The Connecticut Blueblood
Paul Levesque was born in Nashua, New Hampshire on July 27, 1969. He has been a wrestling fan his entire life and began training to be a wrestler himself in early 1990. Four years later, he signed his first professional contract with WCW. However, he only stayed in the company for one year.
Levesque made his WWE debut on April 30, 1995, under the ring name Hunter Hearst Helmsley. He portrayed a snooty, upper-class snob who came to the ring in a tailcoat and carried a traditional perfume bottle. On October 21, 1996, Helmsley defeated Marc Mero to become the Intercontinental Champion, marking the first title win of his WWE career.
D-Generation X
In late 1997, Helmsley joined forces with Shawn Michaels, Chyna, and Rick Rude to form their own stable dubbed D-Generation X. They became known for their edgy humor and rebellious attitude, not to mention their signature catchphrase: “Suck It.” Helmsley ditched the tailcoats and haughty attitude in favor of leather jackets and jeans.
DX immediately became one of the most popular factions in WWE history. Their influence continues to be felt in WWE and in pop culture today, more than two decades since the faction first formed.
At WrestleMania XV, Triple H betrayed his DX teammate X-Pac and joined The Corporation, therefore turning heel once again. On August 23, 1999, Triple H defeated Mankind to win the WWE Championship for the first time in his career.
Time To Play The Game
In January 2000, Triple H dubbed himself “The Game,” a moniker originating from the idea that Triple H wasn’t just the best in the game, but the game itself. Triple H soon became one of the most despised men in WWE. He soon recaptured the WWE Championship and began his infamous “reign of terror” over the company.
In February 2003, Triple H formed a stable called Evolution alongside Ric Flair, Randy Orton, and Batista. The group immediately became the most dominant force in WWE; their peak arguably came at Armageddon 2003, where each member of the faction left holding a championship belt.
After Evolution dissolved, Triple H reunited with DX and captured the WWE Championship several more times, cementing his role as one of WWE’s most dominant performers in company history.
The Authority
After SummerSlam 2013, Triple H and his wife Stephanie McMahon formed a heel stable dubbed The Authority, based on the idea that they could use their positions of power to impose their will over WWE. Several superstars would join the faction soon after, including Randy Orton, Kane, Seth Rollins, and Batista.
The Authority’s biggest adversary was Daniel Bryan, the leader of the Yes Movement. Triple H set out to squash the movement under his boot, but ultimately couldn’t stop Bryan from achieving his fairytale ending at WrestleMania XXX.
In the mid-2010s, Triple H began to wrestle more sporadically. He remained an onscreen personality and feuded with stars like The Undertaker, Shane McMahon, and his former protege Seth Rollins. Levesque also began taking on more backstage roles, most notably as booker of WWE’s developmental brand NXT.
Backstage Roles & Retirement
In September 2021, Triple H suffered from heart failure that nearly took his life. While he was fortunately able to recover from the incident, it led Triple H to announce his retirement from wrestling. On the second night of WrestleMania 38, Triple H left his boots in the ring as a symbol of his career coming to a close.
On September 6, 2022, Triple H was promoted to Chief Content Officer of WWE. This meant that Triple H was now at the helm of WWE's creative team.
