5 current WWE stars close to Triple H in real life

Triple H is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in WWE both inside and outside the ring. Inside the ring, The Game has soared to become a former 14-time world champion, five-time Intercontinental champion as well as a two-time Royal Rumble winner.

Outside of the squared circle, Triple H has donned the role of Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development as well as being creator and executive producer of the NXT brand.

The King of Kings has made quite a few friends along the way. In this article, we look at five current WWE stars who are close to Triple H in real life:

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#5 Former WWE United States Champion - Sheamus

Sheamus has been friends with Triple H since 2009. In an appearance on the After the Bell podcast last year, Sheamus spoke about how Triple H and him became gym buddies.

He also opened up about The Game giving him feedback on his form and matches. The former WWE United States Champion said:

"When I first started, Triple H was there, and he took me under his wing. We went on a tour of Australia. I didn't know anybody. I was on SmackDown but got switched to a tour of RAW for a tour of Australia in 2009. He said, you don't know anybody, so if you want to go to the gym and work out, I can watch your matches and give you any feedback, and I was blown away."

Triple H certainly made Sheamus feel welcome at the start of his WWE career and the two, till date, share a very close friendship.

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#4 Former WWE Universal Champion - Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens became friends with Triple H after the latter was the tie-breaking vote to hire Owens to NXT in 2014 while others were not sold on his look.

The former Universal Champion, in an interview with The Montreal Canadiens, had this to say about his friendship with The Game:

"He hired me. When I got my chance to be called up to the pros, the story I heard was that four or five people had a say in the decision. The vote was tied at two, and Triple H cast the deciding ballot. He gave me my chance. I appreciated that he was willing to risk signing me even though I'm not the typical WWE wrestler. Since I started working with him, we've become a lot closer. He helps me as much as he can for shows - like he does with everyone - but we both have young kids at home and we talk about a lot of other things that have nothing to do with wrestling. The fact that he's in my corner is what counts. I watched him fight when I was younger. I went to the Bell Centre to see him live. He's the one who motivated me."

The relationship between KO and Triple H continues to soar and is certainly beyond words.

#3 Inaugural WWE Universal Champion - Finn Balor

The bond between Finn Balor and Triple H goes back to the former's time at WWE NXT when The Game consistently backed him to navigate the more difficult phases.

During an interview with TV Insider last year, the inaugural Universal Champion opened up about his relationship with Triple H. He said:

"Working with him has been absolutely fantastic. I came to WWE about six years ago with a lot of uncertainty. There were expectations, but personally, I was uncertain how it was going to go. I feel like myself and Triple H struck an understanding early on in my career at NXT. It has grown and developed. He is someone I can say I’ve spent in and out of the ring more than anyone else. I trust his direction and take his advice. He’s someone I feel very fortunate to have developed a friendship with the last couple of years."

Triple H not only continues to be a good friend to Balor but also a guiding light in his career to this day.

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#2 Former WWE Champion - Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins and Triple H have shared a very strong bond right from the latter's time at NXT. The Game was instrumental in crowning The Visionary as the inaugural NXT Champion.

Triple H also oversaw Seth's transition to the main roster as a member of The Shield, along with helping him carve his journey as a successful singles competitor.

In addition to this, The King of Kings also played a huge role in putting over the former WWE Champion at WrestleMania 33 in a non-sactioned match which Seth won. Rollins considers Triple H his mentor as the two continue to be good friends.

#1 WWE Hall of Famer - Shawn Michaels

Despite retiring from in-ring competition, Shawn Michaels is still a very active part of WWE. The Hall of Famer currently works as a writer and producer on NXT 2.0 along with his real-life best friend Triple H.

Michaels has been managing the entire show on his own since Triple H suffered a cardiac episode that has kept him out of WWE. This is testament to the friendship that these two stalwarts have shared spanning well over multiple decades.

When Triple H debuted in WWE as Hunter Hearst Helmsley in 1995, Michaels was already an established superstar. HBK helped The Game find his feet in the company and also made him part of The Kliq.

This was the time their friendship started blossoming. Shawn Michaels was in fact the one who suggested The Game should shorten his in-ring name to Triple H from Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

Within two years of working together in the company, they co-founded arguably the most controversial (yet beloved) faction known as D-Generation X in 1997. The two superstars had some epic on-screen rivalries against the likes of the McMahons and Nation of Domination.

Triple H was instrumental in helping Michaels backstage during a time when he was battling addiction. He also played a big role in helping HBK return to in-ring action in 2002 after a lengthy leave of absence from the company.

The two undoubtedly share a friendship that has stood the test of time and continues to flourish.