The Game, the King of Kings, and the Cerebral Assassin are some of the well-known nicknames that have described Triple H over the years. Triple H has been at the top of his game (no pun intended) for the majority of his career, and his appetite for the wrestling business is unmatched. Fans recognize Triple H's contributions to the industry, whether as a wrestler or as a mentor in his role behind the scenes with NXT.RELATED: The Best Triple H Match Every Year Of The 2000sUnfortunately, Triple H suffered a life-threatening cardiac event, which forced him to retire in March 2022. Thankfully, Triple H is still with us today, and some photographs of his career illustrate to fans, how magnificent his career truly was.

13 WCW Days

Triple H WCW Cropped

Before Triple H became the legend he is today, he had a stint in WCW. He learned his trade from Killer Kowalski, and in WCW he was called Terra Ryzing. The name was given to him by his trainer. However, his name was altered to Jean-Paul Levesque. Paul Levesque is Triple H's real-life name.

His stint in WCW was short-lived, and he adopted the Pedigree as his finisher maneuver during this time frame. His future father-in-law Vince McMahon came calling in early 1995, and the rest as this say is history.

12 Connecticut Blue Blood

Triple H 1995 Cropped

Triple H made his WWE debut in April 1995, and his gimmick was similar to his WCW one. He was a "Connecticut Blueblood" and undertook the name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley. A year later, Triple H was punished for his involvement in the infamous Curtain Call with The Kliq.

He was meant to win the 1996 King of the Ring tournament, but that victory went to Steve Austin. Nevertheless, Triple H rebounded and he had Mr. Perfect as his manager. Some gold came his way as he beat Marc Mero for the Intercontinental Championship. Triple H was never going to be a main eventer with his gimmick, and his character changed again.

11 King Of The Ring Winner

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Triple H continued his rich vein of form in 1997 and Chyna was introduced as his bodyguard. They were an excellent double act, and by the summer, Triple H was in contention to win the King of the Ring tournament. Triple H defeated Ahmed Johnson in the semifinals to advance to the final.

RELATED: Triple H Vs. Mick Foley: 10 Things Forget About Their WWE Feud

In the final, Triple H defeated Mankind, who would become one of his greatest rivals in his career. Triple H prevailed in the King of the Ring tournament, and by the fall of the year, Triple H and Shawn Michaels would form D-Generation X.

10 DX Leader

DX 1998 Cropped

Shawn Michaels' departure at WrestleMania 14, paved the way for Triple H to become the undisputed of leader DX. Arguably, DX was at its best when Triple H was at the helm. Chyna was alongside him, and he recruited X-Pac and the New Age Outlaws on the Raw after WrestleMania 14.

All five members benefited under Triple H's leadership, and they were rebellious. Their attempt to invade Nitro is one of the most memorable moments of the Monday Night Wars. Triple H held the European and Intercontinental titles during his stint as the leader of DX.

9 First World Title Reign

Triple H v Mankind Raw 1999 Cropped

Being the leader of DX wasn't going to take Triple H to the WWE Championship. The Game betrayed X-Pac at WrestleMania 15 to join The Corporation. Triple H had an obsession with becoming the WWE Champion, and he fulfilled his destiny of winning his first WWE Championship in the summer of 1999 when he beat Mankind.

Unquestionably, Triple H was more than ready for being in the main event scene. His first World Title reign should have lasted longer, but he dropped the title to Mr. McMahon, all thanks to outside interference from Steve Austin.

8 The McMahon-Helmsley Era

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Towards the end of 1999, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon became the power couple in WWE. The Game was the reigning WWE Champion and the undisputed top heel in WWE in 2000. Triple H's matches with Mick Foley and The Rock were outstanding.

RELATED: Stephanie McMahon's Career Told In Photos, Through The Years

Triple H made history as the first heel to walk out of WrestleMania in a successful WWE Championship title defense. The McMahon-Helmsley faction had strength in numbers with the likes of DX and the McMahons assembled to form one of the most dominant stables in WWE history with Triple H thriving in this role.

7 Epic Return From Injury

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In May 2001, Triple H tore his quadriceps in his WWE Tag Team Championship title defense alongside Steve Austin. The Game spent months in rehabilitation, and his return on the January 7, 2002 edition of Raw is arguably the greatest of all time.

Triple H turned face and to have a reception like that in Madison Square Garden is reserved for the best. The Game carried on right where he left off as he won the Royal Rumble match, and he beat Chris Jericho for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 18. 2002 was a good year for Triple H and 2003 was about to be even better.

6 Evolution

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Triple H was back as a heel, and his reign of terror began at the end of 2002 as the World Heavyweight Champion. Triple H had Ric Flair as his manager, and Evolution was born as he recruited Randy Orton and Batista. Evolution is one of the best stables in WWE history that ran roughshod on Raw.

Armageddon 2003 was a brilliant night for the group as all four men ended the night as champions. Orton and Batista went on to win multiple World Titles after the faction disbanded. Triple H's reign of terror is often criticized, but he did an exceptional job as he had a vice grip on the World Heavyweight Championship.

5 DX Reunion

Shawn Michaels & Triple H Cropped

Triple H's popularity has always been there, but it was evident in 2006 when he went head-to-head with John Cena. In the summer of that year, Triple H turned face, and he reunited DX with Shawn Michaels. This time it was as a tag team.

RELATED: Every Stable & Tag Team That Shawn Michaels Has Been Part Of, Ranked Worst To Best

It was great seeing Triple H and Michaels on the same page, and they battled the McMahons in a series of matches. Fans love DX and seeing two veterans in Triple H and Michaels still at the top of their games was a sight to behold with a comedic side to Triple H that hadn't been seen in a long time.

4 Face Of SmackDown

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WWE teased Triple H getting drafted to SmackDown in 2004, but it didn't fully materialize. However, four years later in 2008, the Game moved to SmackDown in the draft lottery. The Cerebral Assassin was the reigning WWE Champion, and it was refreshing to see Triple H on the blue brand.

He feuded with the likes of Edge and The Great Khali. However, Jeff Hardy benefited from his series of matches with Triple H. Triple H's matches on SmackDown improved, and having an experienced figure like Triple H on SmackDown did wonders for the blue brand.

3 COO

Triple H Raw July 18, 2011 Cropped

Triple H's days as a full-time competitor were over in 2010. Moreover, in the summer of 2011, Triple H announced that he was the COO of WWE. The Game has a lot of star power, and he still featured in marquee matches.

The Game's back-to-back WrestleMania encounters with The Undertaker showed that Triple H still had a lot to offer. His feud with CM Punk was underwhelming as was his rivalry with Brock Lesnar.

2 Final World Title Reign

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For the first time in seven years, Triple H turned heel, and he formed The Authority with his wife Stephanie McMahon. They made Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns' lives a living hell. Triple H returned in the 2016 Royal Rumble Match for the WWE Championship.

The Game was the 30th entrant, and he won a World Championship for the 14th time in his career. That's an exceptional achievement for Triple H at the late stage of his career. He main-evented WrestleMania for the final time at WrestleMania 32 in a losing effort to Roman Reigns.

1 Retirement

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Triple H opened up night two of WrestleMania 38, and it was an emotional night for the Game. Ironically, the AT&T Stadium was the site where Triple H lost the WWE Championship to Roman Reigns. Nevertheless, Triple H addressed the fans in attendance.

He left his wrestling boots in the ring to confirm his retirement. Triple H had one heck of a wrestling career that many wrestlers could dream to have. He received a heartwarming ovation, and he will continue to work behind the scenes with NXT.