Triple H, whose real name is Paul Michael Levesque, was born Nashua, New Hampshire. In high school, Levesque trained for bodybuilding competitions to look like the pro wrestlers he saw on TV, and eventually was named Mr. Teenage New Hampshire at 19. The future main event superstar began his pro wrestling career as Terra Ryzing for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994. For a couple of years prior to his professional wrestling television debut, he was trained by Killer Kowalski and competed for his International Wrestling Federation (IWF) promotion.
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In WCW, Terra Ryzing reached mid-card status, and then became Jean-Paul Levesque, feuding with Alex Wright and teaming with Lord Steven Regal. After only a short stint in WCW, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and made his debut as the snobby Greenwich, Connecticut blueblood Hunter Hearst Helmsley in 1995.
His ring name was later shortened to Triple H, and he's made millions of dollars ever since.
WWE Debut and World Championship Push
Vince McMahon apparently saw more in him than the WCW executives, as he received a solid mid-card push upon his debut. Just one year after his debut, he defeated Marc Mero to win the Intercontinental Championship, and two years after his debut, he won the 1997 King of the Ring tournament by defeating Ahmed Johnson and Mankind.
After years of competing in the mid-card, Hunter Hearst Helmsley evolved into Triple H, and reached main event status. After the hiatus of Shawn Michaels due to injury, Triple H became the leader of D-Generation X, and won his first WWE Championship by defeating Mankind (with Shane McMahon as guest referee) on August 23, 1999, the day after SummerSlam. This further developed his persona of "The Game," as well as the McMahon-Helmsley Era.
This would be the first of 14 world championship reigns — nine as WWE Champion and five with the World Heavyweight Championship. In addition, Triple H won the Royal Rumble twice and closed WrestleMania seven times.
Also during this time, he would get involved in a relationship angle with Stephanie McMahon. This storyline was actually a part of a real-life relationship after Triple H broke up with his former girlfriend Chyna, and the two became married in 2003. They now have three children together (Vaughn Evelyn Levesque, Aurora Rose Levesque, and Murphy Claire Levesque).
Triple H Net Worth
Throughout his pro wrestling career on Raw, SmackDown, and pay-per-view events, Triple H has been a part of many notable rivalries including The Rock, The Undertaker, John Cena, Randy Orton, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Brock Lesnar.
In 2013, he changed his concentration from in-ring competition to decision-making, as he became the Executive Vice President of Talent and Live Events for WWE. In addition, he become the Executive Producer of the NXT brand and reportedly owns several million worth of WWE stock.
As a result of this transition from a professional wrestler and in-ring success, Triple H's net worth has climbed near $150 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
For over 20 years, Triple H has become one the biggest WWE superstars on modern-day history. With numerous championship titles on his resume, Paul Levesque has built an empire to become one of the richest names in WWE.
This article was originally published May 31, 2019.
