Triple H

In February 2020, Levesque's title was elevated to Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development for WWE.

Outside of wrestling, Triple H has been a figure of substantial media attention due to his marriage to Stephanie McMahon, daughter of Vince and Linda McMahon, who are majority owners of WWE. In 2019, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the D-Generation X stable.

Triple H's next appearance came at the 2018 Elimination Chamber event for the Raw contract signing of Ronda Rousey. During the segment, Triple H confirmed that there were no special stipulations in Rousey's contract, but she would have her debut match at WrestleMania 34. Before Rousey signed her contract, Kurt Angle brought up the incident from WrestleMania 31 where Rousey embarrassed The Authority and said that Triple H and Stephanie were now glad to own Rousey so they could manipulate her. This led to Rousey putting Triple H through a table and Stephanie slapped Rousey. Stephanie then retreated and Rousey signed the contract. The next night, the four had a segment to apologize and it ended with Triple H attacking Angle. The following week, Angle revealed that although Triple H and Stephanie were WWE executives, they also had contracts to compete as wrestlers. Angle reminded Triple H of his warning from after Survivor Series, and he scheduled himself and Rousey to face Triple H and Stephanie at WrestleMania 34 in a mixed tag team match. At the event, Triple H and Stephanie lost to Angle and Rousey after Stephanie submitted to Rousey's armbar. Triple H lost to John Cena at Greatest Royal Rumble event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

On the August 29 episode of Raw, Triple H made his return by interfering in the main event for the recently vacated and established WWE Universal Championship. Firstly, he attacked rival Roman Reigns with a Pedigree, allowing former Authority stable member Seth Rollins to eliminate him, before attacking Rollins with a Pedigree, allowing Kevin Owens to win the title. Triple H appeared at Clash of Champions on September 25, escorting his wife Stephanie McMahon from the building, after Owens successfully defended the Universal Championship against Rollins. On the January 23, 2017 episode of Raw, in a match between Rollins and Sami Zayn, Triple H's music hit, providing the distraction which led to Zayn defeating Rollins and, in the process, stealing Rollins' place in the Royal Rumble. On January 28 at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio, Rollins would "takeover" the show and called out Triple H, who appeared and summoned security guards to escort Rollins out of the arena. On January 30, Triple H made his first appearance on Raw since August 2016, supposedly to finally accept Rollins' challenge for a match. However, he did not, labeling Rollins as an abject failure, despite all the chances he was given. He called Rollins out to come and meet his destroyer, which he does so, only for him to be jumped by Samoa Joe. Rollins suffered a legitimate knee injury in the ambush, casting doubt over the potential match with Triple H, which led to a non-sanctioned match at WrestleMania 33 on April 2, where Triple H lost to Rollins.

Triple H returned at the 2016 Royal Rumble match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, as the unannounced 30th entrant. After eliminating the defending champion, Roman Reigns, he then eliminated Dean Ambrose to secure his second Royal Rumble win and 14th world championship overall. After breaking Reigns' nose in storyline in which he received a massive ovation, Triple H was then challenged by Ambrose, whom he defeated at Roadblock to defend the title, before dropping it back to Reigns – who had become the #1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Dean Ambrose and Brock Lesnar in a triple threat match at Fastlane – at WrestleMania 32, ending his reign at 70 days.

Durign the early years of his career, Levesque used an Indian deathlock and a cutter as finishing moves. However, when he came to WWE, he stop using both of them since the former was difficult to use on heavier wrestlers and the latter was taken by DDP. Instead, he adopted a double underhook facebuster called the Pedigree as his finishing move. In 2016, Fox Sports selected the Pedigree as the ninth greatest finisher in wrestling history.

Levesque has been teetotal for his entire life, which led to him automatically being the designated driver in the 1990s when partying with wrestlers such as Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash, who were well known for their drinking and drug use at the time. He is a fan of English metal band Motörhead, who performed three different entrance themes for him over his career, and was good friends with lead singer Lemmy until Lemmy's death in December 2015. He sported Lemmy-inspired facial hair during a large portion of his career, and spoke at Lemmy's funeral on January 9, 2016. Levesque has said that he is a supporter of West Ham United FC. He is also close friends with NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Throughout 2015, Triple H maintained his role as the leader of The Authority, and was involved in mediating issues between Seth Rollins and Kane. Over the summer, Triple H began to test Rollins by having him defend the championship against Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, and Sting.

In 2014, Levesque and his wife Stephanie created the Connor's Cure cancer fund in honor of Connor "The Crusher" Michalek, a WWE fan who died of cancer at the age of eight.

Triple H returned on the February 25, 2013 episode of Raw, brawling with Brock Lesnar after he attempted to attack Mr. McMahon. The brawl resulted in Lesnar having his head split open and requiring 18 stitches. The following week, Triple H issued a challenge to Lesnar, requesting a rematch with him at WrestleMania 29, which Lesnar accepted on the condition that he could choose the stipulation. The following week, after Triple H signed the contract and assaulted Heyman, the stipulation was revealed as No Holds Barred with Triple H's career on the line. At WrestleMania, Triple H defeated Lesnar after a Pedigree onto the steel steps. On the April 15 episode of Raw, Heyman challenged Triple H to face Lesnar in a steel cage match at Extreme Rules, which Triple H accepted the following week. Triple H ended up losing the match at the pay-per-view on May 19 thanks to interference from Heyman, and he also injured his jaw.

Over the coming weeks he set up handicap matches against any wrestlers who questioned his decisions, such as Big Show and Dolph Ziggler, even firing Cody Rhodes in retaliation for the latter's insolence. On the October 7 episode of Raw, after "firing" Big Show, Show knocked him out in retaliation and was carried out by officials out of the arena. At the 2013 Slammy Awards, Triple H immediately performed a Pedigree on Orton after Bryan shoved him into Stephanie McMahon, despite Orton's shock.

Triple H begin to show signs of a face turn as he returned on the July 23 episode of Raw alongside Stephanie and Vince McMahon to announce the first ever all women's pay-per-view event, WWE Evolution. Following the announcement, it was also announced Triple H would return to in-ring competition at WWE Super Show-Down to take on renowned nemesis, The Undertaker, one last time. On August 20, Triple H returned to Raw and spoke about how he reluctantly accepted the rematch as the last match between the two at WrestleMania XXVIII (a Hell in a Cell with Shawn Michaels as special guest referee) was billed as the "End of an Era". Triple H added that the tagline of this contest would be "Last Time Ever". At the event, Triple H emerged victorious. After the match Triple H finally turned face for the first time since mid-2013, as he and Michaels showed respect for The Undertaker and Kane, as they embraced with each other. However the Undertaker and Kane would then proceed to attack them. On October 8, Triple H and Shawn Michaels announced they will reunite DX, to face The Brothers of Destruction at Crown Jewel. At the event, they defeated the Brothers of Destruction, at the cost of Triple H tearing his pectoral muscles. Triple H underwent successful surgery on November 8 with a timeframe for his return unknown. On February 25's edition of Raw, Batista returned and attacked Ric Flair backstage as Flair was about to make an entrance for his birthday celebration and called out Triple H. On March 11's edition of Raw Batista challenged Triple H for a match at WrestleMania 35 which Triple H accepted and made it a No Holds Barred match. At the event, Triple H defeated Batista with assistance from Flair. Triple H lost to Randy Orton at Super ShowDown.

In 2013, his title was elevated to Executive Vice-president of Talent, Live Events and Creative where he also works with WWE creative direction and storylines of WWE's programming.

In 2013, Levesque earned a combined salary of just over $1.5 million (U.S.) from his front office job and as a wrestler. He also owns just over $1.5 million (U.S.) in WWE stock.

Triple H returned on the January 30, 2012 episode of Raw to evaluate Laurinaitis' performance as general manager. Before he could announce the decision, he was interrupted by the returning Undertaker. After initially refusing the rematch as he did not want to tarnish The Undertaker's legacy, Triple H accepted the challenge after being called a coward who lives in Shawn Michaels' shadow, on the condition their rematch be contested inside Hell in a Cell. Triple H went on to lose this match at WrestleMania XXVIII.

On the August 27 episode of Raw, Triple H was supposed to address his potential retirement, but did not make a definitive decision. On the December 17 episode of Raw, Triple H made a non-wrestling appearance for the 2012 Slammy Awards debuting with his new haircut.

As the founder of NXT since its inception in 2012, Levesque has been widely praised for helping cultivate the brand, recruiting fresh new talent, and helping guide the brand to various levels of success including sold-out shows, increased respect for women's wrestling, and international expansion.

On the February 21, 2011 episode of Raw, Triple H returned, interrupting the return of The Undertaker and challenging him to a match at WrestleMania XXVII, which later became a No Holds Barred match. A week later, he attacked Sheamus with a Pedigree through a broadcast table in retaliation for Sheamus giving him a ten-month injury. At WrestleMania XXVII, Triple H lost, which extended Undertaker's undefeated streak to 19–0; Undertaker was carried from the ring on a stretcher whereas Triple H left on his own accord.

Triple H has been named as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. In 2011, Pro Wrestling Torch stated he was "widely regarded as the best wrestler in North America by the turn of the millennium". He has garnered most of his acclaim for his work as a villain throughout his career, but has been criticized for some of his overall wrestling work since the mid-to-late 2010s. After his match against Undertaker and Kane at Crown Jewel in 2018, at which point he was 48 years old, Dave Meltzer wrote that "when Ric (Flair) was 48, he was a lot better than Triple H". Wade Keller from Pro Wrestling Torch wrote that Triple H "moves like the trees in Wizard of Oz". Jason Powell from Prowrestling.net stated that wrestlers like Triple H (alongside Undertaker and Kane) "need to accept their limitations, stop pretending they belong in main events, and stop acting like being in these main events isn't stealing the spotlight (from newer talent)".

On December 21, Triple H announced that Hornswoggle was the new DX mascot. This came about after Hornswoggle sued DX for emotional and physical distress due to them not allowing him to join DX. After being taken to court where they were ruled guilty by a jury and judge consisting of dwarves, Michaels told Triple H that Hornswoggle could be the mascot. Triple H agreed to it only if the charges were dropped, which Hornswoggle agreed to. On January 11, 2010 episode of Raw, Mike Tyson, who was the Raw guest host for the night, teamed with Jericho to face DX; however, at the end of the bout, Tyson turned on Jericho and aligned himself with Triple H and Michaels. On the February 8 episode of Raw, DX lost the Unified Tag Team Championship to ShoMiz (The Miz and Big Show) in a triple threat elimination tag match, also involving The Straight Edge Society (CM Punk and Luke Gallows). On the March 1 episode of Raw, they lost a rematch for the title. This was their last televised match before Michaels retired. Michaels and Triple H had a non-wrestling reunion at the 2010 Tribute to the Troops.

On February 21, Triple H eliminated then WWE Champion Sheamus from the Elimination Chamber match, though he did not win the title himself. Sheamus attacked him weeks later, setting up a match at WrestleMania XXVI, which Triple H won. Also at WrestleMania, Michaels lost to The Undertaker and was forced to retire. While giving a farewell speech the next night, Sheamus attacked him and set up a rematch at Extreme Rules. Sheamus attacked Triple H at the start of the show, before later winning the match. Triple H then took time off to recover from injuries. Triple H made an untelevized appearance on October 30 at the WWE Fan Appreciation Event and also at the 2010 Tribute to the Troops.

In 2010, Levesque's role as an Executive Senior Advisor was officially formalized as he was given an office at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. Levesque was named Executive Vice President, Talent and Live events in 2011. In this role he oversees the talent relations and talent development departments, training of performers and management of worldwide recruitment. Levesque's role within the company has been under much criticism since 2003, as many fans and some wrestlers view it as a way to keep him on top on-screen and to give him more television time. Levesque has spoken against this criticism and has denied all of it. Additionally, Levesque has been credited by many for losing in high-profile matches that helped elevate the careers of younger wrestlers including John Cena, Randy Orton, Batista, Jeff Hardy, Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns.

At Survivor Series, Triple H was scheduled to defend the championship against Vladimir Kozlov and Jeff Hardy, but Hardy was kept out of the match after a scripted attack and injury. During the match, SmackDown general manager Vickie Guerrero announced that Edge had returned and introduced him into the contest. Hardy interfered and hit Triple H with a steel chair meant for Edge, thus costing him the title after a 210 days reign and resulting in Edge winning his sixth world title. After failing to regain the title at Armageddon, Triple H entered seventh in the 2009 Royal Rumble, but was last eliminated by Randy Orton. In February at No Way Out, Triple H won the WWE Championship in the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match, setting the record for most reigns at eight. That record stood until 2011 when John Cena won his ninth WWE Championship.

Triple H then went on to defeat cleanly John Cena to successfully defend the WWE Championship at Night of Champions. On the June 23 episode of Raw, Triple H was drafted to the SmackDown brand as a part of the 2008 WWE draft, in the process making the WWE Championship exclusive to SmackDown. He defended the championship over the summer by defeating the likes of Edge at The Great American Bash and The Great Khali at SummerSlam, and was the only champion to retain his title at Unforgiven's Championship Scramble matches. After this, he successfully defended it against Jeff Hardy both at No Mercy and Cyber Sunday.

At Cyber Sunday during DX's feud with Rated-RKO, special guest referee Eric Bischoff allowed the illegal use of a weapon to give Rated-RKO the win. At Survivor Series, DX got their revenge when their team defeated Edge and Orton's team in a clean sweep during their five-on-five elimination match. 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 in his other leg) 15 minutes into the match. Surgery was successfully performed on January 9, 2007 by Dr. James Andrews.

Shawn Michaels returned on the June 12 episode of Raw and soon reunited with Triple H to re-form D-Generation X, turning Triple H into a fan favorite once again for the first time since mid-2002. DX defeated The Spirit Squad at Vengeance in a 5-on-2 handicap match. They continued their feud with Mr. McMahon, Shane McMahon and The Spirit Squad for several weeks. They then defeated The Spirit Squad again on the July 15, 2006 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIII in a 5-on-2 elimination match. They then again defeated the McMahons at SummerSlam, withstanding the attack of several wrestlers who assaulted them before the match as directed by Mr. McMahon. At Unforgiven, D-Generation X then defeated the McMahons and ECW World Champion Big Show in a 3-on-2 handicap Hell in a Cell match. During the match, DX embarrassed Vince by shoving his face in between Big Show's buttocks, and DX won when Triple H broke a sledgehammer over the shoulders of Mr. McMahon after Michaels performed a Sweet Chin Music on him.

On the August 12 episode of Raw, Triple H announced that he would be the special guest referee of the SummerSlam main event: the WWE Championship match between champion John Cena and Daniel Bryan before attacking Brad Maddox with a Pedigree. At the event, after Bryan won the match and the title, Triple H attacked Bryan with a Pedigree, allowing Randy Orton to cash in his Money in the Bank and win the title, turning heel for the first time since 2006. Along with his wife Stephanie, they created The Authority, with The Shield as his enforcers and later Kane joining as the Director of Operations.

After a four-month hiatus, Triple H returned to Raw on October 3, 2005 as part of WWE Homecoming. He teamed with fellow Evolution member Flair to defeat Chris Masters and Carlito. After the match, Triple H turned on Flair hitting Flair with a sledgehammer, sparking a feud between the duo. Flair defeated Triple H in a steel cage match at Taboo Tuesday for Flair's Intercontinental Championship. Subsequently, Triple H defeated Flair in a non-title Last Man Standing match at Survivor Series to end their feud.

He then ended his feud with Michaels, defeating him in a Hell in a Cell match at Bad Blood, which became the longest Hell in a Cell match in history. He then resumed his feud with Benoit, facing him for the title at Vengeance and on the July 26 episode of Raw in a 60-Minute Iron Man match, losing both times after Eugene interfered and hit him with a steel chair. He went on to defeat Eugene at SummerSlam. The following night on Raw, Triple H turned on his protège Randy Orton (who became the youngest world champion in WWE history the night prior at SummerSlam), expressing jealousy over Orton's title victory. He then regained the championship from Orton at Unforgiven after interference from Evolution. At Taboo Tuesday, Shawn Michaels was voted by the fans to challenge Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship, but Triple H retained after Edge interfered. He then led a team of himself, Batista, Edge, and Snitsky against Orton's team of Orton, Benoit, Chris Jericho, and Maven at Survivor Series in a traditional elimination tag team match, which they lost after Triple H was lastly eliminated by Orton. After a triple threat World Heavyweight title defense against Benoit and Edge on the November 29, 2004 episode of Raw ended in a draw, the World Heavyweight Championship became vacant for the first time. At New Year's Revolution, Triple H won an Elimination Chamber match to regain the World Heavyweight Championship after last eliminating Orton following interference Evolution, then defeated Orton at the Royal Rumble to retain the title and end their feud. Also that same night, his stablemate Batista won the 2005 Royal Rumble match, thus earning a world title match at WrestleMania 21. Tension between Triple H and Batista began in the weeks leading up to the pay-per view as Triple H tried to convince Batista to challenge for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania instead of his World Heavyweight Championship. On the February 21 episode of Raw, Batista turned on Triple H and signed a contract to face him for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania. At the event, Triple H lost the championship to Batista, and subsequently lost two rematches at Backlash and Vengeance in a Hell in a Cell match (where Batista became the first man to pin Triple H inside the Cell). After Vengeance, Triple H took a hiatus from WWE due to suffering from minor neck problems.

In late 2004, Levesque released a book titled Making the Game: Triple H's Approach to a Better Body. It is mostly devoted to bodybuilding advice but also includes some autobiographical information, memoirs, and opinions.

In February 2003, Triple H formed a stable known as Evolution with Ric Flair, Randy Orton, and Batista. Triple H and Flair challenged Rob Van Dam and Kane for the World Tag Team Championship, but they lost the match. The group was pushed on Raw from 2003 to 2004 and the height of their dominance occurred after Armageddon, where every member of Evolution left the pay-per-view holding a title. Triple H held the World Heavyweight Championship for most of 2003, successfully defending against Booker T at WrestleMania XIX in an angle with racist undertones. He lost the title after 280 days in September 2003 at Unforgiven to Goldberg, in a match with the stipulation that had Goldberg lost, he would have to retire. After a failing to win back the title from Goldberg in a rematch at Survivor Series, he finally regained the championship from Goldberg in a triple threat match at Armageddon which also involved Kane after interference from Evolution. On the December 29 episode of Raw, Triple H defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Shawn Michaels, but the match ended in a double pinfall. The two met in a Last Man Standing rematch at the 2004 Royal Rumble, where both failed to answer the ten count, so Triple H retained the title as a result. Triple H lost the championship to Chris Benoit at WrestleMania XX in a triple threat match also involving Michaels. Triple H was drafted to the SmackDown! brand on March 22 episode of Raw and failed to capture the WWE Championship from Eddie Guerrero. Triple H was drafted back to Raw without competing on SmackDown! and tried to reclaim the World Heavyweight title from Benoit in a WrestleMania rematch against Benoit and Michaels at Backlash, but came out unsuccessful.

From 1996 to 2000, Levesque was in a relationship with fellow wrestler Joan "Chyna" Lauer. They split up over her mental health problems and her disinterest in having children, with Chyna's sister stating that Levesque "was very good to Joanie" and that "they wouldn't have lasted whether Stephanie came into the picture or not". What began as an on-screen storyline marriage in 2000 became a real-life romance when Levesque began dating Stephanie McMahon. They were married in Sleepy Hollow, New York, on October 25, 2003. They have three daughters: Aurora Rose Levesque (born 2006), Murphy Claire Levesque (born 2008), and Vaughn Evelyn Levesque (born 2010).

Triple H returned to Raw as a face on January 7, 2002 at Madison Square Garden. He won the Royal Rumble and received an Undisputed WWF Championship match at WrestleMania X8, where Triple H defeated Chris Jericho for the Undisputed WWF Championship. After holding the title for a month, Triple H dropped it to Hulk Hogan at Backlash. Triple H then became exclusive to the SmackDown! roster due to the WWF draft lottery and continued to feud with Jericho, culminating in a Hell in a Cell match at Judgment Day, which Triple H won. On the June 4, 2002 episode of SmackDown!, Triple H defeated Hogan in a #1 contender match for the Undisputed WWE Championship at the King of the Ring against The Undertaker, but was unsuccessful at the event.

Before September 2, 2002, WWE recognized only one world champion, the WWE Undisputed Champion, for both the Raw and SmackDown! brands. After SummerSlam, then WWE Undisputed Champion Brock Lesnar became exclusive to SmackDown!, leaving Raw without a world champion. Raw general manager Eric Bischoff then awarded Triple H the World Heavyweight Championship, represented by the Big Gold Belt (which previously had been used to represent the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and WCW World Heavyweight Championship), making him the first World Heavyweight Champion. Triple H retained his title against Rob Van Dam at Unforgiven when Ric Flair hit Van Dam with a sledgehammer.

In October 2002, Triple H would begin a controversial feud with Kane, leading to a match at No Mercy on October 20 in which both Kane's Intercontinental Championship and Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship were at stake. In the weeks preceding the match, Triple H claimed that, several years earlier, Kane had an unrequited relationship with a woman named Katie Vick. He went on to claim that, after Vick was killed in a car crash, Kane (the driver) raped her corpse. Triple H later threatened to show video footage of Kane committing the act in question; however, the footage that finally aired showed Triple H (dressed as Kane) simulating necrophilia with a mannequin in a casket; Kane's tag team partner The Hurricane responded the following week by showing a video of Triple H (rather, someone wearing a Triple H series of masks) getting an enema. The angle was very unpopular with fans, and was de-emphasized before the title match. Triple H went on to defeat Kane at No Mercy, unifying the two titles.

During the May 21, 2001 episode of Raw Is War, he suffered a legitimate and career-threatening injury. In the night's main event, he and Austin were defending the WWF Tag Team Championship against Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. At one point, Jericho had Austin trapped in the Walls of Jericho and Triple H ran in to break it up, but just as he did, he suffered a tear in his left quadriceps muscle, causing it to come completely off the bone. Despite his inability to place any weight on his leg, Triple H was able to complete the match. He even allowed Jericho to put him in the Walls of Jericho, a move that places considerable stress on the quadriceps. The tear required an operation, which was performed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. This injury brought an abrupt end to the McMahon-Helmsley Era, as the rigorous rehabilitation process kept Triple H out of action for over eight months, completely missing The Invasion storyline.

By January 2000, Triple H had dubbed himself "The Game", implying that he was on top of the wrestling world (as in not merely the "best in the game", but that he was in fact "the game") and was nicknamed "The Cerebral Assassin" by Jim Ross. On the January 3 episode of Raw Is War, Triple H defeated Big Show to win his third WWF championship.

Triple H feuded with Mick Foley in early 2000. They both fought at the Royal Rumble in a Street Fight Match for the WWF Championship, which Triple H won after performing two Pedigrees on Foley. The feud ended at No Way Out in a Hell in a Cell, where Triple H retained the title and forced Foley to retire. Triple H pinned The Rock at WrestleMania 2000 to retain the title, but lost it at Backlash to The Rock, thus ending his reign at 118 days. He regained it three weeks later, in an Iron Man match at Judgment Day, only to lose it back to The Rock at King of the Ring. Triple H then entered a storyline with Chris Jericho, who upset Triple H by defeating him for the WWF Championship on the April 17 episode of Raw Is War before the title was returned to Triple H because of a fast count made by referee Earl Hebner, and Jericho's reign is not being recognized. Their feud culminated in a Last Man Standing match at Fully Loaded which was won by Triple H. Afterwards, Triple H entered a feud with Kurt Angle, initially over the WWF Championship, but then as a love triangle between himself, Angle, and Stephanie. Both Triple H and Angle wrestled for the WWF Championship against The Rock at SummerSlam, but The Rock retained the title after Angle received a legit concussion during a botched Pedigree on a commentary table by Triple H. The feud culminated at Unforgiven, where Triple H defeated Angle with a Pedigree after a low blow from McMahon.

After a brief run as a face that saw him defeating Chris Benoit at No Mercy, Triple H reverted to his heel persona and restarted his feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin when it emerged that Triple H had paid off Rikishi to run down Austin at Survivor Series, causing him to take a year off. While in the storyline Triple H said he had done it in order to shield Austin from the WWF Championship and end his career, in reality Austin's previous neck injuries started bothering him again, forcing him to have surgery. In November 2000, Triple H and Austin had a match at Survivor Series that ended when Triple H tried to trick Austin into coming into the parking lot to run him over again, only to have Austin lift his car up with a forklift and flip the car onto its roof 10 feet high. Triple H returned a few weeks later to attack Austin, and their feud continued into 2001 and ended in a Three Stages of Hell match in which Triple H defeated Austin. In 2001, Triple H also feuded with The Undertaker, who defeated him at WrestleMania X-Seven. The night after WrestleMania, Triple H interfered in a steel cage match between Austin (who had just won the WWF Championship) and The Rock where he joined forces with Austin and double teamed on The Rock, forming a tag team called The Two-Man Power Trip. Triple H then defeated Chris Jericho for his third Intercontinental Championship on the April 5 SmackDown!, and won it for a fourth time two weeks later by defeating Jeff Hardy. Triple H then became a world tag team champion by winning the WWF Tag Team Championship for the first time at Backlash when he and Austin defeated Kane and The Undertaker in a "Winner Take All" tag team match. As Triple H was still Intercontinental Champion, the win made him a double champion. In doing so, Triple H became the 7th Triple Crown winner and 2nd Grand Slam winner in WWE history.

After WrestleMania, Michaels was forced into temporary retirement due to a legitimate back injury sustained at the Royal Rumble, with Triple H taking over the leadership position in DX, 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. As 1998 went along, DX became more popular, turning the group from villains to fan favorites. During this time, he adopted an entrance gimmick of asking the crowd "Are you ready? I said, are you ready?", followed by a parody of rival promotion WCW's ring announcer Michael Buffer's famous catch-phrase, "Let's get ready to rumble", substituting the word "rumble" with the DX slogan, "suck it". Also during this time, Triple H began a feud with the leader of the Nation of Domination and rising WWF villain, The Rock. This storyline rivalry eventually led to a feud over the Intercontinental Championship, which Triple H won in a ladder match at SummerSlam. He did not hold the title long, however, as he was sidelined with a legitimate knee injury. When The Rock won the WWF Championship at Survivor Series, the rivalry between the two continued, as DX fought The Corporation stable of which The Rock was the main star and Triple H received a shot at the WWF Championship on the January 25, 1999 Raw Is War in an "I Quit" match, but the match ended when Triple H was forced to quit or see his aide Chyna chokeslammed by Kane. This began a new angle for Triple H, as Chyna betrayed him by attacking him after the match and joining The Corporation.

At WrestleMania XV, Triple H lost to Kane after Chyna interfered on his behalf and she was thought to have rejoined DX. 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. turning heel in the process. In April, he started to move away from his DX look, taping his fists for matches, sporting new and shorter wrestling trunks and adopting a shorter hairstyle. His gimmick changed as he fought to earn a WWF Championship opportunity. After failed attempts at winning the championship, Triple H and Mankind challenged then WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin to a triple threat match at SummerSlam, which featured Jesse "The Body" Ventura as the special guest referee. Mankind won the match by pinning Austin. The following night on Raw Is War, Triple H defeated Mankind to win his first WWF Championship. He dropped the WWF Championship to Mr. McMahon on the September 16, 1999 episode 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 Big Show at Survivor Series. Triple H then continued his feud with Mr. McMahon by marrying his daughter Stephanie McMahon and defeating McMahon at Armageddon. As a result of the feud, an angle with Triple H and Stephanie began which carried the WWF throughout the next seventeen months; together they were known as The McMahon-Helmsley Faction.

Helmsley was being highlighted again in 1997, winning the 1997 King of the Ring tournament by defeating Mankind in the finals. Later that year, Shawn Michaels, Helmsley, Chyna and Rick Rude formed D-Generation X (DX). This stable became known for pushing the envelope, as Michaels and Helmsley made risqué promos—using the catchphrase "Suck It" and a "crotch chop" hand motion—and sarcastically derided Bret Hart and Canada. By that point, Helmsley had all but dropped the "blueblood snob" gimmick, appearing in T-shirts and leather jackets. During this period, his ring name was shortened to simply Triple H, even though he would still be referred for a while as Helmsley from time to time and Hunter for the rest of his career. Even after the DX versus Hart Foundation storyline ended, he continued to feud with the sole remaining Hart family member Owen over the European Championship. This ended in a match between the two at WrestleMania XIV, with the stipulation that Chyna had to be handcuffed to then-Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter. Triple H won after Chyna threw powder into Slaughter's eyes, momentarily "blinding" him and allowing her to interfere in the match.

Although Helmsley was highly promoted in the first few months after his debut, his career stalled during 1996, starting off with a feud with Duke "The Dumpster" Droese following a loss during the Free for All at 1996 Royal Rumble. Up until that event, his angle included appearing on television each week with a different female valet (which included Playboy Playmates Shae Marks and Tylyn John). Sable was his valet at WrestleMania XII and after his loss to The Ultimate Warrior, as part of the storyline, he took his aggressions out on her. The debuting Marc Mero – her real-life husband – came to her rescue, starting a feud between the two wrestlers.

On June 1, 1996, Helmsley appeared on an episode of Superstars in a match against Marty Garner. When he 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. 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 stable of wrestlers including; Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman and Scott Hall, who were known for influencing Vince McMahon and the WWF creative team. It has been claimed that he was scheduled to win the 1996 King of the Ring tournament, but the victory was instead awarded to Stone Cold Steve Austin after the Madison Square Garden Incident, in which the Kliq broke character after a match to say goodbye to the departing Nash and Hall. Despite the punishment, Helmsley did have success following the MSG Incident. Mr. Perfect became his manager and he won the Intercontinental Championship for the first time on October 21, 1996, defeating Marc Mero. 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. Helmsley held the title for nearly four months before dropping it to Rocky Maivia on the February 13, 1997 special episode of Monday Night Raw, called Thursday Raw Thursday. For a very brief time, Helmsley was accompanied by Mr. Hughes, who was his storyline bodyguard reminiscent of Ted DiBiase and Virgil. After losing the Intercontinental title, he feuded with Goldust, defeating him at WrestleMania 13. During their feud, Chyna debuted as his new bodyguard.

In a modified version of his gimmick in WCW, Levesque started his WWF career as a "Connecticut Blueblood". According to Levesque, JJ Dillion originally gave him the name of Reginald DuPont Helmsley, but Levesque asked for a name to play with the first letters and management ultimately agreed to his suggestion of Hunter Hearst Helmsley. 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 Wrestling Challenge defeating Buck Zumhofe. Helmsley made his WWF pay-per-view debut at SummerSlam, where he defeated Bob Holly. In the fall of 1995, Helmsley began a feud with the hog farmer Henry O. Godwinn, culminating in an infamous Hog Pen match at In Your House 5: Seasons Beatings, where Helmsley was victorious.

In early 1994, Levesque signed a one-year contract with World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In his first televised match, Levesque debuted as a villain named Terror Risin', defeating Keith Cole. His ring name was soon modified to Terra Ryzing, which he used until mid-1994, when he was renamed Jean-Paul Lévesque. 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. During this time, he began using his finishing maneuver, the Pedigree. Lévesque had a brief feud with Alex Wright that ended at Starrcade with Wright pinning him. Between late 1994 and early 1995, Lévesque briefly teamed with Lord Steven Regal, whose upper class British persona was similar to Lévesque's character. However, the team was short-lived. Lévesque had previously met with Vince McMahon to discuss jumping to the World Wrestling Federation which did not result in his working for the company. However, after McMahon watched Lévesque's match at Starrcade, an employment offer was made and Levesque left for the WWF in January 1995.

Levesque was born and raised in Nashua, New Hampshire, and began his professional wrestling career in 1992 with the International Wrestling Federation (IWF) under the ring name Terra Ryzing. In 1994, he joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where he was soon repackaged as a French-Canadian aristocrat named Jean-Paul Lévesque, and was later repackaged in 1995 when he signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), where he became Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and later, Triple H.

In early 1992, Levesque began to train as a professional wrestler at Killer Kowalski's school in Malden. His classmates included fellow future WWF wrestlers Chyna and Perry Saturn. Levesque made his professional debut on March 24, 1992 in Kowalski's promotion, the International Wrestling Federation (IWF), under the name Terra Ryzing. In the match, he defeated Tony Roy. In July 1992, he defeated Mad Dog Richard to win the IWF Heavyweight Championship. Levesque wrestled for various promotions on the East Coast independent circuit until 1994 and during this period he was managed by John Rodeo.

In WWF, Triple H gained industry fame after co-founding the influential D-Generation X stable, which became a major element of the "Attitude Era" in the 1990s. After winning his first WWF Championship in 1999, he became a fixture of the company's main event scene, and was widely regarded as the best wrestler in North America by the turn of the millennium. Triple H has headlined several major WWE pay-per-view events, closing the company's flagship annual event, WrestleMania, on seven occasions.

Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, professional wrestler, and actor. He is currently the Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development for WWE, as well as being the founder and senior producer of NXT.

Paul Michael Levesque was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, on July 27, 1969. He has a sister named Lynn. Levesque watched his first wrestling match, involving Chief Jay Strongbow, when he was five years old. He attended Nashua South High School, where he played baseball and basketball. Following his graduation in 1987, Levesque continued to enter bodybuilding competitions—having taken up bodybuilding at the age of 14 because he wanted to look like the professional wrestlers he saw on television—and won the 1988 Mr. Teenage New Hampshire competition at the age of 19. While working as a manager of a gym in Nashua, he was introduced to world champion powerlifter Ted Arcidi, who was employed by WWE at the time. Eventually, after numerous attempts, Levesque persuaded Arcidi to introduce him to former wrestler Killer Kowalski, who ran a professional wrestling school in Malden, Massachusetts.