- Surprise announcement by Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker
- Not even his wife Stephanie McMahon knew
- Who else is being inducted into the 2025 HoF?
As if he didn’t have enough on his plate ahead of WrestleMania, he’s now got to write an acceptance speech, because it’s official. Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque will be getting his long overdue induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.
News started circulating that HBK Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker had caught Triple off guard at WWE HQ with a surprise announcement. Later that day, on 29 January, WWE confirmed the reports.
The 14-time world champion will join an elite group of legends, including Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Macho Man Randy Savage, Shawn Michaels, and The Undertaker, in receiving the prestigious honor.
During his 30-year wrestling career, Triple H established himself as one of the most dominant and influential superstars in WWE history. He played a key role in shaping the groundbreaking Attitude Era, particularly with the formation of D-Generation X, and later reinvented himself as ‘The Game,’ going on to win every major championship.
Read more: WWE WrestleMania 41: Match card, start time, how to watch
After retiring from in-ring competition he took on a corporate position within WWE. He played a key role in talent development, founding NXT and elevating it into a popular standalone brand.
Triple H is now serving as WWE’s Chief Content Officer overseeing creative direction and taking the brand from strength to strength. He has truly cemented his legacy both inside and outside the ring.
Surprise Announcement
It was business as usual for Triple H, as he addressed WWE staff in a meeting at their headquarters alongside the President of WWE, Nick Khan. That is until HBK’s music hit over the speakers towards the end of proceedings.
Shawn Michaels would emerge on stage to gatecrash the meeting, followed by fellow WWE legend, The Undertaker. It was clear by Triple H’s bewildered expression, that he hadn’t a clue what was going on.
“HBK and The Undertaker have made an executive decision here”, said Michaels. “Though you are in the Hall of Fame as a member of D-Generation X, it is only fitting that the Cerebral Assassin, The Game, Triple H, at WrestleMania 41, take his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.”
Triple H said in response: “From a guy that usually has something to say about everything, I’m speechless”, as people in attendance shouted “you deserve it”.
Read more: Ten of the best WWE WrestleMania entrances of all time
Whilst his friends HBK and The Undertaker were the ones to announce it, President Khan would have likely been the one to make the final call and Triple H was quick to acknowledge Khan, saying “I’m gonna kill Nick, when we leave here. If you see somebody flying off the roof, ignore it.”.
Triple H’s wife Stephanie McMahon then made a surprise appearance on stage to hug her husband who was visibly overcome with emotion. She later confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that the news was also a surprise to her.
Who else is being inducted into the 2025 Hall of Fame?
Triple H is the first and only inductee at the time of writing, but there’s strong rumors on who will follow, as well a few names that people feel are also long overdue an induction.
One name that gets brought up every year is Sycho Sid. It’s baffling to fans how he’s never made it into the Hall of Fame. Sid captured the WWE and WCW World Championships twice, and headlined WrestleMania 13 against The Undertaker in 1997. He was an absolute one-of-a-kind powerhouse .
What’s most sad is that we lost Sid – real name Sid Eody – in 2024, after battling cancer. Hopefully in 2025, his legacy will be honored.
Matt and Jeff Hardy – The Hardy Boyz – are one of WWE’s most successful tag teams in the company’s history. They had eight reigns as tag team champions and helped elevate the tag division with some iconic matches over the years, including brutal hardcore matches.
The brothers are currently competing in wrestling promotion TNA, which has a working partnership with the WWE. Maybe it’s the ideal time to induct the high-flying duo.
The late Bray Wyatt was undoubtedly one of the most innovative wrestlers to ever step inside the squared circle. His understanding of storytelling and wrestling psychology, together with his creative mind, brought us some of the most compelling moments and unique characters ever seen in WWE. Since his untimely passing in 2023, fans have been calling for his induction, but it has yet to happen.
Bray Wyatt would most likely be a headliner inductee and with Triple H already announced, it may be that Wyatt fans will need to wait another year yet.
The 2025 WWE Hall of Fame will feature the induction of the 26th class into the WWE Hall of Fame. The ceremony is to take place the day before WrestleMania 41 on 18 April, 2025, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
