Triple H

* No Way Out '01
* WrestleMania 16
* WrestleMania 18

**Paul Michael Levesque** (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name **Triple H** (an abbreviation of his original WWE ring name **Hunter Hearst Helmsley**), is an American professional wrestler.

## Background

### WrestleMania 2000 (2000)

The Rock won the Royal Rumble match to become the number one contender to the WWE Championship at WrestleMania by last eliminating The Big Show, and Triple H defeated Cactus Jack (Mick Foley) in a Street fight to retain the WWE Championship.

The proceeding month at No Way Out, The Big Show defeated The Rock to gain entry into the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania. Also at the event, Triple H defeated Foley in a Hell in a Cell match to retain the WWE Championship. Per the pre-match stipulation, Foley had to retire from professional wrestling.

On the March 13 edition of Raw is War, The Rock managed to win back his title shot by defeating the Big Show with help from a returning Vince McMahon, thus making the WWE Championship match a Triple Threat match. The following week, after Triple H retained his title against both The Rock and The Big Show, Linda McMahon added Mick Foley to the match, which thereby became a Fatal 4-Way match.

### WrestleMania X8 (2002)

At the Royal Rumble, Jericho defeated The Rock to retain the Undisputed WWF Championship on the same event where Triple H earned his opportunity to compete for the Undisputed WWF Championship at WrestleMania by winning the Royal Rumble match, last eliminating Kurt Angle. The following night on Raw, Triple H interrupted Jericho and warned to prove him that he's worthy enough to be in the main event. Meanwhile, some hostility between Triple H and his wife Stephanie was starting to show, with the face Triple H tired of Stephanie's heel characteristics. In order to recover their relationship, Stephanie suggested on *Raw* that the two should renew their wedding vows on the following week. At first Triple H refused, but Stephanie revealed that she was pregnant, making him change his mind. To further prove it, the two met a doctor on the next episode of *SmackDown!* with ultrasound images.

On the February 11 episode of Raw just before the wedding, Triple H was met with a phone call by his mother-in-law Linda McMahon, who had sent him a video tape revealing that the doctor was in fact an actor and that Stephanie was not pregnant. At the wedding, Triple H turned on Stephanie and attacked her along with her father Mr. McMahon, saying that their marriage was now over. During these weeks, Kurt Angle was given a match with Triple H's WrestleMania title shot on the line at No Way Out. In revenge for the ruined wedding, Mr. McMahon granted Stephanie the chance to be the special guest referee for the match. At No Way Out, with clear bias from Stephanie, Angle defeated Triple H for the title shot. The following night on Raw, WWF co-owner Ric Flair granted Triple H a rematch with Stephanie barred from the ring, enabling him to regain his title shot at Chris Jericho.

On the February 21 episode of *SmackDown!*, Jericho met with Stephanie and put their differences in the past, ending with Stephanie accepting Jericho's proposal to be his new business partner. To further the feud, Jericho later speculated that he ended the marriage by causing Triple H's quadriceps muscle to (legit) tear during their WWF Tag Team Championship match on the May 21, 2001 episode of Raw Is War, thus diverting Triple H's attention to his wife. Under the divorce settlement for the two, the assets would be split between them "fifty-fifty" to Stephanie's disgust. Among the assets were Triple H's first wrestling robe, Stephanie's Corvette (which Triple H later gave to her with half of it cut off) and Triple H's bulldog Lucy. Stephanie managed to win Lucy in the settlement and later on the March 11 episode of Raw sent Jericho to walk the dog. Displeased about this, Jericho tied Lucy to a limousine and ordered the unknowing driver to buy some air fresheners, running Lucy over into a critical condition by accident. Wanting retribution, Triple H stormed into the arena and tried to attack Stephanie, but he was met with two sledgehammer shots to his recovered leg by Jericho. On the following episode of *SmackDown!*, Stephanie noted that the sledgehammer shots had left Triple H's quad in a condition that one false move in his WrestleMania match could reinjure his quadriceps once again. At the end of the show, Triple H and Jericho had a brawl in the ring that almost ended with a Pedigree on Stephanie. However, Jericho saved her and locked the Walls of Jericho on Triple H, leaving the show with the advantage.

## In wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ *Pedigree* (Double underhook facebuster) – 1995–present
	+ *Pedigree Pandemonium / Pedigree Perfection* (Cutter) – 1994–1995; adopted from Diamond Dallas Page
	+ Inverted Indian deathlock – WCW; rarely used as regular move in WWF/E
	+ Sledgehammer shot

* **Signature moves**
	+ Abdominal stretch
	+ Arm-trap crossface – rarely used
	+ Blatant choke
	+ Chop block
	+ Facebreaker knee smash, often used as a back body drop counter
	+ Figure four leglock
	+ Flowing DDT
	+ High knee
	+ Jumping knee drop, rarely performed from the second/third rope
	+ Mounted punches
	+ Running clothesline
	+ Running neckbreaker
	+ Short-arm clothesline
	+ Sleeper hold
	+ Spinning spinebuster, often used as a counter to an upcoming opponent

* **Managers**
	+ Chyna
	+ The Court Jester
	+ Hornswoggle
	+ John Rodeo
	+ Mr. Majestic
	+ Mr. Perfect
	+ Ric Flair
	+ Rick Rude
	+ Shawn Michaels
	+ Stephanie McMahon
	+ Vito Carlucci

* **Wrestlers managed**
	+ Seth Rollins
	+ Stephanie McMahon
	+ Snitsky

* **Nicknames**
	+ **"The Cerebral Assassin"**
	+ "The Connecticut Blue Blood"
	+ **"The Game"**
	+ **"The King of Kings"**

* **Entrance themes**
	+ "Blue Blood" by Jim Johnston (April 28, 1995 – December 15, 1996)
	+ "Symphony No. 9 in D minor with the final chorus on Friedrich Schiller's Ode to Joy, Op. 125: IV. Presto. Allegro assai. Alla Marcia. Andante maestoso. Allegro energico,..." by Paul Kletzki and Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (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)
	+ "My Time (Instrumental)" 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)
	+ "The Game" by Drowning Pool (March 17, 2002; used only once at WrestleMania X8)

## Championships and accomplishments

* **International Wrestling Federation**
	+ IWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
	+ IWF Tag Team Champions (1 time) – with Perry Saturn
* ***Pro Wrestling Illustrated***
	+ Feud of the Year (2000) vs. Kurt Angle
	+ Feud of the Year (2004) vs. Chris Benoit
	+ Feud of the Year (2009) vs. Randy Orton
	+ Feud of the Year (2013) vs. Daniel Bryan – as a member of The Authority
	+ Match of the Year (2004) 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 Decade (2000–2009)
	+ Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2003–2005)
	+ Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2013) – as a member of The Authority
	+ Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2014) – with Stephanie McMahon
	+ Wrestler of the Decade (2000–2009)
	+ Wrestler of the Year (2008)
	+ Ranked No. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the *PWI 500* in 2000 and 2009
	+ Ranked No. 139 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the *PWI Years* in 2003
* **World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE**
	+ Unified WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shawn Michaels
	+ World Heavyweight Championship (5 times)
	+ WWF/WWE Championship (9 times)
	+ WWF/WWE Intercontinental Championship (5 times)
	+ WWF European Championship (2 times)
	+ WWF Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Stone Cold Steve Austin (1) and Shawn Michaels (1)
	+ King of the Ring (1997)
	+ Royal Rumble (2002, 2016)
	+ Road to WrestleMania Tournament (2006)
	+ Seventh Triple Crown Champion
	+ Second Grand Slam Champion
	+ Slammy Awards (3 times)
		- Best Hair (1997)
		- Match of the Year (2012) – vs. The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania XXVIII
		- OMG Moment of the Year (2011) – Triple H performing a *Tombstone Piledriver* on The Undertaker and The Undertaker kicking out at WrestleMania XXVII
* ***Wrestling Observer Newsletter***
	+ Best Booker (2015) with Ryan Ward
	+ Feud of the Year (2000) vs. Mick Foley
	+ Feud of the Year (2004) vs. Chris Benoit and Shawn Michaels
	+ Feud of the Year (2005) vs. Batista
	+ Wrestler of the Year (2000)
	+ Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (2002) Accusing Kane of murder and necrophilia (Katie Vick)
	+ Most Overrated (2002–2004, 2009)
	+ Readers' Least Favorite Wrestler (2002, 2003)
	+ Worst Feud of the Year (2002) vs. Kane
	+ Worst Feud of the Year (2006) with Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon
	+ Worst Feud of the Year (2011) vs. Kevin Nash
	+ Worst Worked Match of the Year (2003) vs. Scott Steiner at Royal Rumble
	+ Worst Worked Match of the Year (2008) vs. Edge and Vladimir Kozlov at Survivor Series
	+ Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2005)

## Trivia

* In *WWE 2K18*, his 2001 and 1998 attires serves as individual wrestlers, along with Big Boss Man, Bret Hart, Finn Bálor, Ricky Steamboat, and Shawn Michaels.
* He fought Undertaker multiple times at WrestleMania, along with Kane and Shawn Michaels.
* Triple H reuses his current titantron in *WWE 2K18*, despite he has the WWE Attitude minitron.