Triple H has always been a polarizing figure in the wrestling industry. Hence, while a few former/current WWE Superstars have praised The Game, others have taken shots at him.
Several WWE Superstars have worked closely with Triple H in the past few years. Being the Executive Producer of NXT, the 52-year-old has helped many wrestlers fulfill their potential and become stars in Vince McMahon's company. A few of them have praised him for the work he has been doing and the help he has given them.
Nonetheless, other WWE Superstars have taken shots at The King of Kings in the past few years for various reasons, including his production of NXT. Here are three WWE Superstars who took shots at Triple H and two who praised him:
#5. Former WWE Superstar Karl Anderson took a shot at Triple H
Since 2019, AEW has been trying to compete with WWE. Between October 2019 and April of this year, The Game's NXT went into direct competition with AEW Dynamite as they aired simultaneously in what became known as the Wednesday Night Wars.
However, WWE later moved NXT to Tuesdays instead of Wednesdays. Because of that decision, former WWE Superstar Karl Anderson took massive shots at WWE and Triple H last September:
"What happened to The Wednesday wars. F**k they gave up quick," Karl Anderson tweeted.
One fan replied to Anderson's tweet saying that NXT is WWE's developmental brand and was competing with AEW's flagship product. The current IMPACT Tag Team Champion responded with another tweet:
"NXT was putting out s**t product constantly, this is on them and Hunter," he wrote.
Anderson spent nearly four years in WWE between 2016 and 2020. He then left, alongside his tag team partner Luke Gallows, and joined IMPACT Wrestling. They also made a few appearances in All Elite Wrestling.
Last July, Anderson and Gallows captured the IMPACT World Tag Team Titles. They became the second-ever tag team to win the tag championships in WWE, IMPACT, and NJPW, after The Dudley Boyz.
#4. WWE United States Champion Damian Priest praised Triple H
The United States Champion, Damian Priest, joined WWE in 2018. Since then, he has been showering Triple H with praise. Earlier this year, Priest revealed that Triple H has helped him develop his character in WWE:
"When I started in NXT, Triple H told me that I could continue being 'Punisher' Martínez but that he saw someone better in me and wanted me to show my personality. I had no problem changing. It was a different life and I could start from zaero. We agreed on the name, and I told him that I loved rock music, archers, so many things in life that we decided to put together. And it was very easy and natural. Now, I’m not acting. It’s me," he told ViBe & Wrestling.
Priest also disclosed in an interview with Metro that he had jokingly challenged The Game to a match at WrestleMania. Last July, the 39-year-old wrestler praised The King of Kings on his birthday. Priest said that Triple H changed his life and career:
"Triple H has had more of a positive impact on our business than anyone I've ever met. Changed my career. Changed my life! Can never thank you enough. Enjoy your day," Priest tweeted.
The WWE United States Champion is currently active on Monday Night RAW. He has not lost since last June. His latest victory came against T-BAR this week in a no disqualification match.
#3. Former WWE Superstar Maria Kanellis took a shot at Triple H
Maria Kanellis joined WWE following her participation in the Diva Search competition in 2004. She spent six years in the company before leaving in February 2010. After working for a few years in a few other promotions, Kanellis returned to Vince McMahon's company in 2017 for another three years. WWE released her from her contract again last year.
Since leaving the company for the second time, the former Diva Search contestant has criticized the company several times. Last August, she took a shot at Triple H after he claimed WWE has the best female performers in the world.
"You don't have to give a lot of weight to the words of Triple H. He has to say that everyone wants to work in WWE and that the situation is more prosperous than ever. He's a WWE executive and that's his job. If I had to be 100% honest, I would have no difficulty admitting that WWE is no longer the ideal destination for so many athletes, that's not where they want to go to perform," she told ITR Wrestling.
Kanellis has not competed for over two years. Nonetheless, she has made a few appearances in other promotions since leaving Vince McMahon's company.
#2. WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre praised Triple H
Drew McIntyre spent seven years in WWE between 2007 and 2014. He then left to compete in other promotions. Three years later, he returned to Vince McMahon's company and has had a very successful second run so far.
In an interview with Inside The Ropes, McIntyre revealed that Triple H was the one who convinced him to return to WWE:
"I wouldn’t be back in WWE if it wasn’t for Triple H, it’s as simple as that. William Regal put me on the phone with him, we talked for 40 minutes, within that conversation at the beginning I wasn’t sure if I was going to come back, I was honestly leaning more towards Japan and by the end of it, I was 100% coming back," he said.
The former WWE Champion further praised The King of Kings, saying he is now a father figure to many WWE Superstars:
"I have so much respect for him and that’s grown into a friendship today, and he really is somebody who is not just a friend to a lot of people but a father figure to a lot of people," the Scottish Warrior added.
McIntyre recently moved from Monday Night RAW to SmackDown. Since joining the Blue Brand, he has scored two victories over Sami Zayn and Mustafa Ali.
#1. Former WWE Superstar Paul Roma took a shot at Triple H
Former WWE Superstar Paul Roma and Triple H's relationship has seen its highs and lows. A few years ago, The Game referred to the former WCW Tag Team Champion as a 'job guy' in a WWE video release spotlighting the Four Horsemen.
In a shoot interview with RF Video in 2013, the former Horseman responded to Triple H's comments, taking a shot at the WWE Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy and Development:
"You married the boss’s daughter, I get that. Something’s not right there, that I think we can all agree with. But at the end of the day, you’re not a great worker. You’re not the Ultimate Warrior, jumping up on the ropes. You’re not Hulk Hogan. You’ll never be as big as any of them, or Savage. You could write yourself into every WrestleMania, every year, every six months, you’re in another thing. But at the end of the day, you are who you are," Roma said.
Despite what he said, Roma later revealed that he has no heat with The Game. The former WWE Superstar even praised Triple H's work in NXT:
"My understanding is that he is running NXT. I think he is turning out a fairly decent product," Roma said in an interview with The Two Man Powertrip Of Wrestling podcast.
Roma spent nearly seven years in WWE before leaving in 1991. Two years later, he joined WCW to become one of the Horsemen.
In 1997, he attempted to return to WWE. Nonetheless, he only wrestled in two dark matches before later announcing his retirement. In the following years, Roma competed in only a few bouts on the independent circuit.