Andrew Schulz's Flagrant with Akaash Singh
Triple H: WWE Champs are Selfish, John Cena’s Heel Turn, & How Vince McMahon Never Loses
Mon, 14 Apr 2025
YERRR – the guys brought in none other than The Game himself, Triple H, to break down the wild world of professional wrestling. From getting punished by Vince and the rise of DX, Triple H opens up about everything: the business, the characters, the pain, the politics – even training Floyd Mayweather. Plus, his insane story of marrying his wife, internet trolls, and why being a babyface is actually harder than it looks. All that and more on this week’s episode of FLAGRANT. INDULGE 00:00 Everything is Wrestling 00:40 When Triple H was punished 4:25 Fans are super aware + Blurring the Lines 7:15 WCW was poaching talent + MSG show 12:58 Being punished by Vince + Inmates running the asylum 20:17 Going through it + Maximise your minutes 26:07 "S*ck it", Origins of DX + Being a mirror 37:50 Vince finally accepting + Pushing buttons 44:52 The rise of Stone Cold Steve Austin 50:12 Staying safe + Heel to Face 54:18 Being without Shawn Michaels + Reforming DX 1:00:14 Whatever it takes + WCW was doomed to failure 1:07:27 Developing character + Turning heel 1:12:17 How many now understand the game? 1:17:40 Being in the mix + Stephanie McMahon 1:27:37 Moms spot the love + Vince trying to stop it 1:31:51 Getting creative 1:37:28 Quad injury + intense commitment 1:42:06 Biggest pop at MSG + Being a good guy 1:52:13 Babyface have to be selfish + Bad guys' logic 1:56:44 Cena turning heel + The Process 2:00:01 Trump understanding heat 2:02:48 Being babyface is hard 2:10:30 Triple H training Floyd Mayweather + Understanding wrestling 2:16:19 Blending reality + Patience in your storytelling 2:19:58 Internet isn't real, Pivoting + Supreme skillset 2:26:17 Parallels with comedy + Schulz v Logan Paul 2:32:26 Never being full sure + Where is WWE now? 2:35:27 UFC jumping across to WWE 2:38:28 Tommy Invincible is phenomenal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: How did Triple H's punishment lead to the creation of a wrestling legend?
Okay, first question. I'm doing some research on you, and I come across this story. I don't know if it's legend. You can break it down for us. But basically, one of the worst moments in your career, you get punished unjustly. And because of that punishment, one of the greatest superstars in the history of wrestling is created. Tell us how we get there.
Yeah, I'll just I'll lead you into what's supposed to happen. So at that point in time, I'm I'm starting to get some momentum going in my career. And there is a plan in place that I am going to win a very. especially at the time, was a very prestigious tournament called the King of the Ring.
I would be crowned King of the Ring, which would then launch me into a program or an angle with Shawn Michaels, who was champion. I think at the time when they brought it up, he was either champion at that time or was going to be champion by that time. And I was going to sort of escalate myself up into that higher level of being a heel, a bad guy. And Sean was a babyface champion.
So we were going to go into this program differently. into that year. So it would have been a huge, what we would call push for me in the business. Yeah, yeah. It just would have really been the thing that launched me. Oh, so this is years into the business. This is not early. Yeah, this is years into the business, but early for me in WWE to a degree. Right.
And at that same point in time, you know, the business was going through transitional changes, right? So I'm, at that time, I'm still Hunter Hearst Helmsley. I'm the blue blood snob. There's still like, everybody's got to have
sort of gimmicks and characters that are not necessarily just like you're a wrestler, you're a fireman or a cop or the clown or whatever it is that the gimmicks are larger than life sort of cartoony characters. Um, But backstage, there's a group of us that hang out together that were known as The Click.
Yeah.
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Chapter 2: What was the backstage culture and 'The Click' in WWE?
Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Shawn Michaels, myself. Yeah. And I was kind of... They were kind of... Just friends that all hung out together. Sort of Luger gave them the name The Click because they were always together. I sort of come in at that same time. For whatever reason, I get along great with those guys. We all end up as a group. We're known as The Click.
Now, you're known as a group backstage.
Backstage.
Because on stage, some of you guys are babyfaces. Some of you guys are heels. And from my understanding, the heels and the baby faces never even really hung out that much backstage. They would never ride around together. To a degree.
Slightly before that, you go a generation before that, nobody even associated with each other. If they walked into a bar and there was a bad guy in there and a good guy walked in the bar, you'd just leave. So you basically keep the kayfabe going. Keep it going all the time. And that was at a period of time where guys were getting into fights over...
You know, if somebody came to you and said, ah, that stuff's fake, whatever, or, you know, try to criticize it, you'd get the shit kicked out of you. And there was a lot of badasses in the business at that time that... We're not afraid to do that. You had guys like Harley Race and things like that that would really, you know, they were legitimate badasses.
And if somebody questioned the business, they'd end up beaten up, knocked out, broken leg, whatever.
And the idea is that, like, you have to protect the business because without the business, there's no job. Yes. And it's all predicated on this idea that this is 100% real, not scripted, and that people need to believe.
Yeah. Yeah, though, as you move forward out of that, I think people became accepting of, it's just great entertainment. Yeah.
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Chapter 3: How did the Monday Night War impact WWE and WCW?
And Kevin gets in a place where they're offering ridiculous money, but he still doesn't want to go. And there's a moment where he tells me, Right when he has to give the answer, I'm home, he calls me, and he's like, I'm not going. I'm staying. I can't do it. And then, like, two days later, we're at TV, and he's like, I just gave Vince my notice. I'm like, I thought you weren't going.
And he's like, basically, my wife said, you don't either take that money. I'm not raising this kid by myself with that schedule anymore. Like, you take that money. Oh, so they shrunk the schedule for WCW. Yeah, WCW was working, you know, they were mostly just doing TV shows. They were doing some live events, right? But probably the schedule was half.
Oh, wow. How were they able to give out bigger checks if they weren't doing as much? That's why they're out of business.
Some good backing.
Yeah, it was Ted Turner. It was TBS, right? A lot of money, a lot of... And there's a certain point in time where when you're just paying a lot of money and the revenue's not coming in, like, well...
yeah it's a time bomb yeah you know any fool can run a business in the red take a genius to do that yeah so um kevin and scott are leaving sean and i are staying uh there's another guy in the group sean waltman but he isn't at madison square garden but we're doing a show at madison square garden it's their last time at madison square garden they're leaving shortly thereafter and um
Sean comes to me during the day and he's like, hey, I mentioned something to Vince about us all going out at the end of the show and having a moment together. And I said, what did Vince say? And he was like, yeah, I guess if that means a lot to you or something like that. And so it was kind of very vague.
But what was weird about it was... It's funny, that's not how I... So what's weird about it is, to the business is... Scott and I are going to wrestle earlier in the show, like a street fight. Yeah. And I beat Scott and the whole thing. And then Sean and Kevin are going to work a cage match for the WWE, F time F, I think WWE title, whatever. And the close of the show.
So us coming out there to have a moment together is sort of contrary to the show. Of course. And... But now when the time comes to do this, Scott and I wrestled earlier. We have this knock-down, drag-out street fight. And then now Kevin and Sean go in there. And we're kind of at the end of the show.
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Chapter 4: What is the origin story of D-Generation X (DX) and its cultural impact?
And you have to understand all the producers and agents backstage that help with the show and everything are a generation before. So they're of the generation of protect the business at all costs. Bad guys don't ride with good guys, right? To some degree. They all go nuts when they see this. And now... Kevin's leaving. Scott's leaving.
And to those producers and agents, well, look, it looks bad for Vince. It looks like the inmates are running the asylum and he doesn't have control over these guys. This group, the clique, is doing whatever they want and they spit right in your face. And if you don't do something, it looks bad. It's a disrespectful type thing.
And I don't think Vince took it that way, but I think that's what he was. He always had a saying, perception is reality. And perception amongst them was this. And so, you know, as soon, I knew, I wasn't sure. I'm like, well, I'm either going to get fired or this is going to be like, I'm going to get like, this is going to be heavy. And, um, What a drive from New Hampshire. Yeah.
Right. Yeah. So, so, but, but I was, you know, I was kind of like, well, it is what it is.
Okay. And I'm a big believer in like, if you're going to do something that in your mind, you know, it's kind of fucked up. Like you cannot cry afterwards with whatever comes about from it. Like you made the decision to do it. So if the, if the ramifications of that are way worse than you thought, well, that's on you. You made, you made the choice. So, um, Yeah, it's a pretty heavy meeting.
And Vince is like, look, it's unfair. It's all these things. But Kev's leaving. Scott's leaving. I can't do anything to them. Kid wasn't there, but Shawn was there. But he's the WWE champion.
Shawn Michaels is the champ. Can't punish the champ.
There's not much I can do to him. So you're like, I guess we call it a wash, right? We just move on, huh? Yeah, and he was like, well, you know, here's the thing. A lot of people are saying I should fire you. And I'm like, okay, what are you saying? And he said, I don't want to fire you. I think you're incredibly talented. I think I want you here. But, you know, I've got to do something.
and so he goes you know you were going to win king of the ring that's going to go away you're going to do this program with sean that's going to go away you are going to and this is one of vince's favorite sayings but this was the time when he said it to me when i hit the artist he said you are going to have to learn to eat platefuls of shit and like the taste of it damn and uh Okay.
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Chapter 5: How did Vince McMahon adapt to the changing wrestling landscape?
And Jake Roberts, who was, you know, fairly old at the time was sticking the snake down my pants as a ha ha thing. And, you know, um, I got every shit detail, every bad thing I got given to me.
What are examples of that? What are examples of you getting fucked?
Whoever was the worst...
guy that they wanted me to get over like just go put that guy go go get so you would have to wrestle these guys that they're trying to build up and they all have to beat you yeah and and and you know i'm not i'm not on any media anymore i'm not featured in the shows i'm just you're just there you're a b-side fighter i'm just at best right in boxing we call it a tomato can yeah yeah at best and then so um
Yeah, time went on and, you know, eventually it got to a point where I'm a big believer in like, if you're talented, And I'll say that about myself, I guess, in that manner. But if you believe in yourself and you believe in your talent, then they can't only hold that back for so long. That that'll eventually come out and it'll eventually rise to the top.
And it's not about the storyline they give you always or the thing they give you. It's about creating your moments. This is something I tell talent all the time. Maximize your minutes. So even if I went out there with a shit detail, I would find something in there for me to have a moment.
Yeah. I don't know. That was good.
Whatever. You know what I mean? Like I would have that one moment where I at least felt like I came back and I was like, that was horrible, but I at least got this out of it. Made the best of it. Yeah. And, and you sort of have to, you have to get that, those moments.
This might be too vague to answer. If it is, that's fine. You can just move on. But what is an example, like a moment to like a noob like me? Yeah, that's too vague. It's fine.
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Chapter 6: What was the significance of the Stone Cold Steve Austin 'Austin 316' moment?
And when they're going with you and this is all about me, the trick is to put that effort in. You know, the trick is to still, you know, go to the gym, hit it just as hard, be in just as good a shape, be spot on on your game and do all those things that you need to do. Because when that one time that they give you something and that you see that hole, I can do that and steal this scene.
And you go out there and you do that. And now after a couple of times, that stuff starts to become undeniable. Because the truth is we just react off what the crowd does. So when the crowd starts to see that and they start to get into a talent, now you're giving that crowd what they want and they're respecting it and they're going with it. We have no choice but to follow that.
Would you ever get upset at your opponent if it feels like they're just phoning it in during the match?
Sometimes. And what do you do?
Do you fuck them up a little bit more?
Nah, you know, it just depends on who it is. You know, sometimes you just talk to them like, come on, guys, come on, step up or, you know, whatever it is. Sometimes you just can't help it.
Also, guys, tour dates. Denver. I'm in Greenwood Village, Colorado at Comedy Works South on Friday and Saturday. Sunday, I'm going to be at the Comedy Works in Downtown 420 show. You know what that means. I will be performing high the one and only time all year. May 9th and 10th at Virginia Beach. June 19th through 21st, I'm going to be in Salt Lake City at Wise Guys.
All those dates and plenty more at AkashSingh.com. Also, June 4th through 9th. Brown basketball players, Brown Ballers Tournament, compete for a million dollars in, where is this shit going to be? Somewhere in North Carolina. Cary, North Carolina, June 4th through 6th. Check that out. I just want to shout out my brown brothers playing basketball. Keep doing great things. Love y'all.
somebody suck his dick okay and we're back okay so yeah i wonder if like eating shit for that uh that much time gave you like a real competitive advantage because you get used to not getting the thing so now you're not bitter about not getting it and also you're not afraid about being the position where you're not getting put over yeah because you went heel a bunch of times even after your success yeah well and and i think it i don't know there's something like uh
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Chapter 7: How does one develop a successful wrestling character?
Well, fuck, I told you if you don't like it, fuck you, get out of here, whatever. And he didn't. He was like, that's fair. That's fair. And I was like, okay, well then fucking don't do it again. I just walked out, you know what I'm saying? but he, he was like, that's, that's fair.
You can't, if I put you, if I give dump that much shit on you that you just can never dig out of it, then, you know, so, um, so he, you know, change that. But I think he respected the fact that I, you know, I did the time. I never bitched. I never did anything. And now it was time for me to get out of jail. And when he did, he was like, I'm going to let you and Sean do this group thing.
Okay, so that's your reward. Sort of, yeah. But Sean and I immediately just go into like overdrive on it and start doing shit that he is just like.
So you get an opportunity and immediately try to fuck it up as fast as you possibly can. Make up for lost time. Why don't we just tell the whole arena to suck our tits? That's it.
Yeah, I don't think we were trying to fuck it up, but we just had that, like, we wanted that creative freedom to go do what we wanted. Yeah. And the thing was, I believe that Vince was starting to see the change happening. Yeah. And while everybody else was going, they can't do that, and they can't say that. The TV network was telling us, they can't do that, they can't say that. Yeah.
He was being like, man, the fucking crowd is reacting to these guys.
Is this around, like, the same time Stern is popping off, too? Yes.
So it's cultural.
Yes. Yeah. Yeah. As we always said in the documentary, did a brilliant job of displaying. It's like, you know, wrestling is this great reflection of culture.
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Chapter 8: What was the story behind Triple H's heel turn and the Stephanie McMahon storyline?
Yeah, it was like being inappropriate was very cool. There's this rebellious nature happening in media and entertainment.
So there's a moment in time where Vince comes to us now that he's getting so much shit from the network. Probably hip-hop, too.
When is NWA popping?
Same time. So it's like every form of media. Everything is rebellious and over-the-top and like... Attitude. Attitude and holy shit. And this is what year? Shock TV. This is late 90s, probably?
96-ish.
Like Limp Bizkit, like break shit.
80s is like prim, proper, everybody's got the suit on, hair slicked back. It's the overcorrection. In the overcorrection, yeah.
Okay, this is great. The pendulum swings. Yes, yes, yes. Right? And it's the overcorrection. Okay. And Um, we are the overcorrection and we're pushing it to an extreme and, um, do things on that. There's a moment where USA network was like, you know, we'd come back from the ring and Vince would be like, you guys are going to get us kicked off the fucking air. Like USA is pissed.
Like you gotta stop this shit. You know, I'm gonna have no choice but to fire you guys. Right. And we're like, whatever, they're going crazy to some degree. You could say whatever. No, we were thinking whatever. We weren't saying it. And then there was two things on that. One is at one point, USA was out of their mind. We did a show and they sent us a letter.
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