Why Triple H denied to become WWE's leading man before John Cena 

WWE saw the rise of some big names in the mid 2000s with John Cena and Triple H being an integral part of the main roster. The WWE stalwarts were also in the race to become the leading man for the company in that period of time, according to former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. But The Game chose to let go of that role because he wanted to create more adult content than kid-friendly content. He wanted to appear in the last hours of SmackDown or RAW for his DX appearances with tag team partner Shawn Michaels to build his character and legacy around it. 

Cena had, meanwhile, made a name for himself as one of the top dogs of the company in the coming years with 16 world titles, the Money in the Bank contract and winning the Royal Rumble twice to build up his legacy.

“Other guys could have taken it. Triple H could have worn that crown but Triple H didn’t want to do segments in the first hour of RAW when it was still family friendly. He wanted to be in the last hour of SmackDown or RAW and do his DX, adult stuff – the stuff that got him over, the stuff that he always did once he found the right character. So, he could have taken the crown, Vince (McMahon) would have gladly given it to him, but he chose not to. John (Cena) took this on himself,” Prinze Jr said on his Wrestling with Freddie podcast.

READ MORE: WWE no longer interested in pushing Finn Balor as a top star – report

Triple H is now serving as the Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development of WWE. He had played a key role in the transformation of NXT as the third brand for the company’s roster.

The vision was set in 2013 and since then he has worked closely with plenty of stars to build-up their career ahead of the releases. It also turned out to be a win-win situation for Triple H as many knowledgeable minds came out in support of him.

Triple H had formed a unit for the NXT which was supposed to be brought into the main roster after Vince McMahon made his way away from the brand. It should also be noted that William Regal, Gabe Sapolsky, and Road Dogg were core members of Triple H’s team. But their release has naturally impacted his morale in the locker room.