ICYMI: "Be sure to bring your helmet" - Revisiting the time WWE legend Triple H challenged NFL star to a wrestling bout

If you're a fan of professional wrestling, the name Triple H is one that certainly rings a bell. "The Game," as he is also known, is synonymous with WWE for his role as a wrestling legend and transitioning into an executive position in recent years.

On Friday, Triple H stunned the wrestling community by announcing his retirement in an interview with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith.

How does this tie into the NFL world, you may be asking? Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard challenged the wrestling icon to a match just over a year ago. Leonard (who calls himself "The Maniac") said,

"Hey, Triple H. It's Maniac. You know, I want to meet you in the ring, and I want to take your belt. And I don't think you want any smoke with The Maniac, man. Just meet me down there, if you want to talk a lot of trash. Imma show you a little something something."

Triple H didn't just take to his social media to respond to the stud middle linebacker. The next day, which happened to be the date of the Super Bowl, the 14-time world champion offered a proposal for himself and Leonard to form a tag team.

He responded by cutting a wrestling-style promo, saying,

"I got Darius Leonard calling me out saying he wants to come down here and step in the ring with The Game. And I ain’t got time for that. What I do have time for though? I do have time for a guy that goes three years All-Pro coming into the NFL that his rookie year leads the league in tackles. I do have time for a guy that is so devastating on the field that they call The Maniac. They call him that once and it sticks. Athletically? That's the kind of stuff I'm looking for."

After acknowledging Leonard's physical gifts, Triple H extended a formal invitation to NXT, which was the brand he oversaw at the time. He said,

"That's the kind of stuff that, if he was to come to the P.C., if he was to come to the Capitol Wrestling Center, was to come on a Wednesday night to NXT, that's somebody that I might consider not stepping in the ring against. But stepping in the ring as a partner with. Imagine that tag team. The Game and The Maniac. What could they do together? That could be something special. So consider this the invite. Any time you, Darius Leonard, want to come to NXT. Consider this your open invitation from The Game himself. Because as of this moment? You, me, we are NXT."

Triple H retired from wrestling after a life-threatening heart-issue

WWE announces matches with Tyson Fury And Cain Velasquez At Crown Jewel Event

Triple H spoke openly and candidly to Smith about his heart problems, something he's never spoken about before publicly. He revealed that he has a defibrillator in his chest due to a battle with viral pneumonia.

He told Smith he was very close to not making it out of his battle. His heart's ejection fracture (the percentage of blood that leaves your heart each time it contracts) was at just 12% (A normal ejection fraction is about 50% to 75%, according to the American Heart Association. A borderline ejection fraction can range between 41% and 50%.). Triple H said,

"So I was nosediving and sort of at the one-yard line of where you want to be – or where you don’t want to be, really, for your family and your future."

Above anything in his professional life, The Game is a father to three daughters and a husband to one of the most influential women in the world, Stephanie McMahon.

He's grateful to have survived, even if it means his in-ring career is over. Although we won't see him in the ring anymore, he's on the mend in his recovery and has begun resuming some of his corporate duties.