WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H joined ESPN’s “First Take” on Friday to promote the inaugural Wrestlepalooza premium live event. During the appearance, he discussed the new partnership with ESPN, offered advice to athletes transitioning into business, and responded to a controversial list of the top five greatest wrestlers of all time presented by host Stephen A. Smith.
Promoting Wrestlepalooza and the ESPN Partnership
When asked what fans should be most excited about for WWE’s first PLE on the ESPN app, Triple H highlighted the significance of the collaboration and the matches on the card.
“ESPN, when I was growing up, I always wanted there to be a place where people talked about what my passion was, which was WWE,” he said. “Now we are. ESPN brings that to the table. This event is going to be spectacular, but I think Cena Lesnar is going to be off the chart. I think Punk and his wife, AJ Lee, coming back against Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins is going to be off the chart… If you have never tuned in to WWE before, this is the time to do it.”
Advice for Athletes Transitioning to Business
Triple H also shared his perspective on how professional athletes can succeed after their in-ring or on-field careers are over, emphasizing that the same work ethic must be applied to their new roles.
“You have to treat it just like you did your career,” he advised. “You need to be the businessman, and you need to go above and beyond on all those things because you got to prove that you’re not just the athlete… It’s that same passion and dedication that somebody put into play in their game or their chosen sport, you got to put that now into the business side of it. It’s got to be a 24/7 commitment for you. And if you do that, then I think there’s nothing that you can’t accomplish.”
Stephen A. Smith’s Top 5 List
The conversation took a turn when Stephen A. Smith revealed his personal list of the top five greatest wrestlers of all time. His rankings were:
5. The Road Warriors
4. The Rock
3. Hulk Hogan
2. Ric Flair
1. Goldberg
Triple H Reacts to the Controversial List
After the list was revealed, which notably excluded names like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels, Triple H accused Smith of intentionally creating controversy with his number one pick.
“What he does for a profession is piss people off, right?” Triple H said. “So what he did is he bait and switched it. He set up a list that is arguably accurate: the Road Warriors, the Rock, Hogan, Flair. He left out a few because it’s just a top five. But then what he does is he comes in and he ‘Stephen A’s it,’ and he goes Goldberg at number one, because he knows that is the name that is going to piss off the maximum amount of people.”
While disagreeing with the placement, Triple H offered a measured take on Goldberg’s career. “I’m not going to say he’s not great. I love Bill. I think he’s a great performer, had great moments in this business, but putting him at one…” The rest of the panel then chimed in with other names they felt should be considered, including Randy Savage, Dusty Rhodes, and Roddy Piper.
Click here for details on how to watch Wrestlepalooza on Saturday. Click below to watch Triple H’s interview on First Take.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit ESPN with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
