page_title: Triple H
section_title: The Authority (2013–2016)
hierarchical_section_title: Triple H / Professional wrestling career / World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE / The Authority (2013–2016)
caption_attribution_description: English: Triple H (left, real name Paul Michael Levesque) and Stephanie McMahon on the ring apron during the post-Wrestlemania RAW
context_page_description: Paul Michael Levesque, better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, professional wrestler, and actor. He is currently the Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development for WWE, as well as being the founder and Executive producer of NXT, and an occasional in-ring performer.
  Levesque was born and raised in Nashua, New Hampshire, and began his professional wrestling career in 1992 with the International Wrestling Federation under the ring name Terra Ryzing. In 1994, he joined World Championship Wrestling, where he was soon repackaged as a French-Canadian aristocrat named Jean-Paul Lévesque, and was later repackaged in 1995 when he signed with the World Wrestling Federation, where he became Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and later, Triple H.
  In WWF, Triple H gained industry fame after co-founding the influential D-Generation X stable, which became a major element of the "Attitude Era" in the 1990s. After winning his first WWF Championship in 1999, he became a fixture of the company's main event scene, and was widely regarded as the best wrestler in North America by the turn of the millennium.
context_section_description: 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 attacking Brad Maddox with a Pedigree. At the event, after Bryan won the match and the title, Triple H attacked Bryan with a Pedigree, allowing Randy Orton to cash in his Money in the Bank and win the title, turning heel for the first time since 2006. 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 October 7 episode of Raw, after "firing" Big Show, Show knocked him out in retaliation and was carried out by officials out of the arena. At the 2013 Slammy Awards, Triple H immediately performed a Pedigree on Orton after Bryan shoved him into Stephanie McMahon, despite Orton's shock.
  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 re-formed 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. 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 five-on-five tag team elimination match for Survivor Series, with a team representing The Authority facing a team captained by Cena. On the November 3 episode of Raw, Mr. McMahon announced that if Team Authority would lose, they would be removed from power. 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. 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. 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. 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 Ronda Rousey during a promo regarding the record crowd at the event.
  Throughout 2015, Triple H maintained his role as the leader of The Authority, and was involved in mediating issues between Seth Rollins and Kane. Over the summer, Triple H began to te
caption: Triple H and Stephanie McMahon as The Authority
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