Tag: Paul Levesque

Triple H visits new WWE Saudi office ahead of Royal Rumble

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Ahead of the Royal Rumble, Paul “Triple H” Levesque stopped by WWE’s new office in Saudi Arabia for a visit.

The office, located in Riyadh, opened in the latter half of 2025, with WWE calling it a key step in strengthening their presence in the Middle East/North Africa region. Levesque tweeted out a few pictures from his visit today and hyped that exciting things are being planned for the future.

“So great to spend some time before #RoyalRumble in our brand new KAFD [King Abdullah Financial District] @WWE office with our amazing GEA [General Entertainment Authority] partners,” Levesque wrote. “Exciting things to come in the future.”

When opening the office, WWE said it would help bring the company closer to its partners.

Saudi official Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, is the key person in the government handling the WWE partnership. The controversial relationship between the two sides began in 2018 and has grown recently with Riyadh set to host Royal Rumble 2026 this afternoon and WrestleMania 43 in 2027. This is the first time either of those marquee events is being held in Saudi Arabia.

A temporary outdoor stadium that was built over just a few short weeks is the venue for today’s Rumble.

Triple H weighs in on ring work vs. mic skills debate

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Paul “Triple H” Levesque believes charisma is the most important element in making a successful professional wrestler.

Whether ring skills or mic skills are more important has been a frequently debated topic among fans — and Levesque weighed in during an appearance on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike this week. He was asked whether he would rather have a wrestler who is an A+ in the ring and a C on the mic or a wrestler who is an A+ on the mic but a C in the ring.

“I’ll go on the mic,” Levesque responded. “The thing about our business, when people ask me what’s key in our business, the king is charisma. It always is, it always will be. It’s not a knock on anybody, but as you go through the years, you can make a list of the biggest stars, the people that transcended the business in the biggest way, the biggest stars. Sometimes they weren’t the most athletic. Sometimes they weren’t the best wrestlers. They weren’t the best technically skilled wrestlers, but they captivated people’s emotions. It’s what they did. John Cena captivated people’s emotions. Hulk Hogan captivated emotions. Hulk Hogan wasn’t the most athletic by far of his generation, but [he] was the biggest star by far of his generation because he had charisma. It is the biggest thing that you can have.

“I think that you see it in other sports as well. I think that sometimes charisma can carry people to unbelievable moments in their careers, and it makes them bigger stars all the way around. So that’s king in our business. Look, I’m not going to say that in-ring skill doesn’t matter. It absolutely matters, especially in today. You have to be able to deliver in that ring, but you’ve got to be able to get them to tune in first.”

Elsewhere in the Unsportsmanlike interview, Levesque was asked to name the one wrestling storyline that he did not write but wishes that he did. Levesque chose the Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon rivalry, saying he doesn’t know if he could have made that story even bigger than it was but would have liked to give it a shot.

Levesque appeared on both Unsportsmanlike and ESPN’s Get Up during his media tour to promote the Royal Rumble, which is being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this Saturday. Levesque hyped that there are a lot of surprises in store at the PLE.

Triple H has had discussions with AJ Styles about potential final WWE opponents

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Paul “Triple H” Levesque has had discussions with AJ Styles about which opponents he’d like to face before ending his in-ring career.

While appearing on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike today, Levesque was asked if Saturday’s bout against Gunther at the Royal Rumble could really be Styles’ final match. Levesque kept kayfabe with his answer but noted that he’s had regular conversations with Styles about the goals he has for the remainder of his run.

“We’re going to have to see,” Levesque said. “You know, AJ Styles has not made it a secret this year, 2026, is going to be his last in-ring year. But he has a lot of goals and a lot of people — I know he’s with me every week making a list of people that he would want to face and that he wants to meet in the ring before he retires.

“But as Gunther was disrespecting John Cena about doing the one thing he said he would never do, which is quit or give up, Gunther made [Cena] do that in his final match. AJ Styles has taken offense to that. He put his career on the line against Gunther, saying that if he can’t beat him, if he can’t end this streak for Gunther, then he’s done.

“I, for one, hope that that doesn’t happen. I hope AJ Styles continues because he’s an incredible talent. But if it does, what an unbelievable run he’s had.”

Styles vs. Gunther is happening in Saudi Arabia on Saturday as part of the card for the Royal Rumble PLE. With Gunther having already retired Goldberg and Cena and now looking to do the same to Styles, WWE has filed a “Career Killer” trademark for Gunther’s new nickname.

If Styles makes it through Saturday, it’s unclear when his final match will take place. The only timeline he’s put on his retirement is that his last match will definitely happen in 2026.

Triple H addresses R-Truth WWE contract ordeal: ‘He was never fired’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

To promote the new season of “WWE: Unreal,” Netflix has released a sneak peek with Paul “Triple H” Levesque addressing R-Truth’s contract saga from 2025.

Season two of the “Unreal” docuseries arrives on Netflix tomorrow (January 20). One of the focal points will be WWE’s controversial decision to not renew Truth’s contract last year, which sparked fan outcry and ultimately led to Truth being brought back without ever having officially departed WWE.

In the “Unreal” clip, Levesque frames WWE’s decision to not renew as one that was made because communication had broken down between the two sides in contract negotiations. Levesque says that, by making the decision they did, WWE was hoping Truth might change his mind and engage them on a new deal. Instead, Truth took to social media and said he was being released.

“We got to a point in Truth’s run where his contract was coming up,” Levesque says in the clip. “When you are dealing with contracts and money and you’re very far apart in the numbers and communication breaks down, it’s very easy for both sides to read into the communications differently. ‘Okay, well, if you’re not going to come to us, then Truth, we’re going to let your contract lapse. Your contract is at the end. We’re not going to renew.’ Knowing that hopefully maybe this will force his hand to say, ‘Well, hold on a second. Can we talk?’ He immediately went out on social and said he was fired — which, he was never fired, contrary to prior belief. He was never not under contract with us.”

Brief comments from Truth and Brian “Road Dogg” James are also included in the clip. Truth says that, when he was informed of WWE’s decision, he felt like he was being released. James — who is good friends with Truth and is his former tag team partner — called WWE’s decision heartbreaking but believes it made perfect business sense considering that Truth is in his 50s.

The outcry from fans, along with Truth receiving significant support from his colleagues, led to WWE reversing course and signing Truth to a new long-term contract. WWE President Nick Khan played a significant role in making the deal happen.

Celebs star in new WWE WrestleMania 42 promo video

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has released a new celebrity-laden video promoting WrestleMania 42.

With the calendar flipping over to 2026, WrestleMania is now just over three months away. The promotional push to the event has already included advertisements highlighting the WWE men’s division and women’s division — and the company uploaded a new video today with Paul “Triple H” Levesque and a litany of celebrities.

In the comedic video, the celebs contact Levesque all trying to get roles on WrestleMania. Peyton Manning, Jon Bernthal, Pete Davidson, Cooper DeJean, Eric Andre, IShowSpeed, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lil Yachty, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton, Tony Hinchcliffe, Cam Skattebo, and Travis Barker are all featured.

Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is hosting WrestleMania 42 on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19. This is Vegas’ second straight year hosting Mania, with WrestleMania 41 also having been held at Allegiant Stadium in 2025.

“WrestleMania Vegas. Everybody wants in,” the promo video says. “Also, please stop emailing Paul. And texting him.”

The WrestleMania card has yet to come into focus, but we’ll start to get a clearer picture with the Royal Rumble taking place in Saudi Arabia at the end of this month. Riyadh is hosting that PLE on Saturday, January 31.

Triple H explains why WWE avoids stereotypical characters

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Avoiding stereotypical characters is a conscious decision that Paul “Triple H” Levesque makes as WWE’s Chief Content Officer.

During his appearance at the All-In 2025 business summit, Levesque was asked if he believes it’s harder now for WWE to have characters like The Iron Sheik who played on the geopolitical tension that existed at the time. Levesque said that, while WWE is a reflection of the world, he wants it to be a fun reflection where people can come and just enjoy entertainment.

“Absolutely,” Levesque responded. “I just think that if you stereotype somebody into a particular place, a lot of the world would rebel against that. Not in a positive way. And maybe sometimes people that have no real reason to have a position on either side of that, right?

“The one thing about WWE is: we’re a fun reflection of the world. It’s supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be entertainment. It’s supposed to be fantastical. It’s supposed to let you come to an event for three hours and just turn off and enjoy entertainment and some type of representation of the world that is around you. But people get lost in it and they begin to take the representations too seriously sometimes.”

When booking heels, Levesque wants them to be characters that have at least some justification in what they do.

“I have a saying in what I do right now, as long as the bad guy, the heel, is justified somewhere in his mind that what he is doing is right, that leads to the best heel, right? Because if 90 percent of the world disagrees with you but you believe, ‘No, you’re all wrong. I see this and it is right.’ You can run down that road. You’re not just trying to be the, you know, the curly mustache, bad guy heel tying people to the railroad tracks.

“It’s real. You feel it, and it’s real. And it’s why you want to get to that place, right or wrong, for most people.”

Levesque’s appearance at the All-In summit took place in September but was not uploaded until this week. Full video of the conversation can be seen below:

Triple H: Booking WWE is ‘much more akin to Marvel’ than UFC

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Paul “Triple H” Levesque believes there aren’t that many similarities between booking pro wrestling and booking MMA.

During an appearance on the All-In podcast (recorded in September but not uploaded until today), WWE’s Chief Content Officer was asked if he feels pressured to make the product more physical given how popular UFC is. Levesque responded that he thinks WWE and UFC are actually “total opposites” — though both are star-driven industries where fans are most interested in big personalities.

“We tell stories,” Levesque said. “People within our business sometimes take this wrong, but we don’t write the shows based on ‘That’ll be a great match.’ We write it on the stories that we can create, the protagonist, the antagonist, how does that work with each other, telling stories that can resonate with people that maybe they’ve experienced in their real life, some type of fantastical version of that.”

Levesque said the process of laying out WWE storyline arcs is more similar to plotting out movies in the Marvel Universe.

“I would say we’re much more akin to, like, the Marvel Universe, where you’re planning out long term where the movies fit and how they go with all the characters than we are direct MMA,” Levesque said. “At the end of the day, direct MMA is — you’re booking matches and the interest is, ‘That guy’s really good. He’s really good. I’m not sure who’s going to win. Let’s put them together.’ When you get the right personalities involved, then it explodes.”

Led by Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, WWE and UFC have the same ownership with both being under the TKO Group umbrella.

Triple H hypes ‘new landscape in WWE’ starting on Raw

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Tonight marks the beginning of a new landscape in WWE, according to Paul “Triple H” Levesque.

Promoting tonight’s episode of Raw, Levesque sent out a tweet hyping that “a new landscape in WWE” will begin on the show. It’s the first episode since Saturday Night’s Main Event, which saw CM Punk crowned the new World Heavyweight Champion. Punk will make his first appearance as champ tonight.

“A lot can happen on a Saturday night in @WWE,” Levesque wrote. “Four high-stakes matches…Two NEW world champions crowned…And a history-making announcement for December 13th…There’s a new landscape in WWE, starting tonight on #WWERaw.”

The other title change at SNME was SmackDown’s Jade Cargill defeating Tiffany Stratton to become the new WWE Women’s Champion. The history-making announcement Levesque is referring to is WWE’s upcoming tournament to determine John Cena’s final opponent.

WWE’s attention will turn toward Survivor Series: WarGames tonight ahead of the November 29 event. The official poster for the PLE — featuring Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed & Paul Heyman — was revealed this afternoon.

The Rio Rancho Event Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico is hosting Raw tonight. Here’s everything that’s been announced:

WWE Raw (Monday, November 3) —

  • New World Champion CM Punk appears
  • Stephanie Vaquer & Nikki Bella vs. Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez
  • World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles & Dragon Lee defend against Finn Balor & JD McDonagh
  • Stephanie Vaquer and Nikki Bella vs. Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez
  • Bayley & Lyra Valkyria vs. The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane)
  • Penta vs. El Grande Americano

WWE reveals official poster for Survivor Series: WarGames

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With last weekend’s Saturday Night’s Main Event now over, WWE is setting its sights toward Survivor Series: WarGames.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque revealed the official poster for the November 29 PLE on social media today. The poster highlights The Vision, who are likely to feature in the men’s WarGames match with Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed competing.

“A show so big and a match so brutal, it could only be held in a stadium,” Levesque wrote. “You don’t rise to the moment…you survive it.”

The competitors for the men’s and women’s WarGames matches have not been announced yet. Despite Seth Rollins being injured and no longer part of The Vision, plans are still for Breakker and Reed to lead a team against a babyface squad featuring new World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and Roman Reigns.

WarGames has been the theme of Survivor Series ever since Levesque took over as head of creative. He first brought the legendary Dusty Rhodes creation to WWE in 2017 while booking NXT.

Petco Park in San Diego — the home of Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres — will be the venue for Survivor Series. The show is taking place on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend and will stream live on the ESPN app in the United States and Netflix elsewhere.

Triple H praises work ethic of WWE Champion Cody Rhodes

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Paul “Triple H” Levesque is grateful to have Cody Rhodes leading the WWE roster right now.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Levesque praised the work ethic Rhodes has shown heading into Crown Jewel: Perth, crediting him for how he’s taken the time to do media and charity work — along with still working out in the gym — despite a hectic travel schedule. He praised Rhodes for showing the quarterback-type leadership that it takes to be a top WWE star.

“People only see results… they don’t see what it takes to achieve them,” Levesque wrote. “14 hours to Dubai. Find a gym in the airport… grind. 10 more to Perth. Straight to @ESPN hit… meet @MakeAWish
families.

“QB1 stuff. What it takes to be a @WWE Superstar. Thank you to all. (Sorry @CodyRhodes, felt like I needed to share)”

Rhodes — the WWE Champion — is facing World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel this Saturday. Neither of their titles are on the line, but the winner will become the Crown Jewel Champion for 2025. Rhodes is looking to repeat after defeating Gunther last year to become the first-ever men’s Crown Jewel Champion.

Saturday’s PLE has a start time of 8 a.m. Eastern, streaming live on the ESPN app in the United States and Netflix elsewhere. The women’s Crown Jewel Championship match will pit WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton against Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer.

AJ Styles accepts John Cena’s challenge for WWE match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Update —

AJ Styles has now responded to John Cena and accepted his challenge for a match. As of now, WWE has yet to make it official.

**********

It looks like we’re getting closer to AJ Styles being confirmed as one of John Cena’s final opponents.

On Monday night, Cena sent out a tweet teasing that he could face AJ Styles one more time. Cena then followed that up this morning with another post advocating for the match. Specifically, he asked Paul “Triple H” Levesque if he’s listening to what the fans are asking for.

“I do not choose my opponents, but I (even through tough times) ALWAYS listen to the fans,” Cena wrote. “@AJStylesOrg are you listening? Better yet @TripleH….. are YOU listening???”

Given that Cena does not have any WWE appearances on his schedule before Crown Jewel: Perth, these tweets could be WWE’s way of setting up his plans for that show. The PLE is taking place at RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia on October 11.

Including Crown Jewel, Cena has five WWE dates left on his retirement tour:

  • Saturday, October 11: WWE Crown Jewel: Perth (Perth, Australia)
  • Monday: November 10: WWE Raw (Boston, Massachusetts)
  • Monday, November 17: WWE Raw (New York City, New York)
  • Saturday, November 29: WWE Survivor Series (San Diego, California)
  • Saturday, December 13:  WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event (reportedly Washington, D.C.)

Styles is considered one of Cena’s best-ever opponents, with the two having had a classic series of matches in 2016-2018. During his retirement tour, there have been occasions where Cena has paid homage to some of his past opponents including Styles.

Cena is coming off a loss to Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza. Despite speculation, WWE is reportedly not planning for there to be another Cena vs. Lesnar match before Cena retires.

Triple H hypes WWE Wrestlepalooza: ‘Expect spectacle, expect surprises’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Paul “Triple H” Levesque is telling fans to expect surprises at WWE Wrestlepalooza.

One day before WWE’s ESPN era begins, Levesque made an appearance on the network to hype the start of their new PLE deal. He told ESPN’s Get Up that, unlike the traditional sports the channel usually airs, WWE controls the narrative and can ensure that viewers always get a great game. He promised that Wrestlepalooza will be a spectacle.

“This card is going to be huge,” Levesque said. “Expect spectacle, expect surprises, expect to have a lot of fun, and ESPN’s going to deliver.”

The PLE is taking place from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Saturday and will stream live on ESPN’s recently launched direct-to-consumer service. To kick off this new PLE era, John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar will be the opening match.

WWE Wrestlepalooza (7 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, September 20) —

  • Mixed tag match: AJ Lee & CM Punk vs. Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins
  • WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Drew McIntyre
  • Stephanie Vaquer vs. IYO SKY for the vacant Women’s World Championship
  • The Usos vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed
  • John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar

Triple H names current WWE dream opponent

Posted on by Joseph Currier

If Paul “Triple H” Levesque could return to the ring at the peak of his powers, he would love to face Roman Reigns again.

Levesque, who has not wrestled since 2019, retired from active competition in 2022 due to heart issues. A return to the ring will not be happening, and Levesque is “totally good” with how things have turned out. He now runs WWE creative as the company’s Chief Content Officer.

But Levesque told Good Morning America on Friday that, if he could face anyone from the current roster right now, it would be Reigns.

“If I got back in at this point I’d be wrestling Father Time is what I’d be doing. Nobody, mostly me, wants to see me back in the ring,” he said. “It’s hard for me to say. I think if — in this moment right now, a current superstar — if I could go back in time and do what I did in my peak, it would be Roman Reigns.

“He’s a great guy, incredible talent, incredible performer. Out making movies right now, still a WWE Superstar but branching out into Hollywood. He’s going to be a massive, massive [star].”

Levesque and Reigns headlined WrestleMania 32 against each other in 2016, though that was toward the end of Levesque’s career and before Reigns ascended into his Tribal Chief character.

At the moment, Reigns is away from WWE programming to film his role as Akuma in an upcoming live-action “Street Fighter” movie. He will not be part of the card for WWE Wrestlepalooza this Saturday. Cody Rhodes, who also has a role in the movie, has already finished filming and will be in action at Wrestlepalooza, defending the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre.

Triple H addresses whether WWE will add more two-night PLEs

Posted on by Joseph Currier

During an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter today, Paul “Triple H” Levesque addressed whether we could see more WWE PLEs become two-night events.

WrestleMania has been a two-night affair dating back to 2020, and the first two-night SummerSlam was held earlier this month. Levesque did not confirm whether more PLEs will become two-night shows in the future, but he told ESPN that WWE will continue to super-serve its fan base.

“As far as will more of our larger events go to two nights? I think time will tell,” Levesque said. “It’s really, for us, about super-serving our fans. Just like for ESPN, you guys thrive on super-serving your fan base and the people that watch. So do we. It’s what we want to do. So when we can turn these into bigger events, make them destination weekends for fans, that’s what we will do. It’s all about our fans — our WWE Universe — and making them happy.”

Along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam will again be two nights in 2026.

Levesque, CM Punk, and Seth Rollins all made appearances on ESPN today to celebrate the news that WWE’s new PLE deal with ESPN will begin earlier than expected with Wrestlepalooza in Indianapolis on Saturday, September 20. Levesque confirmed that Pat McAfee will be at the Wrestlepalooza event.

ESPN’s new streaming service — which will carry the WWE PLEs — launched today. It’s priced at $29.99 per month or $299.99 per year, though some viewers who already pay for ESPN through a cable package will get the service at no extra cost.

Triple H addresses Brock Lesnar’s WWE return on ESPN

Posted on by Joseph Currier

During his appearance on ESPN this morning to discuss WWE’s new partnership with the network, Paul “Triple H” Levesque addressed Brock Lesnar’s return to WWE.

Lesnar reemerged from a two-year absence at SummerSlam this past weekend, appearing for the first time since his name was mentioned in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE. The suit alleges that McMahon sent Lesnar explicit images and videos of Grant and offered Lesnar sex with Grant as an incentive of him signing a new contract with WWE.

ESPN’s Get Up asked Levesque what’s next for Lesnar following his return.

“Have you met Brock? Whatever the hell he wants,” Levesque responded. “When you’re Brock Lesnar, you sort of can — when that music hits and you walk down that aisle, doesn’t matter where he is, he sort of does what he wants to do. So we’re thrilled to have The Beast back. You know, we hit him up and said, ‘Time to come home.’ And he was into it, and here we are. A massive, massive moment for our WWE fans, something that they thought they wouldn’t get to see. And making a statement with John Cena. You know, huge — and we’re thrilled to have him back.”

There was no further discussion of Lesnar’s status past that.

Lesnar attacked Cena at the end of SummerSlam night two after Cena lost the WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes in the main event. WWE will follow up on the angle with Cena appearing live on SmackDown this Friday night.

Levesque’s appearance on Get Up came after it was announced that WWE PLEs will be moving away from Peacock in 2026 — when they will begin airing on ESPN’s new streaming service.