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 at a Gold's 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.
In early 1992, Levesque began to train as a professional Wrestler at Killer Kowalski's school in Malden, Massachusetts. 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), performing as Terra Ryzing. 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 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, as Levesque left for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in January 1995 after WCW turned down his request to be promoted as a singles competitor.
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. 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.
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.
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 fully 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What began as an on-screen storyline marriage in 2000 blossomed into a real-life romance when Levesque began dating Stephanie McMahon. They were married on October 25, 2003, and have three daughters: Aurora Rose Levesque (born July 24, 2006), Murphy Claire Levesque (born July 28, 2008), and Vaughn Evelyn Levesque (born August 24, 2010). Levesque had previously been in a long-term relationship with fellow Wrestler Chyna, but they split up over her personal issues and her not being interested in having children.
In late 2004, Levesque released a book titled Making the Game: Triple H's Approach to a Better Body. Mostly devoted to bodybuilding advice, the book also includes some autobiographical information, memoirs, and opinions.
After 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.
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.
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.
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 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 Elimination Chamber, 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
During an interview with ITV London in December 2015, Levesque said that he is a supporter of West Ham United FC. He is close friends with NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Levesque is a fan of the band Motörhead, who have performed three different entrance themes for him over his career, and was good friends with lead singer Lemmy. To pay homage, Levesque sported Lemmy-inspired facial hair during a large portion of his career. He attended Lemmy's funeral on January 9, 2016, and spoke about the gift of sound that Lemmy and Motörhead have given to him and the friendship they had over the years.
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, labelling 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'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.
