5 surprising revelations that Triple H has made about WWE personnel

On-screen, Triple H has made a name for himself as one of the most imposing Superstars of all time during a WWE in-ring career spanning 24 years (and counting). His accomplishments will ultimately be defined by his 14 world title reigns, while he has also had legendary encounters inside the Elimination Chamber and Hell In A Cell structures, as well as at WrestleMania.

Off-screen, meanwhile, he has helped transform the NXT product from a glorified game show into one of the hottest wrestling products in the world. There was once a time when NXT – and the show's rookie/mentor format – made for car-crash television, but that has not been the case since HHH took control and turned it into WWE’s third international touring brand.

Unlike Vince McMahon, whose media appearances are often strictly business, HHH regularly opens up in interviews and conference calls to provide fans with an insight into what really goes on behind the scenes in WWE and NXT, so let’s take a look at five surprising revelations he has made about WWE talent and his co-workers in recent years.

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#5 The reason why The Rock invented The People’s Elbow

Throughout the Attitude Era, The Rock would use his over-the-top People’s Elbow move to entertain audiences around the world and, most importantly, defeat his opponents.

During an interview with BBC Radio 1, Triple H revealed that “The Great One” came up with the unique move in the late 90s when he was given the challenge of attempting to make The Undertaker break character and laugh during a match. From there, the move stuck and it became one of the most popular finishers of its era.

"[We agreed] let’s just try to make ‘Taker break character tonight. Whatever that is, right? And you’re trying to make each other laugh, and one night Rock did the People’s Elbow which wasn't known as the People’s Elbow, it was known as ‘Watch This Move That’s Going to Make All of You Lose It’ … I loved working with Rock, so in no way is this disparaging, but it is the hokiest move ever."

#4 AJ Styles wanted to join NXT

AJ Styles is one of a select few WWE newcomers who has debuted on the main roster in recent years without having gone through the NXT system.

Speaking during a conference call in January 2017, Triple H revealed that “The Phenomenal One” initially wanted to compete in NXT before he made his first main-roster appearance as a participant in the 2016 Royal Rumble match.

However, WWE’s higher-ups believed that Styles, as well as fellow Club members Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, would already be suited to the main roster.

HHH said (quotes via Inquisitr):

“He [Styles] felt that everyone should have that little period of time to go through that process because the learning curve is so sharp and so steep. You can come in the door thinking, ‘I don’t want to do this and I’m good to go,’ and then it hits you and you’re like, ‘Wow! This is not what I was thinking' ... At the time, the thought process was that these guys were available and there’s an opportunity there.”

#3 Xia Li did not know what WWE was

Xia Li became the first Chinese woman to compete in WWE when she took part in the inaugural Mae Young Classic tournament in 2017. What fans did not know at the time, however, was that, just a year earlier, she did not even know what WWE was.

Triple H made the surprising revelation during an October 2018 interview with ESPN:

“Two years ago in China when I first met Xia Li, she didn’t know what WWE was. We had to explain to her what WWE was because we were there looking for athletes and she had never seen it.

She grew up in farmlands in China so she didn’t know what it was. Once we told her what it was and showed it to her, she was like, 'Oh yeah, definitely.' Then she came in and tried out and she just fell in love with it, and she has so much heart and passion I was like, 'Yeah, we’re bringing her back.'”

#2 Triple H wanted to keep Enzo Amore during his early NXT days

Enzo Amore has revealed since leaving WWE that he had multiple disagreements with Triple H about his character both in NXT and during his time on the main roster.

However, it turns out that “The King of Kings” was actually one of the few people, along with Dusty Rhodes, who felt that Amore had something to offer WWE, despite his limitations as an in-ring performer, and he prevented the future Cruiserweight champion from getting fired earlier in his career.

HHH told ESPN in 2017:

“There’s been guys that have made it that over the course of a couple of years that were constantly on the cut list. Enzo Amore, when I brought him in, everyone at the tryout was saying, ‘Get rid of this kid!’ I was like, ‘He’s got a huge personality. If he can annoy us all this bad here, imagine what he can do on TV.’ … Every time he’d get his review, they’d be like, ‘I’d cut him.’ Dusty and I would be like, ‘Keep him.”

#1 Vince McMahon has never seen a full NXT episode

Triple H recently revealed that he is constantly in discussions with Vince McMahon about NXT Superstars and who is ready to make the switch to WWE’s main roster.

We have seen more talent move from WWE’s ‘developmental’ brand to Raw and SmackDown Live than ever before in recent months, with EC3, Otis, Tucker, Nikki Cross, Lacey Evans, Aleister Black, Ricochet, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa making appearances on Monday and Tuesday nights in 2019.

Despite around 80 percent of the main roster coming from NXT, Triple H surprisingly mentioned during a conference call in October 2018 that Vince – the man who has the final say on Superstars joining Raw and SmackDown Live – is not a regular watcher of the product.

“I don’t know that he’s ever even watched a full episode of NXT start to finish. He’s busy.”