The Rise Of Triple H | Wrestling Timelines
September 8, 2021 - Cardiac Event
On Twitter, WWE reveals that Levesque suffered a cardiac event “caused by a genetic heart issue” the week prior.
While this is worded in such a way that removes the gravity from the situation - “successful procedure”, “full recovery” - there is gravity to the situation. After Dave Meltzer talks about the “very, very, very serious” situation in non-specific terms, Levesque will later reveal that he came perilously close to dying. Meltzer also discloses that Levesque was removed from booking duties before he was hospitalised.
September 14, 2021 - 2.0
NXT 2.0 scans as insensitive, against the backdrop of Levesque’s near-death experience. The show and its bright multicoloured aesthetic is antithetical to his preferred dark palette. The loud rock music is gone, too, replaced by a bright hip-hop theme.
Levesque had spent the last several years courting the hardcore fandom and signing every indie talent with buzz and kick pads.
On NXT 2.0, they are replaced by muscled collegiate athletes, as if it’s the 2000s all over again; Tommaso Ciampa is a transitional champion designed to make the undrafted former football player Bron Breakker, while Kyle O’Reilly exists now to elevate college football star Von Wagner.
Shawn Michaels is in as booker. His directive, which he aims to achieve by reframing NXT as a sexcapade, is to draw a younger audience.
While Meltzer’s report is questioned, it seems drastically unlikely that Levesque arrives at these changes himself. There’s an undercurrent of spite to the new NXT logo especially. It’s so colourful and bright. Lemmy and Harley Race would both balk at it.
It’s strange to think that, at this point, Paul Levesque is simply spending his days watching tape of college athletes as a recruiter of sorts. Even if he was to somehow climb back up the corporate ladder, the feeling is his heart can’t take the strain of running a high-stakes TV show.
The dream of Triple H: heir to the throne is dead.