Triple H talks Wrestlemania, NXT, DX hall of fame, more
Triple H spoke with ESPN for a new interview discussing his match with Batista at WrestleMania 35. Highlights are below:
On finding out he’d be working a match at WrestleMania and getting into the Hall of Fame as DX: “I went from a month ago thinking, ‘Oh, this is great — I’m going to have an easy year this year, I just go watch the Hall of Fame and then I get to work behind the scenes at Mania. It will be easy. Then, Vince tells me I’m in the Hall of Fame … and then next thing [I know], I’m working at WrestleMania. So I got busy quick.”
On when he felt ready to return to the ring: “So I didn’t feel that way — Vince came to me and told me, ‘I need you to be in WrestleMania this year.’ And I was like, ‘Really? Because I haven’t been cleared to train yet even — I don’t know that I’m going to make that.’ Batista and I had this conversation a while ago about trying to do this … then I had to call him and go, ‘Dude, I tore my pec and I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’ll see.’ To this day, I’m still … I’m going to get in the ring next Sunday, and you and I will both find out at the same time whether my pec will hold on. I got cleared up to perform, and my training is good and I feel good. But until you get in there, lifting dumbbells and getting hit by Batista are two totally different things. So I’ll see how it goes, but I feel good and I’m excited to get in there. And at this point in my career, I don’t ever want to make it sound like it’s not as big as it is, but at this point in my career, it’s all gravy.”
On being second to the Undertaker in total WrestleMania appearances: “I can remember coming into the WWE and having a conversation with Taker early [on]. And I think he had been here, the day that I had the conversation with him, like six years or something like that. I remember thinking, ‘Oh, my God, can you imagine having a career length in the WWE that is six years — or longer?’ It was mind-boggling to me.”
On his work in NXT: “Early in my tenure here I realized I love the behind-the-scenes of it almost as much as I love the in-ring [aspect] of it, because my passion for it is now helping these other guys have that career and get to that next level. Watching them going to TakeOver, watching [Johnny] Gargano and Adam Cole have those moments. Sitting there and watching Seth Rollins [compete for the Universal title], who was in developmental when I was taking it over. Watching Charlotte [Flair] and Becky Lynch and Ronda [Rousey] tear it up in the main event, and just being a part of all that. Being able to help create it in some way, shape or form is awesome.”
