Triple H On Surprise Hall of Fame Induction: "It Hit Me Way Harder Than I Thought It Would”

Triple H has all respect in the world for the three men who paved the way for his WWE Hall of Fame induction, Nick Khan, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker.

Triple H discusses WWE HOF induction / WWE

A wild and crazy Royal Rumble weekend is now in the books.

Saturday night's event featured shocking returns and one of the most stunning upsets in WWE history when 'WrestleMania Main Event' Jey Uso dumped John Cena onto the floor to win the Men's Royal Rumble Match.

After the dust had settled, it was time for reflection.

The Royal Rumble Post Show press conference featured an emotional yet confident Charlotte Flair detailing her long road back to glory. A humble Jey Uso finally harvesting the fruits of his years of labor. A poignant and passionate John Cena instantly declaring his entry into the Elimination Chamber. And finally, there was the man leading the charge behind the scenes, taking a moment to allow some recognition of his own life's work.

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque will be headlining the 2025 WWE Hall of Fame Class. The 14-time World Champion will be inducted WrestleMania weekend, alongside a field of yet to be announced legends.

When asked by US Weekly during the Royal Rumble press conference Saturday night, Levesque said that he and WWE President Nick Khan had completely different plans lined up for the WWE Hall of Fame this year. Turns out that it was Khan who had other ideas in mind.

“Nick and I had talked about the Hall of Fame many times," Levesque said. "He would always [ask], ‘When are we gonna put you in?’ And I would say, not now. Because no matter how I do it, it looks like I'm putting myself in the Hall of Fame and I'm just not gonna do that.”

With The Game unwilling to put himself over, Khan called in a favor from two of Levesque's closest friends and longtime in-ring rivals, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, to surprise him at a WWE Town Hall this past Wednesday afternoon.

A visibly confused Triple H had no idea why Shawn Michaels music hit during the event at WWE Headquarters. Initially, he believed he had missed a section of the town hall rundown. Once The Undertaker had arrived on stage, Levesque knew something was up.

“I saw Nick walk to the other side of the room and that's the first time I realized, this is somehow going to affect me. I wasn't sure positively, negatively, or humorously. I wasn't sure what was gonna happen until Taker said WrestleMania.”

Levesque was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of D-Generation X back in 2019, but he admitted that when he found out he'd headline a class all his own, the emotion of the moment washed over him in a way he wasn't fully prepared to handle.

“I'll be honest. You know we did it with DX, it was a lot of fun. It's different when it's you." Levesque said. “I've had the honor of calling a lot of people to tell them, ‘We're going to induct you in the Hall of Fame.’ Or be there in person to say to them, ‘We're going to induct you into the Hall of Fame,’ and watch them cry and watch them get emotional because of our passion for what we do. It hit me way harder than I thought it would.”

Triple H had more meetings to attend on Wednesday, but as the day progressed, what had just transpired began to soak in more and more.

.@undertaker & I got him good on his home turf!

It is an honor of a lifetime to announce that the first member of the #WWEHOF Class of 2025 is none other than my friend @TripleH. pic.twitter.com/ALmHzuBx48

— Shawn Michaels (@ShawnMichaels) January 30, 2025

Levesque began to think about all his accomplishments and the men and women he had the honor of sharing the ring with. He thought about all the fans in all the cities that he had visited across the globe over the years. And with the memories flooding in, he began to experience the same profound sense of gratitude and euphoria that he personally witnessed other Hall of Famers go through when Triple H delivered the news to them.

“It was emotional and I'm excited for [the induction ceremony]. I wish it wasn't at WrestleMania, so I could focus on it more, but it's one of the most meaningful things in my career.”

There were no two better men to inform Levesque that he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year than Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. The two men he trusts and respects more than anyone else in pro wrestling.

None of it would have been possible, however, without Nick Khan. The levels of respect that Levesque has for WWE's President knows no bounds and those feelings are obviously reciprocated.

“In business for me, outside of the in-ring, there's nobody that I respect more, nobody, than him. He's my partner in all this. So him doing that for me was incredibly meaningful.”

The WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place WrestleMania weekend in Las Vegas. A time and date for the event have yet to be announced.

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