11 Things We Learned From Triple H On Cody Rhodes' Podcast

People can and will say whatever they like about Triple H's creative heading into WrestleMania 42, but absolutely nobody can dispute his passion for wrestling. During his sit-down interview for Cody Rhodes' podcast, Hunter's zest for this stuff shone through with every syllable. He lives it, breathes it, drinks it in and adores it.

Cody's the same, which is why their roughly 90-minute chat will resonate with anybody who thinks about WWE from the moment they wake up until the moment they close their eyes at night. Together, the pair addressed recent criticism of the creative process (not directly regarding 'Mania, but still!) and opened up about some key characters behind the scenes.

Some of those names may surprise you. Whilst the likes of Vince McMahon, Pat Patterson, Bruce Prichard and Michael Hayes were mentioned, it was actually Bobby Roode and AJ Styles who received most of the attention during this episode. They're both men who 'The Game' reckons can become major backstage players in coming years, which is interesting.

Throughout the interview, the clear difference between how Hunter manages talent compared to his father-in-law Vince was also revealed, and Trips even found time to talk about Cody's infamous throne spot over in AEW - they didn't name Tony Khan's company though.

It was an engaging listen; Triple H's appearance was hardly an exhausting PR exercise, but he did come across incredibly well here. That won't be enough to change some minds heading into Las Vegas, of course. It is, however, very much worth your time.

Here's everything you need to know.

Hunter went into detail about managing talent on a psychological level when talking to Cody.

He said there are moments when WWE stars come back through the curtain happy but he knows they could’ve knocked it out of the park further. However, he won’t bring that up in the heat of the moment to kill their buzz, because that can have a hugely detrimental impact on their confidence. That’s certainly how it worked for him when he was a wrestler, at least. To Trips, it’s important to celebrate the good and bolster someone rather than tearing them down.

This approach sounds so, so different to Vince’s ‘rule by fear’ mindset. Obviously, there would’ve been high fives and hugs with McMahon too, but numerous wrestlers have explained how they yearned for even a nod of approval from Vince after matches/segments. Sometimes, that wasn't forthcoming. Triple H definitely favours a more positive family vibe than his father-in-law. At the same time, he doesn’t want to fill their heads full of nonsense if something wasn’t great.

Here's how he laid it out to Rhodes: “Tell ‘em later when everything is calm”. He pointed out that most wrestlers know if something was good or bad deep down, but managing their confidence levels is vitally important. It'd be so easy to knock someone off course and prevent them from reaching their full potential just with one nasty remark that shoots them down when they're riding high.

That's something the current incumbent wants to avoid wherever possible, although he also realises that everyone has unique personalities that require bespoke treatment.