"I Was Afraid Of Dying" Visibly Emotional Triple H Reflects On Health Scare & In-Ring Retirement 

Ran into him one day in a store in Boston around 2003-2004. I turned down an aisle and almost bumped into giant HHH. I was like "oh hey man! I'm a big fan". Dude was WICKED NICE and totally down to Earth. He was already a legend by that time, and just was a super nice, regular acting guy

To hear shawn tell people to leave him completely alone so he can recover, is the sign of a real friend

To know that he never drank never smoked especially coming up through attitude era, just shows how dedicated he was to his body of work. He lived for this business and I just hope we can appreciate that ❤

He is really fortunate that his doctors caught this in time to save his life. So many people did not catch this kind of thing in time and are no longer with us. It also put into perspective what's truly important to him.

Kudos to Ariel Helwani for letting him tell his story without much interruption

Heartbreaking. I've never met the man, but was always a fan and always looked up to his style and persona. Losing HHH would be a great loss to all of us.

I recently had to have a defibrillator implanted because of a genetic heart condition that caused me ventricular tachycardia on several occasions. Bear in mind im under 30 i didnt see a single patient that didnt double my age the whole time i spent at the hospital. I cant express how comforting this interviews are and how gratefull i am to triple h for opening up and sharing his story. I wish nothing but the best for him and his family

I’m an ICU nurse at Yale where he went. Crazy to think he went there but he’s just a human like all of us. He’s right tho. Nothing matters in the end. Spend time with your loved ones. It will be gone fast.

Right on death's door. Came all the way back to be the face of the WWE again. Legend.

Triple H has really gained my respect after this, so calm and collected, I’ve also had heart issues and trust me it’s a lot easier to tell yourself to remain calm then it is to actually remain calm , I wish him good health and a long life ahead

He's done so much for the business and it's heartwarming to see that he has no regrets and he'd rather focus on building up others' careers. Not only has he done a lot for WWE on the business side of things but he's done wonders for Women's wrestling as well. A real class act

Man, he’s seen so many people pass away in similar circumstances, some of whom were his own friends, he must have been terrified. Eddie, Bulldog, Warrior, Savage, Andre, Boss Man, Road Warrior Hawk. All lost due to heart related issues. He handled it like a tank though, so thankful that we didn’t lose him.

He's lucky to be alive and we're lucky to still have him in the world. A true legend of wrestling x

“Rode it til the wheels fell off, and the wheels fell off”. Man oh man Triple H, God love ya. Thanks for all the memories in-ring.

Even heart failure can't beat The Game ❤

His comments toward the end about not being able to get time back with your family -- so very, very true. I have a three year old boy and have already told myself that I will NEVER be too busy for the important moments in his life, and I will do my best to fulfill that promise to myself.

Triple H is a good guy underneath it all. This interview really shows it

Mad respect to Triple H on sharing and being transparent about his health scare. Grew up on this dude.

I’ve always been a fan of this man and I honestly never knew he had went through this. I’m glad he’s still here ❤

Had absolutely no idea exactly _how_ much he went through... Huge, huge respect.

Props to HHH for opening up like this. Wasn't always a fan, especially during the Reign of Terror days in the early 2000's, but to see him putting priority in his life and putting his family first really hits home now that I have a daughter myself. Props to him.

I’ve always loved Hunter. Hearing him say he wasn’t sad to hang up the gloves because watching the younger wrestlers now achieve their goals brings him that same excitement and happiness of when he used to wrestle himself is so genuine & heart warming.

"Until the wheels fall off. And the wheels fell off." He gained a perspective after a life threatening situation. I'd love for him to become a public speaker.

My husband had Triple Bypass last year. Great thing with wrestling, a lot of these guys are like us. A lot of family groups within the wrestling world. Had friends that worked in hotels near the arenas where these guys would come to wrestle, and they would talk about how huge these guys were and how they interacted with their fans. Seems like the nicest people play the best villains, and for some reason I actually always liked Triple H. He was always so entertaining, going up against and taunting the Rock and Stone Cold, etc.

There is a reason why he is one of the All-Time Greats. Think about who was around him during the Attitude Era. WOW! Greatest era of wrestling.

I'm glad Triple H is okay. He was the wrestler everybody loved to hate, but he was also one of the most entertaining and greatest wrestlers of all time too.

Triple H gave us some incredible moments in the last 25 years and it was more than enough. Now he is shaping younger talents with his experience and still contributing immensely to the business.

I have heart problems and I really sympathise with him because it is truly terrifying to know that your heart can just stop beating at any time. I’m glad to see he’s doing okay really it’s good to see.

I’m going through something similar now and listening to HHH talk about his experience really calmed me down. I can safely say it is a terrifying experience

That’s terrifying, happy to see he’s still with us

One of my all time favourites and hearing this for the first time was so heartbreaking and im so thankful that he got the help straight away ❤

This brought me to tears I have so much respect for Triple H as a human and a wrestler I'm really sad that we won't see him wrestle again I completely understand why he medically can't. I'm still going to miss his it. I'm very thankful that he is alive he has brought NXT into the next generation he is a vital part of WWE.

I met him years ago. And he’s such a genuine and kind person. The way he was talking is the way he is in this interview. No arrogance or anything of that sort. I shook hands with him and said how much of a fan I am to him. He was very appreciative. So glad he’s healthy with everything

Had a pacemaker fitted aged 14 due to complete heart block. The health anxiety is incredible. Relate to what he’s saying

Although the story he speaks of here is a tragic and scary one, this is one interview with him that I really appreciate. I don't know that I've ever seen and heard the man known to the world as "Triple H" just being the guy he is in his everyday life. Behind the scenes and when not in character, he just seems like an honest, intelligent, down to earth kind of guy. It's great to know he's ok after having that close of a call, and I hope he's got decades left to enjoy here with us.

I had the exact same issue in 2016. We are both lucky to be alive!

Powerful interview. Puts life into perspective. Glad he’s still with us.

He was hands down one of the best in the business at getting people to follow the storyline and being a character aswel as a great in ring performer

Triple H has been my favourite WWE fan for more than I can remember and hearing him talking about this is absolutely heartbreaking 🥺 I'm so glad he made a great recovery! 👊👊❤️

Always been a HHH fan, extremely lucky to have seen him " officially " retire at WrestleMania 38. I moment ill never forget

I don't think that people give Ariel Helwani enough credit for his work. Amazing interviews, allows them to respond without interruption and steers the interview in a soft manner. Great interview.

I can see his eyes turning red and watering when he answers the dying question. Love his outlook on having to retire. Love what he has done with WWE since Vince retired. Life almost had him down for the count but he kicked out at 2 and hit it with one last Pedigree.

I had a heart attack last year.i also had a 99% blockage and a blood clot . I have a stent in my heart Only God kept me alive

What a guy, total respect for him and glad he is ok, what a legend!

Holy cow. What a story. He's so damn humble and wise. The product is better now because of his passion for the business.

Grew up watching triple H and all the old school 90s wrestling era, I love seeing him still so involved, I respect this man and his journey, and his emotion is just so raw. I enjoyed this watch!

Wow!!! Iv always liked HHH one of my favorite wrestlers, very very touching interview. He is such a freaking down to earth dude,he is so level headed. So glad he is ok and doing good!!

Hunter talking in a very humanly manner, not as a Wrestler that i have watched for almost 25 years, really feels refreshing and it just shows that even he is vulnerable on a physical and emotional level. And i am glad that he is so open with it as the new head of WWE, which is something i never saw Vince do. I wish Hunter all the best and that "the game" will live a long and happy life.

Good GOD. I had absolutely no idea of the level of danger he was in, and I'm so glad he shared this story. Wow. Just, wow. What a great guy he is. And well done to Shawn for watching his back. Has to be said, those doctors and surgeons are absolutely INCREDIBLE people 👏 ❣️

Bless him.... I too have congestive heart failure and its the worst feeling to hear "your heart is functioning at 20%" i drove myself to the hospital, I'll NEVER forget it. My heart is at 40-45%

Had the same problem with my heart, was in the ER for something not related and was rushed to surgery mine was blocked 100% for who knows how long. Got a stent and no more problems.

I never liked Triple H in WWE but I have so much respect for this man. This interview and the things he has said is so deep and it will be with me forever!

It's scary as hell! I am dealing with diastolic heart failure. I almost died. I have always liked HHH but seeing him open up about this make me like him even more. And seeing him get emotional just made me cry.

I've never been a fan of Triple H, and was a fan of WWE/WWF from the early 90s. THis interview is very touching, good to see this normal side of him. I wish him all the best!

I come back to this sometimes just to see his mindset. Absolute phenomenal mentality that we can all learn from 👏🏼

My dad had a widow maker heart attack. Has the defibrillator/pacemaker. I understand how traumatic and life changing this can be. Prayers to Paul and his family.

My favorite wrestler without question. Had the great physique, charisma, and knew his limitations in the ring. Respect.

This is very emotional and heartwarming. A very good lesson about life.

I've known for all these years after meeting so many of these guys. It's a business. But seeing and hearing him say what he just said just reaffirms. Wow. Ty for posting this!

triple h was close to dying but then suddenly remembered he had a sledgehammer under the operation table which he used to survive against his most challenging opponent! mad respect for paul!

Im glad it's working out for him, and it's great to see him accepting the new chapter in his life. My dad dodged the widowmaker at 70, had an emergency triple bypass to correct it, and lived another eleven years. My mom had a heart attack in her 50s, made some changes and lived until 83. Now that I'm staring at 60, my Dr is keeping an eye on my heart. So far, so good...

Great interview. Paul had an unquestionable career and it’s nice to hear him putting life into perspective.

My man really had been through 20 hours in 3 days with his heart opened 😢😢😢 God bless Paul and his family 🙏🙏🙏

After watching this, 100% respect for him. What a humble guy. I certainly hope his life continues on years to come. I'm a HHH fan now.

I really respect Triple H. He has matured really nicely. Lived his best life, created a family. Inspired others to live their best life. Went through hard times with his health and learned from that experience in order to be an even better person. He is still helping others to live their best life in the business while also being a good husband and father first of all. He is a great man.

I've been a huge fan of Triple H since his Hunter Hearst Helmsley days and seeing him now, I'm glad he's doing better and taking it easy on his body, because heart issues are no joke. And I appreciate and respect that he put his family above everything else

He really is a good guy ! Great father , good boss etc Hear tons of cool stories about this legend.

This had me emotionally and personally on edge. I can't understate how sad, and happy this made me at the same time. Sad because that is scary, and I don't wish that on anyone. Happy because of his outlook on it all, he was positive, and I respect that a lot.

Triple H: "What's his finish? Booker: "The Widow Maker." Triple H: "I'm not putting that over, get my shovel."

What a respectful interviewer, leaning forward the entire time. I wish the utmost health and happiness to the legend Triple H. ❤

The Game! Hate this happened to him, but I'm glad he's blessed to still be here! HHH was a big part of my childhood, & behind the scenes he seems like a good guy! Hope he's doing okay nowadays, dude's a real legend!

The love he has for the business, for his fans, for his family is truly a huge blessing. I’m glad Hunter is alive he is a wonderful person.

Can we just commend his Dr for actually doing his job and caring enough to find the actual problem rather than just give meds

Great interview! His answer to the last question hit me hard! He looks like he has found real peace in the midst of a life altering struggle!

Very powerful interview, and personally relatable - my father also had the widowmaker attack last summer, his heart also had 99% blockage and they told him if he had gone another week before checking in to the hospital that he wouldn’t have made it. If it wasn’t for his Apple Watch going off multiple times that day, he probably would not be here anymore. I’m glad Hunter beat the odds as well, and it’s very relieving to hear that he is at peace with being forced to retire from performing. He will always be one of my father and I’s favorite performers

This man's outlook on his whole situation, life, his career and family is amazing! Like him or not he definitely is respected in the up most way !

With Triple H talking about this, I think about my father. My father had a heart attack a few years ago and it really was a scary situation. God is good and I'm so glad he made through it. I'm also glad Triple H had a doctor that caught the problem before it got worse. It's a miracle that both my father and HHH are still here.

Extremely heartbreaking and scary for triple H this guy is an outstanding legend and I highly respect him

What a mature, level-headed guy who isn’t too proud to extract humility and perspective from his ordeal. I’m grateful that he shared his thoughts and feelings with us. Triple-H is a true mensch.

As someone who had his first ICD (defibrillator) implanted in my chest at 19 years old, and now being 42 and hearing Triple H talk about finding peace and how he feels makes me think of the early days of me having mine. He's putting into words, things that I felt at the time, and have done over the intervening years. It's amazing to hear him talk like this and I'd love to meet him and tell him how hearing this has hit me and how I see some of what I went through is there in the way he talks about it.

I used to work in CTICU at Yale. It's a great place. I left a couple of years ago. It would have been an honor to participate in his care. I'm glad he caught it in time.

For an industry where so many people succumb to so many different dangerous vices and lifestyles, it’s so refreshing to see one of the best ever be so candid and transparent while also spending his whole career doing things the right way.

Always respected the heck out of HHH! Serious respect for that man. He is right, after the health scare with his heart he had nothing else to accomplish in the ring, he had a 1 of a kind wrestling career and a 1 of a kind life and he has nothing to complain about. He has for sure 100% earned his rest from the ring. Much love to one of my hero’s! 🙏🏻🤘🏻

It’s hard not to love this guy. He seems to be a good man. He’s reigniting my love of wrestling in big way with how he’s running things so far.

I didnt always love wrestling but those biceps always had me tuning in. Its nice now to find out what a Humble man he is. Much respect!

The Game is such a great man and it’s inspiring to see how grateful he is and how amazing his outlook on life is!

Triple H is my role model. I love this guy so much and how down to earth he is.

Triple H has always been my fav wrestler. All the way from his battles in the late 90’s, summer slam 02, and the rest of the things he’s achieved in his career. Upmost respect for him and I hope he fully recovers from this.

my favorite wrestler of all time... PS ik this was 7 months ago but him just being alive means a lot because of his impact on WWE past and present. just good to see him in good health.

Thinking about the idea of hearing that HHH has passed, breaks my heart! Thanks for sharing & prayers!

Gotta love Tripple H.

I got my defib at 32 HHH the first 10 yrs are hard with all the shocks the first 1 lasted 9yrs they said it would last 10 to 15yrs on my 2nd now with no shocks in 3 yrs its Hard to deal with but were still here mate GOODLUCK on the future Bigman

so much love and respect for this man

Good to hear he's ok. Back in the day when I watched the WWE he was one of my favorites. He was the embodiment of wrestling entertainment.

Nobody even knew he was struggling. It was shocking to me. He did the right thing. His time is over. He did us a great service. He was a hell of a performer. Still is. One of the best in the business. Jerry Lawler & him have so much in common it’s scary. We all remember what happened.

As someone who has had triple bypass surgery from a heart attack and blockage, I can completely relate to everything Triple H said about being scared. Terror like no other is how I described it.

Med student here. For those who don’t know, the “widow-maker” part of the heart he’s referring to is the left anterior descending artery, it’s the biggest artery in your heart. People who suffer from a heart attack or issues in that artery have about a 12% chance of survival outside the hospital, it improves to 25% in the hospital. I’m truly thankful he has a healthy lifestyle and didn’t have to worry about the compounding issues of what we call comorbidities (unhealthy choices like smoking, drinking, and a sedentary lifestyle). Thanks in advance for letting me nerd out real quick and apply what I’ve learned in my studies so far 🤞🏾.

Basically went through this at the exact time frame. Had the vest. Defibrillator installed in my chest. It's scary and depressing. I'd love to get a chance to discuss it with him.

Great interview and life perspective!

The LAD, the widomaker. Had a 70% blockage myself. I caught it early, in hospital that evening, next day stent in a different hospital, next day home. Like HHH, not diet, not bad lifestyle just life, age and luck. Get your heart checked folks.