick Austin into coming into the parking lot to run him over again, only to have Austin lift his car up with a forklift and flip the car onto its roof 10 feet high. Triple H returned a few weeks later and attacked Austin. The feud continued into 2001 and ended in a Three Stages of Hell match in which Helmsley defeated Austin. In 2001, Triple H also feuded with The Undertaker, who defeated him at WrestleMania X-Seven.^[47] The night after WrestleMania, Triple H interfered in a steel cage match between Austin (who had just won the WWF Championship) and The Rock where he joined forces with Austin and double teamed on The Rock,^[48] forming a tag team called The Two-Man Power Trip. Triple H then defeated Chris Jericho for his third Intercontinental Championship on the April 5 SmackDown!,^[49] and won it for a fourth time two weeks later by defeating Jeff Hardy. Triple H then became a tag team champion for the first time at Backlash when he and Austin defeated Kane and The Undertaker in a winner-take-all tag match. As Triple H was still Intercontinental Champion, the win made him a double champion.^[50]

During the May 21, 2001 Raw, he suffered a legitimate and career-threatening injury.^[6][51] In the night's main event, he and Austin were defending the Tag Team Championship against Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. At one point, Jericho had Austin trapped in the Walls of Jericho. Triple H ran in to break it up, but just as he did, he suffered a tear in his left quadriceps muscle,^[6][51] causing it to come completely off the bone.^[14] Despite his inability to place any weight on his leg, Triple H was able to complete the match.^[14] He even allowed Jericho to put him in the Walls of Jericho, a move that places considerable stress on the quadriceps. The tear required an operation, which was performed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. This injury brought an abrupt end to the McMahon-Helmsley Era, as the rigorous rehabilitation process kept Triple H out of action for over eight months,^[6][14] completely missing The Invasion storyline.

Evolution (2002–2005)

Triple H returned to Raw as a face on January 7, 2002 at Madison Square Garden.^[14] He won the Royal Rumble and received an Undisputed WWF Championship match at WrestleMania X8.^[52] At WrestleMania X8, Triple H beat Chris Jericho for the Undisputed WWF Championship.^[6][52] After holding the title for a month, Triple H dropped it to Hulk Hogan at Backlash.^[52] Triple H then became exclusive to the SmackDown! roster due to the WWF Draft Lottery and continued to feud with Jericho, culminating in a Hell in a Cell match at Judgment Day, which Triple H won. On the edition of June 6 of SmackDown, Triple H defeated Hogan in a #1 contender match for the Undisputed WWF Championship at the King of the Ring against The Undertaker, but was unsuccessful at the event.

In the interim, between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, the McMahon-Helmsley Faction was brought to an official on-screen conclusion. By the time he returned, Triple H's on-screen marriage to Stephanie McMahon was faltering, so Stephanie faked a pregnancy in order to get him back on her side.^[53] When he learned that it was fake, he dumped her publicly on Raw when they were supposed to renew their wedding vows.^[53] Stephanie aligned with Jericho afterward,^[53] but she was forced to leave after losing a Triple Threat match on Raw the night after WrestleMania when she was pinned by Triple H.^[54] The divorce, and thus the storyline, was finalized at Vengeance.^[55]

Meanwhile, Shawn Michaels had made his return to WWE and joined the New World Order (nWo). Michaels and Kevin Nash planned to bring Triple H over to Raw in order to put him into the group. Vince McMahon, however, disbanded the nWo following several backstage complications and brought in Eric Bischoff as the Raw general manager. One of Bischoff's first intentions was to follow up on the nWo's plan and bring Triple H over to the Raw roster. Triple H went to the Raw brand, reuniting with Michaels, but on July 22 he turned on Michaels by performing a Pedigree on him during what was supposed to be a DX reunion, turning heel once again. The following week, Triple H smashed Michaels' face into a car window to prove that Michaels was weak. These events led to the beginning of a long storyline rivalry between the former partners and an eventual "Unsanctioned Street Fight" at SummerSlam, in which Michaels came out of retirement to win. Afterwards, however, Triple H attacked him with a sledgehammer and Michaels was carried out of the ring.^[56]

Before September 2, 2002, WWE recognized only one world champion, the Undisputed WWE Champion, for both the Raw and SmackDown brands. After SummerSlam, Undisputed Champion Brock Lesnar became exclusive to SmackDown, leaving Raw without a world champion. Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff then awarded Triple H the Big Gold Belt (which had been used for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and WCW World Heavyweight Championship) making him the first World Heavyweight Champion.^[57] Triple H retained his title against Rob Van Dam at Unforgiven when Ric Flair hit Van Dam with a sledgehammer.

In October 2002, Triple H would begin a controversial feud with Kane, leading to a match at No Mercy on October 20 in which both Kane's Intercontinental Championship and Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship were at stake. In the weeks preceding the match, Triple H claimed that, several years earlier, Kane had an unrequited relationship with a woman named Katie Vick.^[58] He went on to claim that, after Vick was killed in a car crash, Kane (the driver) raped her corpse.^[58] Triple H later threatened to show video footage of Kane committing the act in question; however, the footage that finally aired showed Triple H (dressed as Kane) simulating necrophilia with a mannequin in a casket;^[58] Kane's tag team partner The Hurricane responded the following week by showing a video of Triple H (rather, someone wearing a Triple H series of masks) getting an enema. The angle was very unpopular with fans,^[59] and was de-emphasised before the title match. Triple H went on to defeat Kane at No Mercy, unifying the two titles.^[60]

Triple H eventually lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Shawn Michaels in the first Elimination Chamber match at Survivor Series.^[61] He defeated Van Dam to earn a title shot at Armageddon with Michaels as special referee. He regained the title from Michaels in a Three Stages of Hell match at Armageddon.^[61]

In January 2003, Triple H formed a stable known as Evolution with Ric Flair, Randy Orton, and Batista. Triple H and Ric Flair challenged RVD and Kane for the World Tag Team Titles, but they lost the match. The group was pushed on Raw from 2003 to 2004. The height of their dominance occurred after Armageddon when every member of Evolution left the pay-per-view holding a title.^[62] Triple H held the World Heavyweight Championship for most of 2003, defending it at a match against Booker T at Wrestlemania that year in an angle with racist undertones.^[63] He lost the title in September 2003 at Unforgiven to Bill Goldberg, in a match with the stipulation that had Goldberg lost, he would have to retire.^[64] After a failed attempt to win back the title from Goldberg in a rematch at the Survivor Series, he finally regained the championship against Goldberg in a triple threat match at Armageddon which also involved Kane. At the 2004 Royal Rumble, Triple H and Shawn Michaels fought in a Last Man Standing match to a double countout, so Triple H retained the title as a result.^[62] Triple H dropped the title to Chris Benoit at WrestleMania XX,^[65] and he was unable to reclaim the belt from Benoit in subsequent rematches, including a rematch from WrestleMania between Triple H, Benoit, and Shawn Michaels at Backlash.^[65]

He then ended his feud with Michaels, defeating him in a Hell in a Cell match at Bad Blood, which became the longest Hell in a Cell match in history.^[65] After another failed attempt, losing to Benoit at Vengeance, he focused on Eugene, beating him at SummerSlam.^[66] Triple H then regained the title from former associate Randy Orton at Unforgiven.^[67] Following a Triple Threat World Heavyweight title defense against Benoit and Edge on the November 29, 2004 Raw, the World Heavyweight Championship became vacant for the first time.^[68] At New Year's Revolution, Triple H won the Elimination Chamber to begin his tenth world title reign.^[69] At WrestleMania 21, Triple H lost the championship to Batista,^[70] and subsequently lost two rematches at Backlash and Vengeance.^[71][72] After Vengeance, Triple H took a hiatus from WWE due to suffering from minor neck problems.^[73]

After four-month hiatus, Triple H returned to Raw on October 3, 2005 as part of WWE Homecoming. He teamed with fellow Evolution member Flair to defeat Chris Masters and Carlito. After the match, Triple H turned on Flair hitting Flair with a sledgehammer, sparking a feud between the duo.^[74] Flair defeated Triple H in a Steel cage match at Taboo Tuesday for Flair's Intercontinental Championship.^[75] Subsequently, Triple H defeated Flair in a non-title Last Man Standing match at Survivor Series to end their feud.^[75]

D-Generation X reunion (2006–2007)

Although Triple H failed to win the Royal Rumble match at the Royal Rumble, another championship opportunity arose for Triple H in the Road to WrestleMania Tournament. He won the tournament, granting him a match for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 22. At WrestleMania, Triple H and John Cena fought in the main event for the title, which Triple H lost via submission.^[76] Later that month at Backlash, Triple H was involved in another WWE Championship match, fighting Edge and Cena in a Triple Threat match, where he lost again. Angered at his loss, a bloodied Triple H used his sledgehammer to attack both Edge and Cena and then performed a number of DX crotch chops.^[77] Triple H unsuccessfully attempted to win the WWE title from Cena on numerous occasions, blaming his shortcomings on Vince McMahon, which eventually led to a feud between the McMahons and Triple H.

Shawn Michaels returned on the June 12 Raw and soon reunited with Triple H to reform D-Generation X, turning Triple H into a fan-favorite once again for the first time since 2002.^[7] DX defeated the Spirit Squad at Vengeance in a 5-on-2 handicap match.^[78] They continued their feud with Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon and the Spirit Squad for several weeks. They then defeated the Spirit Squad again on the July 18, 2006 Saturday Night's Main Event in a 5-on-2 Elimination match. They then again defeated the McMahons at SummerSlam, withstanding the attack of several wrestlers who assaulted them before the match aas directed by Vince McMahon.^[77] At Unforgiven, D-Generation X then defeated The McMahons and ECW World Champion Big Show in a 3-o-2 handicap Hell in a Cell match. During the match, DX embarrassed Vince by shoving his face in between Big Show's buttocks, and DX won when Triple H broke a sledgehammer over the shoulders of Vince McMahon after Michaels performed Sweet Chin Music on him.^[79]

At Cyber Sunday during DX's feud with Rated-RKO, special guest referee Eric Bischoff allowed the illegal use of a weapon to give Rated-RKO the win.^[79] At Survivor Series, DX got their revenge when their team defeated Edge and Orton's team in a clean sweep during their Elimination Match.^[80] In January 2007, at New Year's Revolution, DX and Rated-RKO fought to a no-contest after Triple H suffered a legitimate torn right quadriceps (similar to the one he suffered in 2001 in his other leg) 15 minutes into the match.^[81][82] Surgery was successfully performed on January 9, 2007 by Dr. James Andrews.^[81]

Record breaking WWE Champion (2007–2009)

Triple H made his return at SummerSlam, where he defeated King Booker.^[83] Two months later at No Mercy, Triple H was originally scheduled to face Umaga in a singles match. However, at the start of the night Triple H decided to challenge newly named WWE Champion Randy Orton, reigniting his rivalry with Orton that had been interrupted following his injury. Triple H won the match, winning his eleventh world championship and sixth WWE Championship,^[84] and then defended his title against Umaga in his regularly scheduled match after Mr. McMahon declared the match to be for the WWE title.^[85] After that McMahon gave Orton a rematch against Triple H in a Last Man Standing match in the main event, and Triple H lost after failing to beat the ten count when Orton hit his RKO onto the announcer's table.^[85] Triple H's title reign at No Mercy is the fifth shortest reign in WWE history, only lasting through the duration of the event.^[85] After winning the Raw Elimination Chamber at No Way Out, Triple H gained a WWE Championship match, by outlasting five other men, last eliminating Jeff Hardy after a Pedigree on a steel chair.^[86] However, at WrestleMania XXIV, Randy Orton retained after punting Triple H and pinning John Cena following Triple H's Pedigree on Cena.^[87] A month later, at Backlash, Triple H won the title in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match against Orton, Cena, and John "Bradshaw" Layfield, tying the record for most WWE Championship reigns with The Rock.^[88] Triple H then retained the title against Orton at Judgment Day in a Steel Cage match and again at One Night Stand in a Last Man Standing match.^[89][90] Orton suffered a legitimate collarbone injury during the match, thus ending the feud prematurely.^[91]

On June 23, 2008 Raw, Triple H was drafted to the SmackDown brand as a part of the 2008 WWE draft, in the process making the WWE Championship exclusive to SmackDown.^[92] He defended the championship over the summer and was the only champion to retain his title at Unforgiven's Championship Scramble matches. After this he defended it against Jeff Hardy, who was in the Unforgiven match.

At Survivor Series, Triple H was scheduled to defend the championship against Vladimir Kozlov and Hardy, however Hardy was kept out of the match after a scripted attack and injury. During the match, SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero announced that Edge had returned and introduced him into the contest. Jeff Hardy interfered and hit Triple H with a steel chair meant for Edge, thus costing him the title and resulting in Edge winning his sixth world title. Triple H entered seventh in the 2009 Royal Rumble, but was last eliminated by Randy Orton. In February at Elimination Chamber, Triple H won the WWE Championship in the SmackDown Chamber match, setting the record for most reigns at eight. That record stood until 2011 when John Cena won his ninth WWE Championship.

On the February 16, 2009 Raw, Triple H made an appearance aiding Stephanie and Shane McMahon, after they were attacked by Randy Orton.^[93] On the February 20 SmackDown, Triple H was interviewed by Jim Ross, in the interview, footage was shown highlighting the events that occurred on the February 16 Raw. Ross asked Triple H how he felt seeing that footage, in response, he broke character (after 5 years of marriage) by admitting that Vince McMahon is his father-in-law, that Shane is his brother-in-law, and that Stephanie is his wife, thus creating a rivalry between Triple H and Orton. On the February 23 Raw, Triple H confronted Orton, before attacking him, Ted DiBiase, and Cody Rhodes (a group known as The Legacy) with a sledgehammer and chasing them from the arena.^[94] At WrestleMania XXV, Triple H defeated Orton to retain the title. He, with Shane McMahon and Batista, then faced Orton and Legacy in a six-man tag match for the WWE championship at Backlash. He lost the title to Orton after trying to stop Batista from hitting Cody Rhodes with a chair, allowing Orton to hit the RKO and punt to the head. After six weeks off of TV, selling the injury, he lost a Three Stages of Hell title match to Orton at The Bash. At Night of Champions, he again lost a title match to Orton, this time a Triple Threat match, also involving John Cena.

Feud with The Legacy (2009–2010)

On the August 10, 2009 Raw, Triple H met with Michaels at an office cafeteria in Texas where Michaels was working as a chef; throughout the show, Triple H tried to convince Michaels to return to WWE from hiatus. After several incidents (including grease grill burgers on fire and Michaels shouting at a little girl), Michaels agreed to team with Triple H to face The Legacy at SummerSlam, superkicked the girl, and quit his chef job.^[95] On the August 17 Raw, in St. Louis, MO, Michaels and Triple H officially reunited as DX, but as they were in the process of their in-ring promo, Legacy attacked them both.^[96] Their first match after reuniting was against Legacy at SummerSlam, which they won.^[97] At Breaking Point, however, they lost to Legacy in the first ever Submissions Count Anywhere match in WWE history.^[98]

At Hell in a Cell, DX defeated Legacy in a Hell in a Cell match.^[99] DX unsuccessfully challenged John Cena for the WWE Championship in a triple threat match at Survivor Series,^[100] after which they remained friends and partners. On December 13, at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, DX defeated Chris Jericho and The Big Show to win the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.^[101] This was their first tag championship reign together.

On December 21, Triple H announced that Hornswoggle was the new DX mascot.^[102] This came about after Hornswoggle sued DX for emotional and physical distress due to them not allowing him to join DX.^[102] After being taken to court where they were ruled guilty by a jury and judge consisting of dwarves, Michaels told Triple H that Hornswoggle could be the mascot. Triple H agreed to it only if the charges were dropped, which Hornswoggle agreed to.^[102] On January 11 Mike Tyson, who was the Raw guest host for the night, teamed with Jericho to face DX; however, at the end of the bout, Tyson turned on Jericho and aligned himself with Michaels and Triple H.^[103] On the February 8, 2010 Raw, DX lost the Unified Tag Team Title to ShoMiz (The Miz and The Big Show) in a Triple Threat Elimination tag match, also involving The Straight Edge Society (CM Punk and Luke Gallows.) On the March 1 Raw, they lost a rematch for the title. This was their last televised match before Michaels retired.^[104] Michaels and Triple H had a non-wrestling reunion at the 2010 Tribute to the Troops.

On February 21, Triple H eliminated WWE Champion Sheamus from an Elimination Chamber match, though he did not win the title himself. Sheamus attacked him weeks later, setting up a match at WrestleMania XXVI, which Triple H won.^[105][106] Also at WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels lost to The Undertaker and was forced to retire. While giving a farewell speech the next night, Sheamus attacked him. This set up a rematch at Extreme Rules. Sheamus attacked Triple H at the start of the show, before later winning the match. Triple H then took time off to recover from injuries, completely missing The Nexus storyline.^[107] Triple H made an untelevised appearance on October 30 at the WWE Fan Appreciation Event and also at the 2010 Tribute to the Troops.^[108]

Chief Operating Officer (2011–2013)

On the February 21, 2011, Raw, Triple H returned to WWE by interrupting the return of The Undertaker. He challenged him to a match at WrestleMania XXVII, which later became a No Holds Barred match. A week later, he put Sheamus through the announce table with a Pedigree, in retaliation for Sheamus giving him a ten-month injury. At WrestleMania XXVII, Triple H lost, which extended Undertaker's undefeated streak to 19–0; however Undertaker was carried from the ring on a stretcher whereas Triple H left the ring on his feet.^[109]

At the end of the July 18, 2011, Raw, Triple H returned on behalf of WWE's board of directors to relieve his father-in-law Vince McMahon of his duties.^[110] This was followed by the announcement that he had been assigned to take over as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the WWE. This was during a storyline where CM Punk had won the WWE Championship and left the company. Though a new champion was crowned, Triple H helped re-sign CM Punk and upheld both championship reigns. He announced he would referee a match to unify both WWE Championships at SummerSlam. Although he counted a pinfall for CM Punk to win, John Cena's leg was on the ropes, which would break the pin. Regardless, Triple H's longtime friend Kevin Nash attacked Punk immediately after the match to allow Alberto Del Rio to become champion.^[111] Though Nash and Punk demanded a match against each other, Triple H fired Nash for insubordination and booked himself in a No Disqualification match at Night Of Champions with his position of COO on the line.^[112] He won the match despite interference from John Laurinaitis, Nash, The Miz and R-Truth.^[113] After repeated attacks from these wrestlers in various matches, the majority of WWE's on-screen staff gave Triple H a vote of no confidence. Mr. McMahon returned to relieve him of his duties on Raw though he remained COO. He was replaced as General Manager of Raw by Laurinaitis, who booked him in a tag team match against Miz and R-Truth at Vengeance.^[114] During the match, Nash once again attacked him and did so the following night on the October 24 Raw, hospitalizing him.^[115] WWE later announced that Triple H had sustained a fractured vertebra, and would be out of action. He returned on December 12, as part of the Slammy Awards. On December 18, he defeated Nash at Tables, Ladders, and Chairs in Sledgehammer Ladder Match, after attacking him with a sledgehammer.^[116]

Triple H returned on the edition of January 30 of Raw, to evaluate Laurinaitis' performance as General Manager. Before he could announce the decision, he was interrupted by the returning Undertaker.^[117] After initially refusing the rematch as he did not want to tarnish Undertaker's legacy,^[118] Triple H accepted the challenge after being called a coward who lives in Shawn Michaels' shadow, on the condition their rematch be contested inside Hell in a Cell.^[119] Triple H went on to lose this match at WrestleMania XXVIII.^[120]

Triple H returned on the April 30 Raw, when he refused to give in to Brock Lesnar's unreasonable contract demands, resulting in Lesnar attacking him and storyline breaking his arm.^[121][122] Upon his return two weeks later, Triple H was confronted by Lesnar's legal representative, Paul Heyman, who announced Lesnar was filing a lawsuit against WWE for breach of contract. After he accosted Heyman, Heyman threatened another lawsuit against Triple H for assault and battery.^[123] At the No Way Out in June, Triple H challenged Lesnar, who was not present, to a match at SummerSlam,^[124] which Heyman refused on Lesnar's behalf the following night on Raw.^[125] At Raw 1000, Stephanie McMahon managed to goad Heyman into accepting her husband's challenge against Lesnar.^[126] To anger Triple H, Lesnar broke his best friend Shawn Michaels's arm on the August 13 Raw.^[127] Six days later at SummerSlam, Lesnar defeated Triple H via submission after once again breaking his arm.^[128][129]

On the August 27, 2012, Raw, Triple H was supposed to address his potential retirement, but did not make a definitive decision.^[130] On the December 17 episode of Raw, Triple H made a non-wrestling appearance for the 2012 Slammy Awards debuting with his new haircut.

Triple H returned on the February 25, 2013 Raw, brawling with Brock Lesnar after he attempted to attack Vince McMahon. The brawl resulted in Lesnar having his head split open and requiring 18 stitches.^[131] The following week, Triple H issued a challenge to Lesnar, requesting a rematch with him at WrestleMania 29, which Lesnar accepted on the condition that he could choose the stipulation.^[132][133] The following week, after Triple H signed the contract and assaulted Heyman, the stipulation was revealed as No Holds Barred with Triple H's career on the line.^[134] Triple H went on to win the match after hitting Lesnar with a Pedigree onto the steel steps.^[135] On the April 15 Raw, Heyman challenged Triple H to face Lesnar in a Steel Cage match at Extreme Rules,^[136] which Triple H accepted the following week.^[137] Triple H ended up losing the match at the pay-per-view on May 19 thanks to interference from Heyman, where he also injured his jaw.^[138]

The next night on Raw, Triple H wrestled Heyman's newest client, Curtis Axel. He suffered a storyline concussion and was deemed to have forfeited.^{[139][140][141]} Despite being medically cleared to wrestle before the June 3 Raw, Vince and Stephanie McMahon did not allow Triple H to wrestle Axel, citing concerns for his well-being and the safety of his children. In response, Triple H stormed out the arena and vowed to return to the ring the next week on Raw.^[142] On that episode, he lost to Axel when McMahon dubiously disqualified him, ordered Axel to leave the ring, then stole the bell and microphone to prevent the match from being restarted.

The Authority (2013–present)

On the August 12 episode of Raw, Triple H announced that he would be the special guest referee of the SummerSlam main event: the WWE championship match between champion John Cena and Daniel Bryan, before giving original referee Brad Maddox a Pedigree. At the event, after Bryan won the match and the title, Triple H would give Bryan a Pedigree so that Randy Orton could cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase and win the title, therefore turning heel for the first time since 2006.^[143] Along with his wife Stephanie, they created The Authority, with The Shield as his enforcers and later Kane joining as the Director of Operations.

Over the coming weeks he set up handicap matches against any wrestlers who questioned his decisions, such as Big Show and Dolph Ziggler, even firing Cody Rhodes in retaliation for the latter's insolence. On the edition of October 7 of Raw, after firing Big Show, Show knocked him out in retaliation and was carried out by officials out of the arena.^[144] At the Slammy Award Raw special, Triple H immediately Pedigreed Orton after Bryan shoved him into Stephanie McMahon, despite Orton's shock.^[145]

At WrestleMania XXX, Triple H lost to Bryan, thereby granting Bryan a part in the subsequent title match against Batista and champion Randy Orton. Triple H assaulted Bryan after the match and later attempted to prevent Bryan from winning the title by interfering and recruiting Scott Armstrong as a crooked referee, but these attempts were unsuccessful as Bryan won the title by making Batista submit. In order to end Bryan's title reign, Triple H reformed Evolution with Orton and Batista on the April 18 episode of SmackDown, but Bryan remained champion due to The Shield turning on the Authority. At Extreme Rules, Evolution lost to The Shield and again at Payback in a No Holds Barred elimination match.^[146] On the June 2 episode of Raw, Batista would leave the group after Triple H refused to grant him his shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Triple H would then resort to "Plan B", which would be Seth Rollins turning on The Shield and rejoining the Authority.

On the October 27 episode of Raw, Triple H would offer John Cena a chance to join forces with the Authority, which Cena refused. This led to Triple H announcing a Traditional Survivor Series tag team elimination match for Survivor Series, with a team representing The Authority facing a team captained by Cena.^[147] On the November 3 episode of Raw, Vince McMahon announced that if Team Authority would lose, they would be removed from power.^[148] On the November 21 episode of Smackdown, Triple H announced that if Team Cena lost, all of Team Cena, except Cena himself, would be fired.^[149] At Survivor Series, Big Show joined The Authority by betraying Cena, but Sting made his WWE debut, attacking crooked referee Scott Armstrong and Triple H, and assisted Dolph Ziggler in pinning Rollins to give Team Cena the victory, putting the Authority out of power.

After being out of power for a month, Rollins coaxed Cena into reinstating The Authority on the December 29 episode of Raw, by holding Raw guest host Edge hostage with Big Show.^[150] On the January 19 episode of Raw, Cena would defeat Rollins, Kane and Big Show in a handicap match when Sting distracted The Authority, allowing Cena to pin Rollins and win back the jobs of Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan, who had been fired two weeks previously by Triple H and Stephanie. On January 26, it was officially announced via WWE.com that Triple H challenged Sting to a "face-to-face" confrontation at Fastlane, which Sting accepted; at the confrontation, Sting challenged Triple H to a match at WrestleMania 31, which Triple H accepted.^[151] At WrestleMania, Triple H defeated Sting with interference from D-Generation-X, but shook hands with Sting after the match. After his match with Sting, he and Stephanie McMahon were later confronted by The Rock and Rhonda Rousey during a promo regarding the record crowd at the event.^[152][153]

Throughout 2015, Triple H maintained his role as the leader of The Authority, and was involved in mediating issues between Seth Rollins and Kane.^[154][155] Over the summer, Triple H began to test Rollins by having him defend the championship against Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, and Sting.^{[156][157][158][159]}

After Rollins suffered a severe knee injury at a live event, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship was vacated and it was announced that there would be a tournament to determine a new champion at Survivor Series.^[160][161] On the November 9 episode of Raw, Triple H offered to give Reigns a bye to the finals of the tournament if he joined The Authority, but Reigns refused.^[162] At Survivor Series, Reigns defeated Dean Ambrose in the tournament finals to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Triple H came out and attempted to congratulate Reigns, but was instead speared by him. This allowed Sheamus cash in his Money in the Bank contract and quickly defeat Reigns to win the championship, resulting in Sheamus aligning with The Authority.^[163]

The Authority made a rematch between Reigns and Sheamus for the title on the November 30 episode of Raw, with the stipulation that Dean Ambrose and The Usos would lose their WWE Intercontinental Championship and WWE Tag Team Championship title shots if Reigns failed to win the match in under 5 minutes and 15 seconds (which was the length Reigns' title reign at Survivor Series); Reigns won by disqualification, allowing Ambrose and The Usos to keep their title shots.^[164] At the TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay per view, Sheamus retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Reigns due to interference from The League of Nations. After the match, Reigns "snapped" and viciously attacked Sheamus as well as Triple H, who had come to calm Reigns. Due to the injuries (kayfabe) suffered from Reigns, Triple H took a hiatus from television.^[165]

Triple H returned at the 2016 Royal Rumble match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, as the unannounced 30th entrant. After eliminating the defending champion, Roman Reigns, he then eliminated Dean Ambrose to secure his second Royal Rumble win and 14th World Championship.^[166]

Business career

In 2010, Levesque's role as an Executive Senior Advisor was officially formalized as he was given an office at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.^[167] Levesque was named Executive Vice President, Talent and Live events in 2011. In this role he oversees the talent relations and talent development departments, training of performers and management of worldwide recruitment. Levesque's role within the company has been under much criticism since 2003, as many fans and some wrestlers view it as a way to keep him on top on-screen and to give him more television time. Levesque has spoken against this criticism and has denied all of it. Additionally, Levesque has been credited for losing in high profile matches that helped elevate the careers of younger wrestlers including John Cena, Randy Orton, Batista, Jeff Hardy, Brock Lesnar, and Daniel Bryan.^{[168][169][170][171][172][173]}

As the founder of NXT since its inception in 2012, Levesque has been widely praised for helping cultivate the brand, recruiting fresh new talent, and helping guide the brand to various levels of success including sold-out shows, increased respect for women’s wrestling, and international expansion.^{[174][175][176]}

In 2013, his title was elevated to Executive Vice-president of Talent, Live Events and Creative where he also works with WWE creative direction and storylines of WWE's programming.^[177]

In 2013, Levesque earned a combined salary of just over $1.5 million (U.S.) from his front office job and as a wrestler. He also owns just over $1.5 million (U.S.) in WWE stock.^[1]

Personal life

What began as an on-screen storyline marriage in 2000 blossomed into a real-life romance when Levesque began dating Stephanie McMahon. They married on October 25, 2003.^[178] They have three daughters.^{[179][180][181]} He had previously been in a long-term relationship with former WWF wrestler Chyna.^[182] He has a sister named Lynn.^[14]

In late 2004, Levesque released a book titled Making the Game: Triple H's Approach to a Better Body.^[183] Mostly devoted to bodybuilding advice, the book also includes some autobiographical information, memoirs, and opinions.

Levesque is a fan of the band Motörhead (which has performed three different entrance themes for Triple H over his career), and was good friends with lead singer Lemmy.^[184] To pay homage to both Lemmy and the band, Triple H wore Lemmy-inspired facial hair during a large portion of his career.^[185] After Lemmy died on December 28, 2015, Triple H attended his funeral on January 9, 2016, where he spoke about the gift of sound that Lemmy and Motörhead have given to him and the friendship they had over the years.

During an interview with ITV London in December 2015, Levesque said that he is a supporter of the English football team West Ham United FC.^[186][187]

Philantrophy

In 2014, Levesque - along with his wife Stephanie - created the "Connor's Cure" cancer fund in honor of Connor "The Crusher" Michalek, a young WWE superfan who died of cancer at the age of eight.^[188]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	Pacific Blue	Triple H
1998	The Drew Carey Show	The Disciplinarian
2001	MADtv	Himself
2004	Blade: Trinity	Jarko Grimwood
2005	The Bernie Mac Show	Triple H[189]
2006	Relative Strangers	Wrestler[190]	Uncredited
2009	Robot Chicken	Himself, Werewolf	(voice)
2011	The Chaperone	Raymond "Ray Ray" Bradstone
2011	Inside Out	Arlo "AJ" Jayne
2014	Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery	Himself	(voice)
2014	WWE Power Series	Himself	Fitness video

Bibliography

• Making the Game: Triple H's Approach to a Better Body (2004)

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Pedigree^[3][191] (Double underhook facebuster) – 1995–present
  • Pedigree Pandemonium/Pedigree Perfection (Cutter) – 1994–1995;^{[192][193][194]} adopted from Diamond Dallas Page^[195]
  • Reverse or inverted Indian deathlock – WCW;^[196] rarely used in WWF/E^[192][197]
• Signature moves
  • Abdominal stretch^[4]
  • Arm-trap crossface – rarely used^[4]
  • Blatant choke^[4]
  • Chop block^[198]
  • Facebreaker knee smash,^{[4][199][200]} often used as a back body drop counter
  • Figure four leglock^[4]
  • Flowing DDT^[4]
  • High knee^[4][200]
  • Jumping knee drop^[4]
  • Mounted punches^[4]
  • Running clothesline^[4]
  • Running neckbreaker^[4]
  • Short arm clothesline^[200]
  • Sledgehammer shot^[201]
  • Sleeper hold^[4]
  • Spinning spinebuster^[4][200]
  • Pendulum backbreaker
• Managers
  • Vito Carlucci^[15]
  • Chyna^[202]
  • The Court Jester^[15]
  • Ric Flair^[202]
  • Mr. Majestic^[15]
  • Stephanie McMahon/Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley^[202]
  • Mr. Perfect^[202]
  • John Rodeo^[15]
  • Rick Rude^[202]
  • Hornswoggle^[202]
• Nicknames
  • "The Connecticut Blue Blood"^[203]
  • "The Cerebral Assassin"^[73]
  • "The Game"^[6]
  • "The King of Kings"^[73]
  • "The Proverbial Ring General"
• Entrance themes
  • World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE
    • "Blue Blood" by Jim Johnston (April 28, 1995 – December 15, 1996)
    • "Symphony No. 9 (Fourth movement)" by Ludwig van Beethoven (December 15, 1996 – November 10, 1997)
    • "Break It Down" by The DX Band (November 10, 1997 – April 5, 1999; June 19, 2006 – April 2007; August 24, 2009 – March 1, 2010; July 23, 2012)
    • "Corporate Player" by Jim Johnston (April 25, 1999 – May 10, 1999)
    • "Higher Brain Pattern" by Jim Johnston (May 16, 1999 – June 21, 1999)
    • "My Time" by The DX Band (June 27, 1999 – December 10, 2000)
    • "The Kings" by Run-D.M.C (March 17, 2000-July 2000)
    • "The Game" by The DX Band (December 10, 2000; used only once at Armageddon 2000 and sometimes in promos)
    • "The Game" by Motörhead (January 8, 2001 – present; used in singles competition)
    • "King of Kings" by Motörhead (2006, 2011, August 18, 2013 – present; used as leader of the authority)

Championships and accomplishments

• International Sports Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2015^[204]
• International Wrestling Federation
  • IWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[5]
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Feud of the Year (2000)^[205] vs. Kurt Angle
  • Feud of the Year (2004)^[205] vs. Chris Benoit
  • Feud of the Year (2009) vs. Randy Orton
  • Feud of the Year (2013) vs. Daniel Bryan^[206] As a member of The Authority
  • Match of the Year (2004)^[207] vs. Chris Benoit and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XX
  • Match of the Year (2012) vs. The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania XXVIII
  • Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2003–2005)^[208]
  • Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2013)^[209] As a member of The Authority
  • Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2014)^[210] With Stephanie McMahon
  • Most Hated Wrestler of the Decade (2000–2009)
  • Wrestler of the Year (2008)
  • Wrestler of the Decade (2000–2009)
  • Ranked #1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2000^[211] and 2009^[212]
  • Ranked #139 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003^[213]
• World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE
  • WWF/E (World Heavyweight) Championship (9 times, current)^1[214]
  • World Heavyweight Championship (5 times)^[215]
  • WWF European Championship (2 times)^[216]
  • WWF/E Intercontinental Championship (5 times)^[217]
  • WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shawn Michaels^[218]
  • World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Stone Cold Steve Austin (1) and Shawn Michaels (1)^[219][220]
  • King of the Ring (1997)^[3]
  • Royal Rumble (2002, 2016)
  • Seventh Triple Crown Champion
  • Second Grand Slam Champion
  • Slammy Awards (3 times)
    • Best Hair (1997)
    • OMG Moment of the Year (2011) – Triple H performing a Tombstone Piledriver on The Undertaker and The Undertaker kicking out at WrestleMania XXVII
    • Match of the Year (2012) – vs. The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match at Wrestlemania XXVIII
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Best Booker (2015) with Ryan Ward^[221]
  • Feud of the Year (2000) vs. Mick Foley^[222]
  • Feud of the Year (2004) vs. Chris Benoit and Shawn Michaels^[222]
  • Feud of the Year (2005) vs. Batista^[222]
  • Wrestler of the Year (2000)^[222]
  • Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (2002) Accusing Kane of murder and necrophilia (Katie Vick)
  • Most Overrated (2002–2004, 2009)^[222]
  • Readers' Least Favorite Wrestler (2002, 2003)^[222]
  • Worst Feud of the Year (2002) vs. Kane^[222]
  • Worst Feud of the Year (2006) with Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon^[222]
  • Worst Feud of the Year (2011) vs. Kevin Nash^[223]
  • Worst Worked Match of the Year (2003) vs. Scott Steiner at Royal Rumble^[222]
  • Worst Worked Match of the Year (2008) vs. Edge and Vladimir Kozlov at Survivor Series^[222]
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2005)

1 ^ Triple H's fifth reign was as Undisputed WWF Champion. His next three were as simply WWE Champion, while his ninth reign was as WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Luchas de Apuestas record

Winner (wager)	Loser (wager)	Location	Event	Date	Notes
Triple H (championship)	Cactus Jack (career)	Hartford, Connecticut	No Way Out	000000002000-02-27-0000February 27, 2000	This was a Hell in a Cell match.
Triple H (championship)	Kane (mask)	San Antonio, Texas	Raw	000000002003-06-23-0000June 23, 2003

Notes

References

External links

• Triple H's profile on WWE.com
• Triple H on Facebook
• Triple H on Twitter
• Paul Levesque at the Internet Movie Database
• Paul Levesque's executive profile at WWE.com

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Slaughter The Undertaker Ric Flair Bret Hart Yokozuna Diesel Shawn Michaels Sycho Sid Stone Cold Steve Austin Kane The Rock Mankind Triple H (current) Mr. McMahon Big Show Kurt Angle Chris Jericho Brock Lesnar Eddie Guerrero John "Bradshaw" Layfield John Cena Edge Rob Van Dam Randy Orton Jeff Hardy Batista Sheamus The Miz CM Punk Rey Mysterio Alberto Del Rio Daniel Bryan Seth Rollins Roman Reigns World Heavyweight Champions Triple H Shawn Michaels Goldberg Chris Benoit Randy Orton Batista Kurt Angle Rey Mysterio King Booker The Undertaker Edge The Great Khali CM Punk Chris Jericho John Cena Jeff Hardy Jack Swagger Kane Dolph Ziggler Christian Mark Henry Big Show Daniel Bryan Sheamus Alberto Del Rio WWE Intercontinental Champions Pat Patterson Ken Patera Pedro Morales Don Muraco Tito Santana Greg Valentine Randy Savage Ricky Steamboat The Honky Tonk Man The Ultimate Warrior Rick Rude Mr. Perfect The Texas Tornado Bret Hart The Mountie Roddy Piper The British Bulldog Shawn Michaels Marty Jannetty Razor Ramon Diesel Jeff Jarrett Dean Douglas Goldust Ahmed Johnson Marc Mero Hunter Hearst Helmsley/Triple H Rocky Maivia/The Rock Owen Hart Stone Cold Steve Austin Ken Shamrock Val Venis Road Dogg The Godfather Edge D'Lo Brown Chyna Chris Jericho Kurt Angle Chris Benoit Rikishi Eddie Guerrero Billy Gunn Jeff Hardy Kane Albert Lance Storm Christian Test William Regal Rob Van Dam Booker T Randy Orton Shelton Benjamin Carlito Ric Flair Johnny Nitro/John Morrison Umaga Santino Marella Kofi Kingston CM Punk John "Bradshaw" Layfield Rey Mysterio Drew McIntyre Dolph Ziggler Wade Barrett/Bad News Barrett Ezekiel Jackson Cody Rhodes Big Show The Miz Curtis Axel Big E Langston/Big E Luke Harper Daniel Bryan Ryback Kevin Owens (current) Dean Ambrose WWE Tag Team Champions Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit Edge and Rey Mysterio Los Guerreros (Eddie Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero) Team Angle/The World's Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas) Eddie Guerrero and Tajiri The Basham Brothers (Doug Basham and Danny Basham) Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty Charlie Haas and Rico The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley) Billy Kidman and Paul London Kenzo Suzuki and René Duprée Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio MNM (Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro) The Legion of Doom (Animal and Heidenrich) Batista and Rey Mysterio Paul London and Brian Kendrick Deuce 'n Domino Montel Vontavious Porter and Matt Hardy John Morrison and The Miz Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder The Colóns (Carlito and Primo) Edge and Chris Jericho Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho and Big Show) D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) ShoMiz (Big Show and The Miz) The Hart Dynasty (David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd) Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes The Nexus (John Cena and David Otunga) The Nexus/The Corre (Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel) Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov John Cena and The Miz Big Show and Kane The Nexus (David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty) Air Boom (Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston) Primo & Epico Kofi Kingston and R-Truth Team Hell No (Kane and Daniel Bryan) The Shield (Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) Cody Rhodes/Stardust and Goldust The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn) The Usos The Miz and Damien Mizdow Tyson Kidd and Cesaro The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) (current) The Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) World Tag Team Champions 1970s Luke Graham and Tarzan Tyler Karl Gotch and Rene Goulet Mikel Scicluna and King Curtis Iaukea Chief Jay Strongbow and Sonny King Mr. Fuji and Professor Tanaka Haystacks Calhoun and Tony Garea Dean Ho and Tony Garea The Valiant Brothers (Jimmy Valiant and Johnny Valiant) Dominic DeNucci and Victor Rivera/Pat Barrett The Blackjacks (Blackjack Mulligan and Blackjack Lanza) Louis Cerdan and Tony Parisi The Executioners (Executioner #1 and Executioner #2) Chief Jay Strongbow and Billy White Wolf Dino Bravo and Dominic DeNucci The Yukon Lumberjacks (Lumberjack Eric and Lumberjack Pierre) Tony Garea and Larry Zbyszko Jerry Valiant and Johnny Valiant Ivan Putski and Tito Santana 1980s The Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika) Bob Backlund and Pedro Morales Tony Garea and Rick Martel The Moondogs (Moondog Rex and Moondog King/Moondog Spot) Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito Chief Jay Strongbow and Jules Strongbow Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson The North-South Connection (Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch) The U.S. Express (Mike Rotundo and Barry Windham) The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff The Dream Team (Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine) The British Bulldogs (Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith) The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) Strike Force (Rick Martel and Tito Santana) Demolition (Ax and Smash) The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard) The Colossal Connection (André the Giant and Haku) 1990s The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) The Legion of Doom (Animal and Hawk) Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase and Mike Rotundo/Irwin R. Schyster) The Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon) The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) The Quebecers (Jacques and Pierre) The 1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty Men on a Mission (Mabel and Mo) The Headshrinkers (Fatu and Samu) Two Dudes with Attitudes (Shawn Michaels and Diesel) The 1-2-3 Kid and Bob Holly The Smokin' Gunns (Billy Gunn and Bart Gunn) Owen Hart and Yokozuna The Bodydonnas (Skip and Zip) The Godwinns (Henry O. Godwinn and Phineas I. Godwinn) Owen Hart and the British Bulldog Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels Stone Cold Steve Austin and Dude Love The Headbangers (Mosh and Thrasher) The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn) Cactus Jack and Terry Funk Kane and Mankind Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart Kane and X-Pac The Acolytes/The APA (Bradshaw and Faarooq) The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy) The Unholy Alliance (Big Show and The Undertaker) The Rock 'n' Sock Connection (The Rock and Mankind) The Holly Cousins (Crash Holly and Hardcore Holly) Mankind and Al Snow 2000s The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley) and D-Von Dudley) Edge and Christian Too Cool (Grand Master Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty) Right to Censor (Bull Buchanan and The Goodfather) The Rock and The Undertaker The Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane) The Two-Man Power Trip (Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H) Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho Diamond Dallas Page and Chris Kanyon Chris Jericho and The Rock Booker T and Test Spike Dudley and Tazz Billy and Chuck Rico and Rikishi Edge and Hulk Hogan The Un-Americans (Christian and Lance Storm) The Hurricane and Kane Christian and Chris Jericho Booker T and Goldust William Regal and Lance Storm Chief Morley and Lance Storm Kane and Rob Van Dam La Résistance (Sylvain Grenier and René Duprée) Evolution (Batista and Ric Flair) Booker T and Rob Van Dam Chris Benoit and Edge La Résistance (Sylvain Grenier and Rob Conway) Eugene and William Regal William Regal and Tajiri Rosey and The Hurricane Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch Big Show and Kane The Spirit Squad (Kenny, Mitch, Nicky, Johnny and Mikey) Ric Flair and Roddy Piper Rated-RKO (Edge and Randy Orton) John Cena and Shawn Michaels Paul London and Brian Kendrick Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes Batista and John Cena CM Punk and Kofi Kingston John Morrison and The Miz The Colóns (Carlito and Primo) Chris Jericho and Edge Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho and Big Show) D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) 2010s ShoMiz (Big Show and The Miz) The Hart Dynasty (Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith) WWE European Champions The British Bulldog Shawn Michaels Triple H Owen Hart D'Lo Brown X-Pac Shane McMahon Mideon Jeff Jarrett Mark Henry Val Venis Kurt Angle Chris Jericho Eddie Guerrero Perry Saturn Al Snow William Regal Crash Holly Test Matt Hardy The Hurricane Bradshaw Christian Diamond Dallas Page Spike Dudley Jeff Hardy Rob Van Dam Royal Rumble winners Jim Duggan (1988) Big John Studd (1989) Hulk Hogan (1990 & 1991) Ric Flair (1992) Yokozuna (1993) Bret Hart and Lex Luger (1994) Shawn Michaels (1995 & 1996) Stone Cold Steve Austin (1997, 1998 & 2001) Mr. McMahon (1999) The Rock (2000) Triple H (2002 & 2016) Brock Lesnar (2003) Chris Benoit (2004) Batista (2005 & 2014) Rey Mysterio (2006) The Undertaker (2007) John Cena (2008 & 2013) Randy Orton (2009) Edge (2010) Alberto Del Rio (2011) Sheamus (2012) Roman Reigns (2015) King of the Ring winners Don Muraco (1985) Harley Race (1986) Randy Savage (1987) "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase (1988) Tito Santana (1989) Bret Hart (1991 & 1993) Owen Hart (1994) Mabel (1995) Stone Cold Steve Austin (1996) Triple H (1997) Ken Shamrock (1998) Billy Gunn (1999) Kurt Angle (2000) Edge (2001) Brock Lesnar (2002) Booker T (2006) William Regal (2008) Sheamus (2010) Bad News Barrett (2015) The Streak Main articles The Undertaker WrestleMania Brock Lesnar (21–1: end of the Streak) WrestleMania Streak opponents (21–0) Jimmy Snuka (1–0) Jake Roberts (2–0) Giant González (3–0) King Kong Bundy (4–0) Diesel (5–0) Sycho Sid (6–0) Kane (7–0) The Big Boss Man (8–0) Triple H (9–0) Ric Flair (10–0) Big Show and A-Train (11–0) Kane (12–0) Randy Orton (13–0) Mark Henry (14–0) Batista (15–0) Edge (16–0) Shawn Michaels (17–0) Shawn Michaels (18–0) Triple H (19–0) Triple H (20–0) CM Punk (21–0) D-Generation X Members Shawn Michaels Triple H Chyna Rick Rude X-Pac The New Age Outlaws Road Dogg Billy Gunn Tori The Authority Current members Mr. McMahon Stephanie McMahon Triple H First incarnation Batista Billy Gunn Dean Ambrose Kane Randy Orton Road Dogg Roman Reigns Seth Rollins Second incarnation Big Show Jamie Noble Joey Mercury Kane Seth Rollins Associated groups Big Show and Kane Evolution The New Age Outlaws The Shield See also The Corporation The McMahon-Helmsley Faction WWE Workout Series McMahon family 1st generation Jess McMahon 2nd generation Vince McMahon, Sr. 3rd generation Vince McMahon 4th generation Shane McMahon Stephanie McMahon In-laws Linda McMahon Paul "Triple H" Levesque Marissa Mazzola

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