Paul Michael Levesque[2] (born July 27, 1969)
[2] is an American
professional wrestler and
actor, better known by his
ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of his former ring name,
Hunter Hearst Helmsley. He is currently signed with
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and wrestles on its
Raw brand.
[6]Before joining WWE, Levesque began his wrestling career with
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1993, wrestling under the ring name Terra Ryzing and later as Jean-Paul Lévesque.
[2] Levesque joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1995 with the on-screen persona of wealthy sophisticate Hunter Hearst Helmsley.
[1] He later changed his name to Triple H and adopted an alternative image in the stable
D-Generation X (DX). After the dissolution of DX, Triple H was
pushed as a main event wrestler, winning several singles championships.
[3] As part of a storyline, 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 and 2009, briefly reformed DX with
Shawn Michaels.
[7]Overall, Levesque is a thirteen-time
World Champion having won the
WWE Championship eight times, and the
World Heavyweight Championship five times (Triple H is also recognized as the first World Heavyweight Champion under WWE's lineage).
[8][9] In addition, Levesque won the
1997 King of the Ring, the
2002 Royal Rumble, and was the second
Grand Slam Championship winner.
[3]Outside wrestling, Levesque has made numerous guest appearances in
film and on
television.
World Championship WrestlingIn early 1994, Levesque signed a one year contract with
World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
[4][12] In his first televised match, He wrestled as a
villain and defeated
Brian Armstrong.
[1] He continued using the name Terra Ryzing until mid-1994, when he was renamed Jean-Paul Lévesque.
[1][13] 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.
[14] During this time, he began using his finishing maneveur, the
Pedigree.
Levesque had a brief storyline
feud with
Alex Wright that ended at
Starrcade 1994[1] with Wright
pinning him.
[15] Between late 1994 and early 1995, Levesque briefly teamed with
Lord Steven Regal, whose snobby British persona was a good match with his similar persona.
[13] The team was short-lived, however, as Lévesque left for the
World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in January 1995 after WCW turned down his request to be pushed as a singles competitor.
[2][13][14]
