Triple H underwent surgery recently after a health scare last week, but the pro wrestling legend says he’s expected to fully recover. The 52-year-old, who’s won 14 world heavyweight championship titles in his pro wrestling career, reportedly suffered a “cardiac event” last week. This resulted in emergency surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital, and per WWE, it was caused by a genetic heart issue.
While Triple H is a very accomplished WWE legend, he has not been as physical in the ring in recent years. He is not formally retired as a wrestler, but he has mostly traded in the tights for a suit as he’s gotten more involved in the business dealings of WWE. Fans will know that he is married to Vince McMahon’s daughter Stephanie and has been working closely with the McMahons behind the scenes for many years.
Triple H, real name Paul Levesque, first joined WWE in 1995 as Hunter Hearst Helmsley, a snobby character nicknamed the “Connecticut Blueblood.” He later shortened the name to Triple H and took on more of an edge when he formed the supergroup D-Generation X with Shawn Michaels, Chyna, X-Pac, Billy Gunn, and Jesse James. He has also won 14 world titles along with several other golden belts, including runs with the Intercontinental Championship, the World Tag Team Championship, and the European Championship. He’s also won King of the Ring along with two Royal Rumble matches.
One of Triple H’s most celebrated accomplishment’s from behind the curtain has been the formation of WWE’s NXT brand. With Triple H serving as the founder and executive producer, the brand has essentially served as a breeding ground to test out new wrestlers before moving them to the “main roster” on Raw and Smackdown. Last month, WWE president and chief revenue officer Nick Khan spoke about how big changes are soon coming to NXT under Triple H’s guidance.
“We’re doing a complete revamp on NXT, led by Triple H, Paul Levesque, who is really one of the architects of the original NXT,” Khan told MMA reporter Ariel Helwani. “In terms of an NXT rebrand, look for it in the next couple of weeks. It’s gonna have a whole new look, it’s gonna have a whole new feel.”
Triple H has made sporadic appearances in the ring for WWE matches, but in 2020, he didn’t perform in a single match for the company. This was the first year he hadn’t wrestled a single match since joining WWE in 1995. In January, he appeared on an episode of Raw to battle Randy Orton in a brawl, but it ended in a no-contest when Triple H’s signature sledgehammer spontaneously combusted. The lights went out and Triple H was gone when they went back on, replaced with Orton foe Alexa Bliss who attacked him with a fireball. Of course, this is just another Monday in the world of pro wrestling.
Best wishes to Triple H with his continued recovery. As one of pro wrestling’s all-time biggest stars, fans all over the world are wishing him well with their support as well. This news comes to us from WWE.