WWE: Why Triple H Has Retired From Wrestling

After a 30-year wrestling career, WWE legend and corporate executive Triple H has been forced to retire as an in-ring performer. While Triple H (real name Paul Levesque) hasn’t been an active competitor for quite a few years now, he had settled into a role similar to that of fellow legend The Undertaker prior to the Deadman’s own retirement. Dubbed the “Cerebral Assassin”, Triple H would usually only don the tights and step in the ring for important pay-per-view events like WrestleMania.

Triple H made his professional wrestling debut in 1992, and in 1994, would begin a fairly short tenure in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He first wrestled under the hilarious name Terra Ryzing, before transitioning into an aristocrat character called Jean-Paul Levesque, who teamed with the future William Regal. Triple H soon caught the eye of WWE boss Vince McMahon, who brought him in as the “Connecticut Blueblood” Hunter Hearst Helmsley. In fall 1997, the Triple H moniker took hold, and the rich snob became a founding member of one of wrestling’s greatest factions: D-Generation X.

Triple H transitioned into the main event scene in late 1999, adopting the nickname “The Game,” and proving himself as a top star in feuds with Mick Foley, The Rock, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. He would later also marry McMahon’s daughter Stephanie in real-life, and has since been groomed as a future company leader. Sadly, reports surfaced in September 2021 that Triple H had suffered a serious “cardiac event” that left him hospitalized, and caused him to step back from his behind-the-scenes roles in WWE. After months of silence, Triple H announced his retirement on March 25, 2022 due to his heart condition, as he’s been told by doctors that it’ll never be safe for him to wrestle another match.

While it was reported at the time that Triple H’s heart issues were serious, it wasn’t until his recent interview that the severity truly became clear. According to “The Game,” he went to the hospital after wife Stephanie witnessed him cough up blood. Doctors then informed Triple H that he had viral pneumonia, causing his lungs to become inflamed, and that fluid was building up in his lungs and around his heart. At times, Triple H worried he was going to die as a result of the condition, leaving his three daughters without a father. He also revealed that doctors placed a defibrillator in his chest to help his heart.

Triple H, who’s guided the WWE developmental brand NXT since 2012, is expected to recover and return to his executive duties within WWE. Given his heart issues though, it makes perfect sense that he has to retire from wrestling. Triple H’s last official match took place at WWE Live event in Japan held on June 29, 2019, which saw him team up with Shinsuke Nakamura to defeat the team of Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode. He did have a “street fight” with Randy Orton on the January 11, 2021 episode of Raw, but that was more a wild brawl than a match. It’s understandable that WWE fans are saddened and upset that they’ll never get to see “The Game” do what he does best again—or appear at WrestleMania 38—but for the sake of his family and his future, that’s the way things have to be. Luckily, he leaves behind a tremendous in-ring legacy.

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