Tag: Paul Levesque

Triple H on NXT changes, WWE training philosophies, welcoming competition

Posted on by Josh Nason

In a rare interview, Paul “Triple H” Levesque spoke about the transition the black and gold version of NXT made to 2.0, why they made the move to training wrestlers from scratch vs. recruiting from the indies, and why competition is good for WWE as a whole.

Speaking with The Athletic, Levesque said after transitioning NXT to USA from WWE Network, the pandemic changed their focus in working in front of no fans and hurt both the recruitment and training of talent for nearly two years.

“Then we said, ‘OK, let’s reboot it and go back to what we originally were.’ Some of these people won’t be ready for television, but we’re gonna put them on television, and we believe the audience is invested enough that the numbers might come down, but a core group of them will stay, and now you’re creating fresh stars all the time. That’s where we are now. The numbers have stabilized,” he said.

He said the shift toward 2.0 and more churn on the roster was something they were already talking about, but that it happened to take place “at a period of time where I had to leave for a bit.” 

Build your own vs. recruit from the indies

Levesque said that over time, he realized that the NFL parts ways with up to 500 players a year which helps contribute to a larger pool of athletes from which they can recruit vs. a smaller pool of indie talent where “you’ve almost got to be someone with nothing else going on or can’t take no for an answer and dig and dig and dig.”

“If you take that (athlete) pool and ten or five percent have big personalities that would be good for your business, you’re talking about a talent pool that’s 1000 times bigger than right now,” he said.

He admitted that there are going to be some cases where they will miss and realize they were wrong in not signing certain talent, but “at some point, they’ll want to be part of the biggest promotion in the world and come back here.”

Levesque said their numbers of trainees force them to be more regimented into whether they have a future in WWE. In the past, he said they would give new talent more time to figure things out, but in the current day, they will have a better gauge after six months on whether recruits will have an aptitude for pro wrestling.

Former NXT stars making it elsewhere

Levesque said he likes that former NXT talent that have made it big elsewhere and are happy for them, equating it to when players leave football teams and move to other teams.

“I like to think they came into us here, we taught them a lot, got them to (a higher level) where they learned how to do television, how to be professionals and all that to be successful there. At some point, they might come back with us, or they might never because they don’t fit our brand as well, but that’s ok.”

Competition is good for everyone

Levesque said he welcomes competition, saying it’s great and makes everybody sharper. 

”You get lazy if you’re all there is and everybody goes about their business. The end of the day, it’ll make us better, and we’ll all be better for it. All those things have forced us to be in a better place right now. Not that we wouldn’t have gotten there anyway, but we had to do it quicker in some manner. That’s an important piece of it, right?”

Levesque did make an interesting comparison to WWE and other groups like AEW without mentioning them directly.

“There’s room for everybody to do it. It’s like saying the USFL or XFL is starting up and the NFL is panicking about market share. It’s just going to increase people’s love for football. If you love football that much, you’ll watch all of the football, and it’s great. But the NFL is not sweating that.”

Triple H speaks at WWE talent meeting, offers advice to roster

Posted on by Ian Carey

Paul “Triple H” Levesque spoke to the WWE roster at a talent meeting ahead of WrestleMania 38. 

As first reported by Fightful, the 52-year-old’s appearance was a surprise. He told those in attendance to “take time to enjoy this” and addressed his recent health challenges. It was said to have been an emotional scene with many attendees happy to see him there. 

Nick Khan also addressed the roster at the meeting. He notified talent that they will now receive additional compensation from WWE’s partnerships with third parties such as Cameo, as well as from autograph signings and other appearances. 

In an interview with Metro UK, Kevin Owens spoke about Levesque’s message to the roster. 

“He came back after not seeing everybody for a long time and he spoke about everything that he’s been through. The message he had was, “Take the time to enjoy this.”

“Man, that really resonated,” Owens continued. “But I’d already tried to frame myself that way for the last little while. It really changes everything, once you change your perspective on things.”

WWE’s Triple H talks genetic heart issue, staying quiet during recovery, scouting talent

Posted on by Ian Carey

Paul “Triple H” Levesque has opened up about his family history of heart problems, staying quiet during his recovery, as well as what WWE looks for when scouting talent. 

During a sit-down interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith released Friday, Levesque went into further details about the cardiac event he suffered last September. 

“When they got inside, I basically genetically had a 99.9% blockage in my left anterior descending artery, which is what they call the widowmaker. My heart had started to create a secondary pathway, but that was clogged as well. So, I was basically moments away. If I’d have thrown a clot of any type or had any kind of thickening, I was gone,” he said.

He also disclosed a family history of heart-related problems. 

“My dad had a triple bypass at 62, my grandfather passed away at 70 from heart disease. I didn’t know, I just found out a couple of weeks prior to that my great-grandfather had died at 52, sudden death. So, it was a genetic issue,” he said.

Levesque made few public statements in the months following his cardiac event. He was asked why he decided to stay quiet during this time. 

“The not saying anything was not knowing. Then you’re in the thick of it and it’s like this whirlwind of stuff coming in that you’re confused about. You don’t want to speak about something and be wrong on it and have to go back later and correct yourself.”

He also spoke about the next generation of athletes that are on a path to becoming WWE wrestlers.

“There’s a whole generation of kids and athletes that grew up watching WWE to be the biggest form of entertainment they knew of. They see the Rock, they see guys like the Undertaker that have transcended generations and transcended WWE to become household names globally.”

Levesque continued to speak on scouting and discovering talent to bring into WWE. 

“Larger than life is what we’re after. Nobody pays to see their next door neighbor. Their next door neighbor lives next door, you don’t need to pay, just look out your window. They want to see somebody larger than life that they can’t believe exists. When you look around today, you see that already. When you look back 10 years from now, you’re going to see Roman Reigns as one of those transcendent figures. I think you’re going to see people like Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair as those transcending figures.” 

Levesque also addressed Pat McAfee participating in WrestleMania this year.

“Pat has performed in-ring for us before and just blew everybody’s mind with how good he was at this. A little known fact about Pat is that he really wanted to be in WWE, went and bought himself a ring, threw it in his barn and has been training in it for years.” 

Triple H ‘back’ in WWE executive role, has to step back a little bit while recovering

Posted on by Joseph Currier

While speaking with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Paul “Triple H” Levesque discussed his future with WWE now that he’s retired from in-ring competition.

Levesque announced his retirement as an in-ring performer during the interview with Smith. When asked about his role as a WWE executive, Levesque said he’s not letting that go. Levesque said he’s back at the office but, in some manner, has to step back a little bit while recovering from his health issues.

“My foot’s not off the gas. I suppose in some manner I’ve got to step back a little bit. I’m still in recovery and my endurance is not exactly quite what it used to be before,” Levesque said.

“But right now, I’m back. I’m at the office. I am fully focused on recruiting and development of our talent in the future. Whether that’s building more Performance Centers, whether that’s finding the next young stud that’s out there — male or female. Like Gable Steveson… recently two-time NCAA champion, gold medalist at the Olympics. His next step is, as you saw him leaving his shoes on the mat the other day, his next step is with WWE and with us. It’s finding that. It’s creating that future. That’s the biggest focus for me. And as we move forward from there, it’s making sure that WWE is a success for generations to come.”

Levesque is WWE’s executive vice president of global talent strategy and development.

WWE announced in September 2021 that Levesque had undergone a successful procedure following a “cardiac event.” Levesque told Smith that, even before his health issues, he was already at a place where he was comfortable being done with in-ring wrestling unless the right idea came along. Levesque said he did have a conversation with Vince McMahon about doing something at WrestleMania 38 in Dallas, but those plans were shut down once Levesque’s health scare happened.

Levesque full 15-minute interview on “Stephen A’s World” is available to watch below:

WWE’s Triple H announces in-ring retirement, talks near-death experience

Posted on by Josh Nason

In a clip from an extended interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith that will be released later Friday, WWE’s Paul “Triple H” Levesque said that he is done in the ring and nearly died during last September’s cardiac event.

“As far as in-ring, I’m done. I would never wrestle again. I have a defibrillator in my chest so it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to get zapped on live TV,” he said.

In September 2021, Levesque suffered what WWE called a “cardiac event” that Smith later said was a genetic heart disorder.

Levesque said his problems started when he had viral pneumonia and inflamed lungs and that it got increasingly worse when he was recovering at home.

He said that his wife, Stephanie McMahon, saw he was coughing up blood and was told by medical personnel shortly thereafter to head to the emergency room as soon as possible. 

Levesque explained that a good ejection fraction of the human heart (a measurement of the percentage of blood leaving your heart each time it contracts) is between 55-60%. When he was told to go to the ER, he was at 30%.

At the time he was admitted, he was at 22%.

“I was in heart failure…bad,” he said, later saying it dropped to 11% by the next morning when he was getting more tests.

“I was nosediving and at the one-yard-line of where you don’t want to be for your family and your future,” he said.

He got emotional when talking about the real life consequences of his situation, especially with three young daughters.

“There are moments when they are putting you out for stuff and you think ‘Is this it?’ Do you wake up…that’s tough to swallow,” he said. “It makes you think differently about life. It doesn’t make you any less driven for the things you want to do, but it certainly makes you appreciate the things you have — your friends and your family.”

The full 15-minute-interview will air on Smith’s ESPN+ show at 5:30 PM Eastern.

Triple H comments on WWE NIL ‘Next in Line’ recruiting program

Posted on by Ethan Renner

In some of his first public comments since undergoing surgery following a cardiac event,  WWE’s executive vice president of global talent strategy and development Paul “Triple H ” Levesque spoke about WWE’s new NIL recruiting program.

In an interview with Fast Company, Triple H touted the NIL program as an “amazing recruiting tool.”

“We immediately saw it as an amazing recruiting tool for us because it allows us to show athletes a path to WWE, and engage with them in a way where they can learn more about it, we can learn more about them, all while working together, and finding out if it’s a good fit before they’re even finished college, and before they need to make any decisions about what they’re going to do in that next stage of their life,” Triple H told Fast Company. 

“We’ve put a lot of effort into recruiting athletes and finding athletes to let them know WWE is a potentially lucrative opportunity for them if they’re interested and passionate about it.”

The NCAA’s NIL rules changed in June 2021, allowing college athletes to legally earn money from their name, image and likeness for the first time. The rule change allowed WWE to sign Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson to a contract while he finishes his senior year at the University of Minnesota. 

Triple H said that Steveson was an exception to the types of contracts that WWE may offer due to his Olympic pedigree. 

“The deals might range from the lower end, which would still help them make ends meet while at school,” he said. “Of course, if you’re bringing an Olympic gold medal to the table, it’s a different conversation.”

“It opens us up to a whole world of athletes that we’ve never been able to connect with in this way,” Triple H said. “For us, the next generation of superstars will come out of this program.”

WWE announced on September 8 that Triple H had undergone surgery the previous week  following a cardiac episode caused by a genetic heart issue.

WWE’s Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque recovering from cardiac event

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: WWE

WWE announced Wednesday that longtime star and current executive Paul “Triple H” Levesque suffered what they are calling a cardiac event last week.

“Paul Levesque, a.k.a. Triple H, underwent a successful procedure last week at Yale New Haven Hospital following a cardiac event. The episode was caused by a genetic heart issue and Paul is expected to make a full recovery.”

No other details were provided.

The 52-year-old has been semi-retired since 2018, wrestling sparingly at events like WrestleMania and the Saudi Arabia super shows. He hasn’t been in the ring since June 2019.

He was in Las Vegas for SummerSlam weekend and led the open tryouts the company had there.

Levesque is WWE’s executive VP of global talent strategy & development and is a driving force behind NXT which has been in the news lately due to philosophy changes led by his father-in-law Vince McMahon that include a new approach to recruiting and a new look.

Levesque has been married to WWE’s chief brand officer Stephanie McMahon since 2003. The couple has three daughters.

HHH NXT TakeOver media call: Fan frustration, NWA all-women’s PPV

Posted on by Josh Nason

Paul “Triple H” Levesque spoke to the media Thursday afternoon prior to Sunday’s NXT TakeOver and gave some rarely aired frustrations regarding how people view pro wrestling these days.

The full audio is available for free down below.

While answering a question about frustrations regarding talents being misused when they get called up to the main roster, Levesque said the following:

“It’s so funny to me sometimes how in our business, everyone is so worried about where someone is going to go or land or how is this going to play out long-term in the future. How about watch it? Do you like it or do you not like it? Do you have to say ‘I like it, but I like this other thing more.” Just watch it or don’t.”

“And stop trying to figure out where everything goes. Fans ruin their own stuff half the time trying to figure out where everything goes and why it’s going there and how, and then trying to pick up their phone and search for the thing to find out what it is can ruin it for them so they aren’t surprised when it happens. I don’t understand that.”

He was also asked about whether they will send talent to the NWA all-women’s PPV headed up by Mickie James or do their own show again. Levesque said they have already done that and to him, equality is equality. If he did an all-men’s show, he would get criticised for that. 

He then questioned James’ line about wanting the best regardless of contractual status without mentioning her by name. “From a businessperson’s standpoint, why do we have contractual status? It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

“If you want to wrestle the best women in the world, come to WWE,” Levesque said.

For the rest of the call, including an update on the SummerSlam weekend TakeOver and the Million Dollar Title, click below.

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HHH NXT TakeOver media call: Undertaker, Tuesday move, Jericho

Posted on by Josh Nason

Prior to next week’s busy schedule before WrestleMania, Paul “HHH” Levesque talked to the media about the impending two nights of TakeOver, the move to Tuesday nights, the Undertaker’s recent comments about the current day product, and more.

Full audio is available below.

Levesque said he didn’t know about Chris Jericho doing the Steve Austin podcast until today, but wasn’t surprised as Vince McMahon has always said they are open for business.

Asked about Undertaker’s recent comments about the product being “soft,” Levesque said everyone is welcome to their own opinion and that he respects Undertaker’s opinion and will take it into account. He is looking forward to working with him again and elevating things on a variety of levels.

He said Wednesday’s TakeOver simulcast on WWE Network/Peacock will not feature ad breaks on the Peacock side of things. They are still working with USA and Peacock to figure out how it’s going to work logistically.

He talked positively about the move to Tuesday nights and about how they progressing in moving from WWE Network to USA, maintaining the audience, and being in this for the long term.

He put over how hard Omos and Bad Bunny have been working at the Performance Center, noting their daily appearances and work ethic in getting better.

He answered a question about AJ Styles pestering him for a WrestleMania match and that he views his in-ring days as a bonus and doesn’t have the time to commit to the preparation for such a match. He was flattered at Styles asking and didn’t completely shut the door on an in-ring return, adding Ric Flair bugs him all the time about getting back in the ring.

For more, including his thoughts on some amateur wrestling prospects for WWE, the Heritage Cup being defended in NXT, and more, click below.

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HHH post-TakeOver audio: Eli Drake/LA Knight, MSK, Io Shirai

Posted on by Josh Nason

Paul “HHH” Levesque talked to the media after Sunday’s NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day, discussing the signing of Eli Drake, the importance of coaching, and how impressed he is with MSK.

Full audio is available below, but here are some highlights:

  • Levesque said that as far as he knows, everyone came out of the show injury free.
  • On the signing of Eli Drake/LA Knight, Levesque said he was a fan of his when he was in the system the first time. The time was right for both sides to have him come back and it was a smooth process to get him back. “We’re going to run with it and see where we can go.”
  • He said despite a table spot going awry, Io Shirai, Mercedes Martinez and Toni Storm didn’t miss a beat in their match, saying the best performers are those who can ad lib and work through things on the fly. He also put over Shirai’s versatility inside and outside the ring.
  • Several times on the call, he said how impressed he and the coaches have been with MSK. He said they have taken every opportunity given to them thus far and knocked it out of the park.

To hear the entire 30 minute call, just click below.

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HHH TakeOver audio: COVID testing, Drake Maverick, cinematic matches

Posted on by Josh Nason

Paul “HHH” Levesque spoke with the media Thursday afternoon, answering questions about NXT Takeover, Drake Maverick’s contract situation, and even COVID-19 testing which appeared to catch the WWE EVP slightly off guard with his answer.

The full audio can be heard for free by clicking below.

  • Levesque was asked if the company is doing COVID-19 testing and if not, why. Levesque never directly answered with a yes or no, instead saying that WWE’s medical experts work with the CDC and the local/federal government on the best approach for them to take to ensure wellness of their performers. He questioned the accuracy of the various types of testing and said that when accurate, widespread testing is made available, they will do so. He said their medical protocols are extensive and most importantly “they’ve worked.”
  • Levesque said that Maverick, who didn’t win the NXT Cruiserweight title Wednesday but was announced as signed to NXT afterward, really caught on through the course of the tourney and it was hard to ignore what was happening. Levesque said the tourney was booked out and then, he was part of the releases. He was given the option to continue and he took it. He put over what a great guy Maverick is and how much he loves, and wants to be in, WWE.
  • Levesque also said that Sunday’s Adam Cole/Velveteen Dream title match will done “out of the arena, off site” but stopped short of saying it would be cinematic. “There will be a ring and this will be what we do” but will be shot differently and in a different environment. The match has already been taped, but the rest of Sunday’s show will be live.
  • He loved the recent cage fight between Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher and wants to use it again to help settle grudge matches. 
  • He said that they are paying attention to what’s happening in Florida with the Phase 2 expansion and the ability to bring in fans, but wants to only do so when it’s safe for everyone.

For the rest of the call, just click below.

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NXT TakeOver Portland media call: Lesnar-Riddle, AEW, Simone Johnson

Posted on by Josh Nason

WWE COO Paul “HHH” Levesque spoke with the media for nearly an hour Wednesday for his customary pre-TakeOver conference call, the audio of which you can listen to by clicking the red button below.

Topics on the call included:

  • Why NXT isn’t beating AEW in the key demos on Wednesday nights and why that is
  • What he knows about the recent Brock Lesnar/Matt Riddle rumors
  • The decision making behind dropping “women’s” from the NXT women’s title
  • Whether Rhea Ripley and the Charlotte Flair angle takes away from the specialness of her on TakeOver
  • The Simone Johnson signing and the immense spotlight on her as she begins her journey
  • Why there wasn’t a Halftime Heat show this year
  • Whether Shayna Baszler is a full-time member of Raw or not
  • The recent signings of Killer Kross and Timothy Thatcher
  • An upcoming announcement of a schedule change due to a Full Sail commitment

NXT TakeOver is this Sunday in Portland, OR, for what he called a WrestleMania weekend-esque show.

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NXT conference call: HHH on UK future, possibility of more TakeOvers

Posted on by F4W Staff

On Wednesday, WWE COO Paul “Triple H” Levesque did his usual rounds, holding a media conference call discussing this Saturday’s NXT TakeOver event and the happenings around the “third brand”.

Among the highlights:

  • He gave an update on his pectoral surgery.
  • He discussed how this War Games will be different than last year and what they learned.
  • He discussed international expansion effors and some “big announcements” planned for early-2019.
  • He talked about NXT being a true “third brand” and how some main roster talents could find their way to NXT.
  • He talked about the possibility of more TakeOvers now that NXT UK exists.
  • He answered whether there are immediate plans for NXT UK touring.
  • He was asked about some of the recent hirings and how they are bringing in some older talent than they used to.
  • He discussed the culture of the Performance Center and what’s helped make it that way.

Hear all that and more by clicking below:

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HHH confirms WWE women’s tournament, not a fan of intergender matches

Posted on by Josh Nason

In an interview with the Fox Sports’ Wrestling Compadres podcast, WWE COO Paul “HHH” Levesque confirmed that a WWE women’s tournament is happening this year, likely this summer.

The podcast aired a clip from the interview Wednesday with the full interview set to be released this Friday. You can listen below, starting at the 21:30 mark.

Subscribers to this site have known of these plans for quite some time, both from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and Wrestling Observer Radio. Dave Meltzer originally reported the long-discussed tourney was tentatively earmarked for May on the WWE Network.

Levesque said that the difficult thing has been trying to find the right time for the tournament, given their current schedule and the ever-changing landscape of WWE. He mentioned the UK tournament fit perfectly prior to the Royal Rumble and that he is hoping the women’s tourney can happen this summer.

The plan is to recruit very similarly to the WWE Cruiserweight Classic where they “scour the globe” and find some talents that may be flying under the radar, increasing the talent pool for WWE as a whole.

Levesque was also asked about intergender matches and while he understands that they may work for some smaller groups as shock entertainment value, he didn’t think the WWE fanbase would be ready for a male to be seen beating up a woman in the ring. He prefers the women being able to stand out on their own athletic merits.