born July 27, 1969)[5] is an American professional wrestler and actor,[6] better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of his former ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley. He currently wrestles for the SmackDown brand of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he is the reigning WWE Champion.[7]

 

Before joining WWE, Levesque began his wrestling career with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1993, wrestling under the ring name Terra Ryzing.[1] He changed his ring name to Jean-Paul Lévesque before joining the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1995.[2] His initial on-screen persona was that of wealthy sophisticate Hunter Hearst Helmsley. He later changed his name to Triple H and adopted an alternative image in the group D-Generation X (DX), a stable. After the dissolution of DX, Triple H was pushed as a main-event wrestler, winning several singles championships.[3] As part of a storyline, the scripted events in wrestling, Triple H married Stephanie McMahon, who later became his real-life spouse. In 2003, Triple H formed another stable known as Evolution,[3] and in 2006, briefly reformed DX with Shawn Michaels.[8]

 

Overall, Triple H is a twelve-time world champion: a seven-time and current WWE Champion, and a five-time World Heavyweight Champion.[9][10] In addition, he won the 1997 King of the Ring, the 2002 Royal Rumble, and was the second Grand Slam Champion.[3]

 

Outside wrestling, Levesque has made numerous guest appearances in film and on television. He is starring in the WWE Film, Journey of Death, which is due to release in 2009.[11] Paul Levesque was born in Nashua, New Hampshire. In his youth, Levesque was a fan of professional wrestling and his favorite wrestler was Ric Flair.[2][4] He became aware of bodybuilding at the age of fourteen, and after graduating from high school in 1987, he entered several body building competitions.[12] He was crowned Teenage Mr. New Hampshire at the age of nineteen. During this time, he met Ted Arcidi and began to consider a career in professional wrestling.[4][12]

 

Levesque enrolled at Killer Kowalski's wrestling school in 1992 after it was recommended to him by Arcidi.[4][12] He joined the Independent Wrestling Federation (IWF), which used trainees from Kowalski's school in their promotion. Here, Levesque became the IWF Heavyweight Champion and started using the name Terra Ryzing.[1]

In early 1994, Levesque signed a one year contract with World Championship Wrestling (WCW).[4][13] In his first televised match, he wrestled as a heel and defeated Brian Armstrong.[2] He continued using the name Terra Ryzing until mid-1994, when he was renamed Jean-Paul Lévesque.[2][14] 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.[15] During this time, he began using his finisher, the Pedigree.

 

Lévesque had a brief storyline feud with Alex Wright that culminated at Starrcade.[2] Between late 1994 and early 1995, Lévesque briefly teamed with Lord Steven Regal, whose snobby British persona was a good match with Lévesque's similar persona.[14] The team was short-lived, however, as Lévesque left for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in January 1995 after WCW shot down his request to be pushed as a singles competitor.[1][14][15]

 

 

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment

 

The Connecticut Blueblood (1995–1997)

 

Hunter Hearst Helmsley in 1996.As a continuation of his gimmick in WCW, Levesque started off his WWF career as the Connecticut Blueblood, Hunter Hearst Helmsley.[15] 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 WWF Wrestling Challenge.[16]

 

Although he was heavily pushed in the first few months after his debut, his career stalled during 1996, starting off with being mired in a feud with Duke "The Dumpster" Droese following a loss in the Free For All at the 1996 Royal Rumble.[17][18] Up until that event, his angle included appearing on television each week with a different female valet.[2] Sable was his valet at WrestleMania XII, and after his loss to Ultimate Warrior, as part of the storyline, he took his aggressions out on her. The debuting Marc Mero came to her rescue, starting a feud between the two wrestlers.[19]

 

On May 28, 1996, Helmsley appeared on WWF Superstars against Marty Garner.[20] When Levesque 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.[20] Garner sued the WWF, eventually settling out of court and later discussed the incident in an appearance on The Montel Williams Show.

 

 

The MSG Incident.Levesque was known backstage as one of the members of The Kliq, a group of wrestlers including Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman and Scott Hall, who were known for influencing Vince McMahon and the WWF creative team.[17] He was slated to win the 1996 King of the Ring tournament, but was demoted from championship contender to jobber to the stars after the Madison Square Garden Incident, in which the Kliq broke character after a match to say goodbye to the departing Nash and Hall.[21] Despite the punishment, Helmsley did have several successes following the MSG Incident. He found a manager in Mr. Perfect and was booked to win his first Intercontinental Championship on October 21, 1996, defeating Marc Mero.[21][22] 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. He held the belt for nearly four months before dropping it to Rocky Maivia on the February 13, 1997 special edition of Monday Night Raw, called Thursday Raw Thursday.[23] For a very brief time, Helmsley was accompanied by Mr. Hughes, who was his storyline bodyguard.[24] After losing the Intercontinental title, he feuded with Goldust, defeating him at WrestleMania 13.[25] During their feud, Chyna debuted as his new bodyguard.[26]

 

 

D-Generation X (1997–1999)

Main article: D-Generation X

Helmsley's push resumed in 1997, when he won the King of the Ring tournament on June 8 by defeating Mankind in the finals.[21][27] Later that year, Shawn Michaels, Helmsley, Chyna and Rick Rude formed D-Generation X (DX). This stable later became known for pushing the envelope, as Michaels and Helmsley made risqué promos—spawning the catchphrase "Suck It", using a "crotch chop" hand motion,[28] and sarcastically deriding Bret Hart and Canada. By that point, Helmsley had fully dropped the "blueblood snob" gimmick, appearing in T-shirts and leather. During this period, his ring name was shortened to simply Triple H.[21] Even after the DX versus Hart Foundation storyline ended when Bret, Jim Neidhart, and Davey Boy Smith defected to WCW, Helmsley continued to feud with the sole remaining member Owen Hart over the WWF European Championship. This culminated in a match between the two at WrestleMania XIV, with the stipulation that Chyna had to be handcuffed to then-Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter. Helmsley won after Chyna threw powder into Slaughter's eyes, momentarily "blinding" him and allowing her to interfere in the match.

 

After WrestleMania, Michaels was forced into temporary retirement due to a legitimate back injury sustained at the Royal Rumble,[29] and on-screen, Triple H took over the leadership position in DX,[21] claiming that his now-former