10 rare photos of Triple H you may not have seen

Triple H is one of the greatest superstars that the WWE has ever produced. Trained by Killer Kowalski, Triple H started to make a name for himself in WCW first of all as Terra Ryzing (a play on terrorising…get it?). After evolving his gimmick into more of a blue-blood character, he made the jump to the WWE where he would become one of the most iconic wrestlers of all time.

Multiple World Championships, a King of the Ring win, a Royal Rumble win and the ability to tell a story in the ring in a way which many can no longer do are just a few of the reasons we love the King of Kings.

Triple H has recently been performing on the UK tour in place of Roman Reigns due to the meningitis virus that has been making the rounds in the locker room. He has shown that he still has what it takes, but there is no doubt that Triple H’s career as a wrestler and destroyer is pretty much over, barring these special occasions.

You are much more likely to see Triple H the creator nowadays, suited and booted and driving NXT to be the biggest global wrestling brand behind the WWE.

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Triple H has certainly had a storied career and I have trawled the Internet collecting 10 rare photos of Triple H you may not have seen before, so let’s get started!

#10 The picture of innocence

Who is that young handsome fella? Why, it’s Triple H, the man that would become the Sledgehammer wielding maniac and authority figure we now know and love.

This is a very early picture of Triple H, the earliest I could find in fact. Real name pictured here, Paul Levesque; little did anyone know that he would become a huge box office draw.

He actually looks a little like Vince McMahon in the picture. The hair helps a lot with this lookalike. However, he has a humongous smile beaming across his face, which, as his wrestling career would progress, would slowly turn into a scowl as he attempted to intimidate opponents.

Having taken up the gym when he was 14, it’s likely that short-haired Triple H was already starting to gain a bit of muscle in the picture shown here. It’s hard to tell as it is just a portrait shot. It’s quite strange to see Triple H in such a rare pose. One can’t quite imagine him before he made a name for himself in the wrestling business.

#9 Moulding the body

I had to do a double-take on this picture as he really does look like the famous actor Sean Bean here. He has clearly begun to grow his hair out and that famous physique is in its infancy but you can see how Triple H would finally mould himself into the Cerebral Assassin.

Triple H joined the gym when he was 14 and once he started lifting iron and saw the change in his body, he was absolutely hooked. He trained to be in the best shape he possibly could. At this point, he was more interested in what his body looked like rather than getting a physique for the wrestling ring, but it would certainly serve him well when he decided to make that career move.

This is a great picture because it’s before Triple H had fully formed his muscles so he actually looks quite small here. He is still in tremendous shape and it’s impressive that he got so much bigger as he began to make a name for himself in the wrestling industry.

#8 Trained by Killer Kowalski

Ente — Thankfully he got rid of the fluffy hair.

Triple H, by this point, had grown his hair out, mainly to match his idol, Ric Flair. He is pictured with Killer Kowalski here, the man that would train the future World Champion.

Triple H looks very respectable here, especially considering he was a wrestler in training and they are not exactly known for being flush with money. This just shows that Triple H didn’t have the hard luck stories that a lot of other trainee wrestlers in his position did.

He had actually been noticed by a fellow bodybuilder Ted Arcidi, who introduced him to the famous Killer Kowalski. He then agreed to start training to be a wrestler in 1992 at Kowalski’s school in Massachusetts.

A lot of Triple H’s nuances in the ring hark back to an older style of wrestling and it’s thanks to this man that you notice these little intricacies in Triple H’s game.

In this picture, Triple H looks over the moon to be with Kowalski. Unfortunately, I could not find the date that this was taken so I can’t give you more information other than this is a pretty neat picture of master and student.

#7 Fine Chyna

It was not the best break up in the world.

Triple H may have made his start in the WWE, but he soon made his way over to the WWE where he fully developed his character and allied himself with a powerful group of wrestlers. Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall and X-Pac took Triple H under their ring and they became known as The Kliq.

After Triple H had exhausted his run as the blue-blood character he was playing on TV, he began to stop being called Hunter Hearst Helmsley and was simply referred to as Triple H. He was given a bodyguard, a massively built woman who was known as Chyna.

Triple H and Chyna would have a relationship together which fell apart when he started a storyline marriage with Stephanie McMahon. The two became romantically involved behind Chyna’s back and Triple H’s affair came out in the early 2000s. This left Vince no choice but to get rid of Chyna.

This picture is one of happier times for the couple. The WWE has not managed to censor it from the Internet… yet.

#6 Wedding bells are ringing

This wedding went better than any you’ve seen on WWE TV. It was the worst-kept secret in the WWE that Triple H and Stephanie were not only together, but they were also married.

After Triple H pursued a relationship with the boss’s daughter, there were rumblings in the locker room about the situation, but Triple H, knowing his intentions were true, went to see locker leader, The Undertaker, who gave him professional permission to continue the relationship.

It certainly proved to be the best decision as the two have had a very successful marriage with three daughters and they do a great job in their corporate roles in the WWE. I’m not sure I would have had the intestinal fortitude to go after the boss’s daughter, no matter how much I loved her, knowing who her father was!

Nevertheless, it all worked out and you can see the pure love and happiness in the couple’s eyes in this picture.

#5 Kids on the way

Here’s a candid picture of Triple H with his new wife Stephanie McMahon. Both look in the picture of health with Stephanie pregnant with the couple’s first child.

Triple H is dress in casual wear for one, a lot different from both his wrestling attire and his corporate attire that the fans are used to seeing him. You can certainly see how content Triple H is in the picture and there is a true indication of just how proud of his wife he is as they present the event together.

I’m not entirely positive what the event was, but I’m sure it was in the best interests of the WWE if they were both there.

Both Triple H and Stephanie never seem to mind doing these sorts of events and take a lot of joy in improving the community and the lives of people that the WWE help on a daily basis. Triple H has been quoted as saying ‘sleep is overrated’, and that certainly must be true when juggling both the industry and a family.

#4 Statler and Waldorf and Triple H

Triple H has met The Muppets! What an awesome picture.

Statler and Waldorf are two of the most cynical muppets around. They usually sit in the side area of a theatre, making sarcastic quips and laughing themselves silly. I’d love to see them commentate on a match in WWE. I hope that will be possible one day.

They look as happy as can be to be meeting The Game but there’s something sinister about Triple H’s smile in this picture. I can’t help but think he’s going to inflict some damage on the poor old men. It wouldn’t be the first time he has been that sadistic.

The Muppets famously infiltrated an episode of Raw a few years ago. Beaker meeting Sheamus was an absolute highlight, I suggest you watch it.

It just shows that the WWE and Triple H have always had a good relationship with The Muppets.

#3 Kissing the head of The Rattlesnake

Triple H has had wars with Stone Cold Steve Austin but they have also reigned as Tag Team Champions when they were running around in 2001 as The Two-Man Power Trip.

In a rare moment of weakness for both competitors, Triple H leans over to kiss Stone Cold on the cheek at the WrestleMania XIX press conference, and the Rattlesnake allows it! Not many people could get away with kissing the head of a snake without dire consequences.

The two men had battled in the latter half of 1999 and had built up a respect for each other as Triple H looked to take over as the top man in the company so that Austin could go and have neck surgery. It meant we had some great feuds with Cactus Jack and The Rock which really cemented HHH as one of the biggest forces in the WWE.

Here we can see, he was the reigning World Heavyweight Champion at the time this picture was taken, continuing his legacy, whereas Stone Cold Steve Austin would see his last match in WWE at the event.

#2 The King of Kings

As the budget for WrestleMania gets bigger and bigger and Triple H’s status grows and grows in the WWE, his entrances become more and more elaborate at the marquee event.

Throughout his career, Triple H earned many nicknames, The Game, the Cerebral Assassin, The King of Kings, and all of them were completely warranted and true to his character. The character also embraced a partially gothic style with skulls adorning his attire accompanied with Latin quotes.

It certainly did make the character larger than life.

This is a rare backstage picture of Triple H and his extras before entering WrestleMania XXX. You might be able to recognise the extras as they are Alexa Bliss, Charlotte and Sasha Banks! What an entourage. Fit for the King of Kings.

Triple H was introduced by his wife and looked extremely impressive and intimidating as his gold skull cap sat on top of a gold trimmed red cape. He lost to Daniel Bryan, allowing Bryan to complete a rags to riches story as he would end up winning the WWE Championship in the main event.

At least everyone remembers the entrance.

#1 Meeting the President

One of the perks of being married to the daughter of a billionaire is keeping very high rent company. There is no way on Earth Triple H would have even got close to Donald Trump as President if he wasn’t part of the McMahon family.

Meeting the President is not something that people take lightly, especially Americans. This picture is not quite as famous as Elvis and Nixon, but it shows how far HHH has come from the schoolkid shown in the picture in the first slide.

He is now high up on the corporate ladder in the WWE, still an active wrestler, creator of NXT and one of the biggest brand ambassadors the WWE has. Triple H has always professed his love for the business and it has taken him to places never thought possible. The meeting came about as his Mother in Law is now Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

What’s rather amusing about this photo, is not only has Stone Cold stunned half the people in the room, but one of HHH’s daughters is holding a picture of President Trump shaving Vince McMahon's head at WrestleMania 22.

It’s all good fun and I’m sure HHH will continue to be a driving force in the WWE behind the scenes and on our screens.

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Edited by anirudh.b