8 Things We Learned From Triple H On Stephanie McMahon's WWE Show

2. He Views His Heart Issue As…A Gift!

Stephanie’s Places Triple H Stephanie McMahon
ESPN/WWE

This will shock you.

Without sugarcoating it, Triple H came really close to dying in September 2021. He had pneumonia, was coughing up blood, and his heart was operating at "a fraction" of what it was meant to. Doctors told Hunter that he came scarily close to complete heart failure, and defibrillator use meant he could likely never wrestle a full match again. Amazingly, Trips was at peace with that.

His only thoughts were of seeing his wife and family again, not working epic matches for WWE. On Stephanie's Places, he said: “In a really f***ed up weird way, my heart issue was a gift”. Explaining, he went on to admit that it was really tough to go from being viewed as super strong and like he could run into brick walls to “frail”. Stephanie got teary and said she nearly lost him. Triple H was emotional too, but admits getting sick made him see things differently and look at life differently.

Steph had "never heard [him] say that”, but she stayed strong for everyone during that terrifying chapter. At one point, McMahon gave her husband a coin that said “Memento Mori” on it. That literally translates to, “Remember you must die”, but it’s a general reminder of death’s inevitability. Triple H sees it as a reminder “not to get caught up in all this bulls***”. 

“Life is f***ing fleeting”.

He still dearly loves WWE and wrestling as a whole, but 'The Game' refuses to prioritise it over his wife and daughters in 2025. What a powerful segment this was.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.