Paul Michael Levesque[5] (born July 27, 1969)[5] is a American professional wrestler and actor,[6] better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of his former ring name Hunter Hearst Helmsley. He currently wrestles for the SmackDown brand of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he is the reigning WWE Champion.[7]
Before joining WWE, Levesque began his wrestling career with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1993, wrestling under the ring name Terra Ryzing.[1] He changed his ring name to Jean-Paul Lévesque before joining the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1995.[2] His initial on-screen persona was that of wealthy sophisticate Hunter Hearst Helmsley. He later changed his name to Triple H and adopted an alternative image in the group D-Generation X (DX), a stable. After the dissolution of DX, Triple H was pushed as a main-event wrestler, winning several singles championships.[3] As part of a storyline, the scripted events in wrestling, Triple H married Stephanie McMahon, who later became his real-life spouse. In 2003, Triple H formed another stable known as Evolution,[3] and in 2006, briefly reformed DX with Shawn Michaels.[8]
Overall, Triple H is a twelve-time world champion: a seven-time and current WWE Champion, and a five-time World Heavyweight Champion.[9][10] In addition, he won the 1997 King of the Ring, the 2002 Royal Rumble, and was the second Grand Slam Champion.[3]
Outside wrestling, Levesque has made numerous guest appearances in film and on television. He is starring in the WWE Film, Journey of Death, which is due to release in 2009.[11]
Paul Levesque was born in Nashua, New Hampshire. In his youth, Levesque was a fan of professional wrestling and his favorite wrestler was Ric Flair.[2][4] He became aware of bodybuilding at the age of fourteen, and after graduating from high school in 1987, he entered several body building competitions.[12] He was crowned Teenage Mr. New Hampshire at the age of nineteen. During this time, he met Ted Arcidi and began to consider a career in professional wrestling.[4][12]
Levesque enrolled at Killer Kowalski's wrestling school in 1992 after it was recommended to him by Arcidi.[4][12] He joined the Independent Wrestling Federation (IWF), which used trainees from Kowalski's school in their promotion. Here, Levesque became the IWF Heavyweight Champion and started using the name Terra Ryzing.[1]
In early 1994, Levesque signed a one year contract with World Championship Wrestling (WCW).[4][13] In his first televised match, he wrestled as a heel and defeated Brian Armstrong.[2] He continued using the name Terra Ryzing until mid-1994, when he was renamed Jean-Paul Lévesque.[2][14] 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.[15] During this time, he began using his finisher, The Pedigree.
Lévesque had a brief storyline feud with Alex Wright that culminated at Starrcade.[2] Between late 1994 and early 1995, Lévesque briefly teamed with Lord Steven Regal, whose snobby British persona was a good match with Lévesque's similar persona.[14] The team was short-lived, however, as Lévesque left for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in January 1995 after WCW shot down his request to be pushed as a singles competitor.[1][14][15]
As a continuation of his gimmick in WCW, Levesque started off his WWF career as the Connecticut Blueblood, Hunter Hearst Helmsley.[15] 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.[16]
Although he was heavily pushed in the first few months after his debut, his career stalled during 1996, starting off with being mired in a feud with Duke "The Dumpster" Droese following a loss in the Free For All at the 1996 Royal Rumble.[17][18] Up until that event, his angle included appearing on television each week with a different female valet.[2] Sable was his valet at WrestleMania XII, and after his loss to Ultimate Warrior, as part of the storyline, he took his aggressions out on her. The debuting Marc Mero came to her rescue, starting a feud between the two wrestlers.[19]
On May 28, 1996, Helmsley appeared on WWF Superstars against Marty Garner.[20] 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.[20] 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 group of wrestlers including Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman and Scott Hall, who were known for influencing Vince McMahon and the WWF creative team.[17] He was slated to win the 1996 King of the Ring tournament, but was demoted from championship contender to jobber to the stars after the Madison Square Garden Incident, in which the Kliq broke character after a match to say goodbye to the departing Nash and Hall.[21] Despite the punishment, Helmsley did have several successes following the MSG Incident. He found a manager in Mr. Perfect and was booked to win his first Intercontinental Championship on October 21, 1996, defeating Marc Mero.[21][22] 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. He 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.[23] For a very brief time, Helmsley was accompanied by Mr. Hughes, who was his storyline bodyguard.[24] After losing the Intercontinental title, he feuded with Goldust, defeating him at WrestleMania 13.[25] During their feud, Chyna debuted as his new bodyguard.[26]
Helmsley's push resumed in 1997, when he won the King of the Ring tournament on June 8 by defeating Mankind in the finals.[21][27] Later that year, Shawn Michaels, Helmsley, Chyna and Rick Rude formed D-Generation X (DX). This stable later became known for pushing the envelope, as Michaels and Helmsley made risqué promos—spawning the catchphrase "Suck It", using a "crotch chop" hand motion,[28] and sarcastically deriding Bret Hart and Canada. By that point, Helmsley had fully dropped the "blueblood snob" gimmick, appearing in T-shirts and leather. During this period, his ring name was shortened to simply Triple H.[21] Even after the DX versus Hart Foundation storyline ended when Bret, Jim Neidhart, and Davey Boy Smith defected to WCW, Helmsley continued to feud with the sole remaining member Owen Hart over the WWF European Championship. This culminated 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,[29] and on-screen, Triple H took over the leadership position in DX,[21] 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 ("Bad Ass" Billy Gunn and "Road Dogg" Jesse James).[21][30] It was also during this time that Triple H began a feud with the leader of the Nation of Domination and rising WWF heel, The Rock.[12] This storyline rivalry eventually led to a feud over The Rock's Intercontinental Championship, which Triple H won in a ladder match at SummerSlam.[12] He did not hold the title long, however, as he was sidelined with a legitimate knee injury.[12] When The Rock won the WWF Championship at the Survivor Series,[31] the rivalry between the two continued, as DX fought Vince McMahon's Corporation stable, of which The Rock was the main star. Triple H received a shot at the WWF Championship on the January 25, 1999 edition of 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.[12] This began a new angle for Triple H, as Chyna betrayed him by attacking him after the match and joining the Corporation.[12]
As part of the storyline, at WrestleMania XV, Triple H beat Kane with the aid of Chyna, who was thought to have rejoined DX.[12] 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.[12] After Triple H's heel turn in early 1999, he moved away from his "DX" look, taping his fists for matches, sporting new and shorter wrestling trunks, and adopting a shorter hairstyle.[12] His gimmick changed as he fought to earn a WWF title shot.[12] After numerous failed attempts at winning the championship, Triple H and Mankind challenged WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin at SummerSlam in a Triple Threat match, which featured Jesse "The Body" Ventura as the special guest referee. Mankind was booked to win the match by pinning Austin,[32] but the following night on Raw, Triple H defeated Mankind to win his first WWF Championship.[12]
Triple H dropped the WWF Championship to Vince McMahon on the September 16, 1999 edition of 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 The Big Show at Survivor Series.
Although Triple H failed to win the Royal Rumble match at Royal Rumble in January 2006 to earn a title shot, 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.[60] 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. In an act of frustration, a bloodied Triple H used his sledgehammer to attack, in storyline, both Edge and Cena and then performed a number of DX crotch chops.[61] Triple H unsuccessfully attempted to win the WWE title from Cena on numerous occasions, blaming his shortcomings on Vince McMahon, which eventually lead to a storyline feud between the McMahons and Triple H.
Shawn Michaels returned on the June 12 edition of Raw and soon reunited with Triple H to reform D-Generation X, turning Triple H face once again.[8] DX defeated the Spirit Squad at Vengeance in a 5-on-2 handicap match.[62] They continued their feud with Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon and the Spirit Squad for several weeks. They then defeated the Spirit Squad again at 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 handpicked WWE superstars by Vince McMahon.[61] At Unforgiven, D-Generation X overcame the odds once again, defeating The McMahons and ECW World Champion Big Show in a Hell in a Cell match. During the match, DX embarrassed Vince by shoving his face in between the 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.[63]
At Cyber Sunday during DX's storyline feud with Rated-RKO (Edge and Randy Orton), special guest referee Eric Bischoff allowed the illegal use of a weapon to give Rated-RKO the ill-gotten win.[63] At Survivor Series, DX got their revenge when their team defeated Edge and Orton's team in an Elimination Match with a clean sweep.[64] 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 but in the other leg) fifteen minutes into the match.[65][66] A successful surgery was performed on January 9, 2007 by Dr. James Andrews.[65]
His commercial appearances include ads in May 2006 for Miller Lite where he debates "Man Laws" with the likes of Burt Reynolds, Eddie Griffin and Jerome Bettis.[88] That same month, he also appeared in a commercial for USA Network with Anthony Michael Hall, which cross-promoted Raw and Hall's show, The Dead Zone. Hall's character, a psychic, touches Triple H while he lounges beside a pool and has a vision of him falling asleep in the sun, and fellow wrestler John Cena slapping Triple H's sunburned back and leaving a handprint. He has also appeared in commercials for bodybuilding supplements such as Stacker 2 and YJ Stinger. Levesque also appeared in a Wendy's commercial holding up a Triple Classic Burger calling it the "Triple H Burger".[89]
Levesque appeared in the movie, Blade: Trinity, as a vampire enforcer named Jarko Grimwood.[11] He is also starring in the WWE Film Journey of Death, which is due to release in 2009.[11]
Levesque has also appeared in several WWE Home Video releases, including Triple H: The Game and Triple H: That Damn Good in 2002, D-Generation-X, a reissue of the VHS version, in 2006, and The New and Improved DX in 2007. Triple H: King of Kings, a DVD covering his career so far, was released on March 25, 2008.[90]
Levesque appeared in an episode of the USA Network series Pacific Blue on August 9, 1998.[91] In December 1998, he did a guest appearance in The Drew Carrey Show.[92] He was also featured in the August 14, 2005 episode of MTV's Punk'd in which he was led to believe that he had ruined a wedding by hitting the bride in the face with a door and damaging her nose until Ashton Kutcher and Stacy Keibler showed up. Additionally, his television appearances include guest spots as Triple H on MADtv and Saturday Night Live, and as a character on an episode of The Bernie Mac Show. Levesque also won the WWF edition of The Weakest Link, in which he and Stephanie McMahon were the final two contestants. Levesque has also been a guest announcer for the Mr. Olympia competition.[65]
Before marrying Stephanie McMahon, Levesque was in a relationship with Joanie Laurer (who appeared as Chyna).[34] They dated for four years from 1996 until 2000.[2] Levesque married Stephanie McMahon on October 25, 2003. He and Stephanie welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Aurora Rose Levesque, on July 24, 2006.[93] On July 28, 2008 Levesque welcomed his second daughter with McMahon, Murphy Claire Levesque.[94]
He has a sister named Lynn,[4] and he is an uncle to her two children: Peter and Nayssa. Levesque is also an uncle to brother-in-law Shane McMahon's two sons: Declan and Kenyon. His in-laws are Vince and Linda McMahon.
In late 2004, Levesque released a book entitled Making the Game: Triple H's Approach to a Better Body. Mostly devoted to bodybuilding advice, the book also includes some autobiographical information, memoirs, and opinions.[95]
In a November 14, 2006, interview with rapper The Game, it was revealed that Levesque is involved in a lawsuit with him over the rights to the name, "The Game".[96]
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Ring name(s) | Terra Ryzing[1] Jean-Paul Levesque[2] Hunter Hearst Helmsley[2] Triple H |
| Billed height | 6 ft. 4 in. (193 cm)[2][3] |
| Billed weight | 260 lb. (120 kg)[3] |
| Born | July 27, 1969 [2][4] Nashua, New Hampshire[2][4][5] |
| Resides | Greenwich, Connecticut[2] |
| Billed from | Greenwich, Connecticut[2][3] |
| Trained by | Killer Kowalski |
| Debut | March 1992 |
Finishing and signature moves
