Triple H might be married to the boss's daughter, but he believes he would be in a similar position if he and Stephanie McMahon never tied the knot.
The running joke is that Triple H is the Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development of WWE largely due to his marriage to Stephanie. It's a joke he's had to deal with since the two got married in 2003. But he believes he'd still be as involved as he is now had his personal life gone in a different direction.
"Long before I ever met Steph, I had a very strong fascination with the behind the scenes of the business. It's how I started working with Vince behind the scenes, being involved in creative years ago, smack dab in the beginning of the Attitude Era. I had never met Steph at that point. He and I were working creatively when a bunch of writers left us and Vince was doing everything solo. He kind of tagged me in to help in a manner and riff ideas off of and bounce things off of. Then I started sitting in production meetings and it became more and more my involvement, even for stuff that had zero to do with me, which I tended to prefer, I didn't like to weigh in on the stuff that had to do with me because I felt like it was wrong to do and your vision can get warped in that. I was always as fascinated with that side of the business. I like to think in some manner, I'd be doing the exact same thing from a behind the scenes standpoint. My relationship with Steph, it's the best thing that's ever happened to me because it's my wife, my kids, and everything else. From a business standpoint, I'd like to think I'd be doing the same thing because of the relationship that I had with Vince and the creative relationship," Triple H told ESPN's Ariel Helwani.
Helwani followed up, wondering how things went when Triple H eventually had to ask Vince for permission to marry his daughter. Triple H replied by not exactly answering the question, but by discussing how he and Stephanie balance each other.
"It was a unique experience, if I've ever met Vince. At some point, I should write a book about that aspect. There's every awkward moment that you can imagine that everybody has in all their relationships. That first dinner at your girlfriends and you're going over to the parent's house. Except, it's the guy I've been working with for all these years and he is making it as uncomfortable as humanly possible just because he thinks it's funny. There's so many humorous moments," he said. "One of the things that I think is great, Steph and I, from a team standpoint, there's nothing we can't accomplish. I think that's how we look at it. It' a great one-two punch in business. There are unbelievable strengths that she has and things that she is so much better at than I am. Then there are things that I bring to the table that aren't necessarily her forte, but together, in the business, it's hard because when you look at Vince, when you create something from the ground up, you know every single aspect of it. When you move further down the line, there's a much bigger business and all these components that are massive and complex. It's tough for any one person to understand or know and you have to rely on those around you and know what their strengths are."
Triple H is busier than ever during the coronavirus pandemic as he's been putting shows together at the WWE Performance Center, joining the commentary team, working the camera, doing media interviews to promote WrestleMania 36, and much more.
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