‘I’d like to hang out’ – WWE legend recalls shy Triple H introducing himself before infamous scandal left fans stunned
Triple H is remembered by a generation of fans as being an iconic performer and a character with a killer instinct.
For years, Triple H, now known by his real name of Paul Levesque and in his role as WWE's Head of Creative and Chief Content Officer, terrorised the rest of the roster wi🌃th sledgehammer in hand.
3
As one of the company's top heel - bad guy - wrestlers, he frequently left the heroes of the day laying in a heap, with Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and Mick Foley all enjoying caree♌r rivalries with the man known as The Game.
A multi-time former world champion in WWE, he won the company's top male championship on a combined 14 occasions over the course of one of the most storied careers of all time, packed with landmark wins in the Royal Rumble match, King of the Ring and more besides.
Almost all of that is a stark contrast to how Triple H first arrived on the WWE scꦐene - as Hunter Hearst Helmsley, a blue-blood snob who turned his nose up at the re♍st of the roster and the entire fanbase.
His debut came at the end of April 1995, t🀅hat taking place weeks after he♛ announced himself in person to two of the biggest names in the history of the industry.
READ MORE WWE
Shawn Michaels and Kevin 'Diesel' Nash were already firm friends when they fought at that year's WrestleMania over the latter's WWE Championship.
Nash had arrived on the scene a couple of years earlier as foil to Michaels, who then effectively returned the favour before the two ended up doing battle prior to Nash's departure for WCW.
It was after that WrestleMania had gone off the air that the good friends were approached by a reserved and polite Levesque, seemingly in great contrast to the man who'd later run amok in WWE alongside Michaels as part of D-Generation X.
HBK wrote in his Heartbreak and Triumph book: "Kevin and I were sitting in the back at Wrestl♋eMania XI when an unfamiliar face walked up to us.
Most read in Wrestling
"[He said: 'I don't want to interfere... but my name is Paul Levesque. I talked to Terry Taylor [in WCW] and he said you are the guys to hang out with. So if you don't mind, I'd like to hang out and travel with you.
"That is how I met one of my best friends, Triple H, or Hunter, as most people call him. I thought it took guts to introduce yourself to the two guys who were in the main event at WrestleMania. He was very nice about it."
3
3
Michaels went on to add he felt Levesque was 'flattering' them, and the approached work - the new man was travelling with them as of the next day and, soon after, formed 'The Kliq', the name given to the group comprising of that trio, Scott 'Razor Ramon' Hall and Sean 'X-Pac' Waltman, then wrestling in WWE as The 1-2-3 Kid.
The Kliq had a reputation for speaki🐷ng their minds and treading on toes - something Michaels later rꦉeadily admitted - and for their close relationship to WWE Owner Vince McMahon.
It was that closeness that led to one of the most controversial moments i📖n WWE history, with the Curtain Call taking place at Madison Square Garden ba📖rely a year after Levesque had made his introduction.
Shortly after the 1996 edition of WrestleMania, Nash and Hall were on their way out of WWE to join rivals WCW. In unprecedented scenes after their final show together had ended with a match between Michaels and Nash, they were joined in the ring by Hall and Levesque - where they all embraced.
It was a shocking and unthinkable moment at the time - wrestlers rarely broke character in that era a🐈nd the sight of heels aꦓnd babyfaces - good guys - hugging and celebrating was unheard of.
Wrestling veterans and fans were left furious at what they saw as a sign of disrespect but, as WWE Champion at the time, Michaels could hardly be punished, leaving Levesque, still finding his feet as Helmsley at the time, to carry the can.
WWE's backstage💧 cameras pick up Triple H's hilarious reaction to being called out by Randy Orto💟n
Effec💜tively relegated to the bottom of the WWE card, Levesque would soon rise again with Michaels by his side as DX was born in 1997 at the start of the Attitude Era.
Topics