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Love him or hate him, there simply is no denying Triple H’s profound impact on the world of sports and entertainment. He began working the indie scenes in 1992 and by ’95, he was a member of the WWE roster. After some growing pains, he finally molded himself into a prominent star and by the late 90s, he was on top of the wrestling world.
Fast-forward years and years of in-ring dominance, Hunter would eventually trade in his tights for a spot as an executive in the company. He started off with some minor roles, but today, those minor priorities have expanded as he’s currently the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations along with being a creative head and the senior producer for NXT. Looking at his behind the scenes roles, it seems like Hunter is being tailored to be the next in line.
In this article, we take a look at some lesser known images taken throughout Hunter’s career. From his early beginnings working with Killer Kowalski to his current role as big time player backstage, these pictures are some you’ve never seen before. Be sure to comment and share the article with a buddy and like always. Enjoy!
With Shawn & Chyna
After making the jump to the WWE in the mid 90s, Hunter would finally rise to the upper card scene alongside Shawn Michaels. The two shared a great friendship backstage and that would manifest itself on screen with some of the greatest content ever produced from the Attitude Era. Hunter evolved into a serious performer and once Shawn would leave, Hunter never looked back dominating the WWE landscape for the next few decades.
The picture you see above is a classic behind the scenes shot of the trio dressed in the skimpiest short shorts you’ll ever see. Heck you can argue Shawn and Hunter’s shorts are even shorter than Chyna’s. The group provided outstanding entertainment which was quite edgy to say the least, without a doubt, they pushed the envelope more times than not during their run as a trio. The faction kickstarted Hunter’s career and it’s a part of his journey he’ll never forget.
Recent Shot With Vince & Shane
Saying Triple H’s WWE role has evolved is a big time understatement. The Game now holds a prominent role in the company as the Executive Vice President of Talent along with holding creative control of the developmental brand known as NXT. His behind the scenes contributions have been a breath of fresh air and without a doubt, we would assume Hunter would take the reins once Vince’s time in the spotlight is up.
This rare picture shows Hunter alongside his father-in-law and brother-in-law as the trio engage in a conversation. Typically, Hunter is involved in almost all the WWE projects, even at the Hall of Fame ceremony he was side-by-side with Vince when honoring the inductees with their HOF ring. As time goes by, you can expect his role to only get bigger as Vince continues to mold Hunter into, the “next one”. The question remains, where does Shane end up in all of this?
With His Trainer
Wanting to look like a WWE Superstar, Triple H hit the gym at the age of 14. Ever wonder why the guy looks so incredible? Well, it’s probably because he’s been lifting weights for over 30 years now. Once he built up his body, the next goal was to find a trainer and to train for a job in the wrestling business. The school he would attend was located in Malden, Massachusetts as he began to work alongside the great Killer Kowalski, who trained a plethora of talents including the great Chyna. Once he graduated from the training school in 1992, he would go on to make his indie debut with the IWF along with joining various other indie promotions. His first name as a pro wrestler was under the moniker of Terra Ryzing.
His indie work was valuable and he’d sign a short deal to work with WCW. He gained valuable experience and eventually, he’d agree to a pay cut to join the WWE in hopes of getting a more prominent role, which he would ultimately score.
With The Anoa’i Family
The Anoa’i family is held in high regard by the WWE as they’ve produced a plethora of WWE Superstars over the last couple of years. The family is littered with notable current and former WWE Superstars including Rikishi, Yokozuna, The Usos and of course, Roman Reigns. Even the great one himself The Rock, is part of the family’s lineage.
The picture you see above shows Hunter posing for a picture alongside one notable face you might recognize, the late great Umaga. The Superstar sadly passed away in 2009 at the age of 36, but the family continues to be held in a high regard with the emergence of Roman Reigns. With Cena being sidelined for other projects, the company has pushed Reigns to the moon due to the fact that nobody other than Roman can run with the ball like Cena has over the last couple of years. The family will continue to be valued as Hunter along with Vince, continue to push Roman quite heavily.
His Wedding Day
The WWE was put on hold when Triple H and Stephanie solidified their love for one another, tying the knot. The two got married in October of 2003 and the wedding was attended by a plethora of former and current WWE stars. For Triple H, his groomsmen were basically a who’s who of WWE stars. The likes of Shawn Michaels, William Regal, Ric Flair, The Undertaker, Kevin Nash and Shane McMahon, all served a part standing in his corner. Hunter would make the honorable choice of choosing his father to serve the role as his best man.
Following the wedding, Stephanie would be inconsistently on-screen, while Hunter never really missed much of a beat; the guy’s crazy about the business and that’s never changed at any point in time. Nowadays, the power couple is still going extremely strong as it looks like they’ll be the ones in charge soon enough.
Soccer Nets & Pregnant Stephanie
After tying the knot, Triple H remained on the main roster while Stephanie still stayed away from the company. In large part, this was due to the fact that the couple planned on starting a family. That vision would manifest itself starting in 2006 when the couple had their first child, Aurora Rosa. Both Stephanie and Hunter would stick to a similar theme having children two years apart consistently for the next couple of years, Two years later, Murphy Claire was born and two years after that, the final daughter was born as Vaughn Evelyn was added to the mix. Their last child was conceived in August of 2010.
Despite their insane working schedules, the couple still finds time to be great parents. Stephanie has posted several pictures alongside her children as she takes them out to various outings as documented through her social media page. The couple has a crazy lifestyle and hectic work schedule, but still manage to tuck in their children on a nightly basis. If you ever complain about lack of time or sleep, just think of these two that get tops four hours of shut-eye a night.
With His Best Bud
They’ve been through thick and thin together, but the two still remain best friends to this day. On-screen, they were brought back together in various stints whether it was in 2006 making their long awaited return, or Shawn’s final days as they once again reunited in 2009 to win Tag Team gold. The two shared some awesome moments on-screen, but they probably shared even greater moments off of it.
To this day, the two remain really tight as we mentioned. Stephanie admitted to calling Shawn when things get too hectic for Hunter. Triple H has even implicated Shawn in various WWE proceedings whether it be working as a pre-show panelist or some involvement down in NXT. Shawn remains implicated in the company and given his legacy and friendship to Triple H, you can expect that to continue for a very long time. We pay homage to their friendship with a throwback picture of the two from behind scenes during a tour overseas.
Chilling With His Kliq-Mate
Before Triple H would make the jump to the WWE, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Shawn Michaels were quietly running things behind the scenes. The trio was pitching ideas to the boss and getting it done on-screen making them pretty popular with Vince. Once Hunter made the jump, the trio took a liking for The Game and he was added to the group becoming the designated driver. It was a dream come true for both sides as the Kliq finally found someone to drive them around while Hunter was making it with the cool kids. He stayed alone for the first part of his WWE experience but that changed once he was embraced by the Kliq.
Hunter’s hand in the group helped his standing and eventually, he was shot to the top of the company. Hunter still pays tribute to his buddies as all the Kliq members are still implicated with the WWE. That even includes Sean Waltman and Scott Hall who underwent some difficult times. The Game continues to do his best to give back to his friends that helped him big time along the way.
Bustin’ A Flex With Steph
Water bottle in hand, bloated face, bicep that’s ripping his shirt; Hunter looks like the prototypical weight lifter in this behind the scenes throwback shot. Even Stephanie seems to be blushing as she touches her man’s triceps, although those darn biceps look like they’re going to explode.
Throwback or not, Hunter remains in crazy shape at the age of 47. In the ring, he still moves really well and visually, he looks like a dude in his 30s. Hunter’s training regimes have changed throughout the years putting more of an emphasis on mobility and cardiovascular prowess, as opposed to his prior days training in a body building style. One constant is that The Game remains in fantastic shape, he’s even posted various videos of his midnight training sessions and let’s just say, he does things the average person can’t do, like repping 100 plus pound dumbbells on an incline for over 20 reps. The average human can’t even do a single rep of half of that...
The Former Couple
Joining the WWE, Chyna would score a role working with D-X as the faction’s bodyguard. Vince initially hated the idea, but thanks to Shane, Chyna would get signed after word was made that WCW had interest. With McMahon unwilling to lose another talent to their rival company, he pulled the trigger on Chyna and without a doubt, he made a wise decision.
The two would start to date for a while scoring some big time success. Things would go south however, once Hunter and Stephanie were booked into a storyline together in 2000. With a suspicion that things seemed off, Chyna went snooping and she would find a love letter in Hunter’s bag from Stephanie. That’s when everything would start to crumble for Joanie. She was shown the door shortly after as Vince protected his daughter and WWE star/future son-in-law. Chyna would never return and sadly, she passed away after a long battle with prescription drugs in 2016.
Hard At Work
They say when you love what you do, you won’t work a day in your life. It seems like Triple H is currently living the motto with his role in the WWE. Like Vince, Hunter is working countless hours whether it be at the Performance Center, at the gorilla position, or back at home in the head offices. Similar to McMahon, Hunter is starting to thrive at the role of wearing different personas, whether it be being a pro backstage or his Cerebral Assassin demeanor on-screen.
For now, he continues to work tooth and nail. His big task as of now is trying to restore the NXT brand. With a slew of call-ups including Nakamura, Hunter is faced with the task of finding new talent to fill the voids. He responded quickly recently signing Drew Galloway to a deal. The contract was done in a short amount of time and it proved just how powerful and aware The Game has become. With all the moves he continues to make, it seems rather evident the company’s in good hands.
At The Circus With Steph
Surprised that the two didn't take a ride on this animal for a WrestleMania entrance, instead, they opted for a motorcycle at WrestleMania 33. Who knows, the elephant can still come into play at some point. There are no limits to what Triple H will do during a WrestleMania entrance and we’ve seen that over the years. All jokes aside, his biker theme was pretty awesome and that beard of his truly put the icing on the cake.
We’ve discussed Hunter’s rise throughout the article but we must give some love to Stephanie as well, who also continues to turn heads. Steph has thrived as a heel on-screen along with being a huge asset off of it, promoting the WWE on a global scale. Because of Stephanie, the company is on a global platform more so than ever before and due to that, Vince is no longer stressing about the ratings. Looking to the future, you can also expect Stephanie’s role to only increase.
Kissing Austin
A truly iconic picture that took place behind the scenes before WrestleMania XIX, although it doesn’t seem like all that long ago, the picture is already close to being 15 years of age! Man, is that ever surreal.
The picture has a huge historical value, as that WrestleMania turned out to be Austin’s swan song as he gave the WWE his curtain call following a loss to The Rock. The company would ask Steve to return several times after the bout, but he’s stayed true to the fact that it was indeed his final match.
As for Hunter, he was only getting things started. He dominated the WWE during that era and it would continue during the event, defeating Booker T and retaining the championship. His run at the top would finally end the next year dropping the belt to a certain someone in a main event Triple Threat match at WrestleMania XX.
With Vince At Gorilla
Wrestling fans crave shots like this one as Vince gives the old thumbs up while rocking his headset alongside Triple H at the gorilla position just before the wrestlers go out in the front of the crowd. It’s a surreal sight for some to see Triple H in such a role, but some saw it coming from a mile away, including former WWE Diva Sunny, who claimed Triple H was obsessed with gaining power inside of the industry.
Triple H is in fact the future of the WWE, but for now, Vince still remains in charge as he’s showing no signs of slowing down. The boss continues to put in countless hours at WWE events and back at home where the WWE HQ is located. Along with that, Vince still works out like an animal, even Triple H admitted that he can’t keep up with his father-in-law. Although Vince is currently in his 70s, it still seems like he’s got a long way to go before he finally steps down from his throne.
Putting In The Work
We close off the article with a glimpse of Triple H behind the scenes working his current job as an executive with the WWE. When he’s not backstage at a WWE event, he’s probably down at the Performance Center. If he’s not down at Performance Center, he’s probably back at Stanford putting in some serious hours at the WWE HQ, whether that would be dealing with talent or even joining the creative staff and coming up with some ideas, the guy truly does it all.
Vince has given Triple H the keys to NXT to show what he’s got and man, has he ever thrived. Along with that, he continues to contribute on the main roster and you can only expect that to continue for years to come. Some are skeptical about Triple H’s legacy, but you simply cannot deny the guy’s work ethic which is second to none and probably, the most rigorous of all the people involved in sports and entertainment.
Sources: YouTube, thesun
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