Bad news for WWE fans: Triple H, or Paul Michael Wock as he was originally known, announced today (Friday) on a program by American journalist Stephen A. Smith that he will not return to the arena again. The legendary wrestler, who has not competed since 2019, explained that he was dealing with heart disease because of which he almost died and now needs a defibrillator in his chest and is therefore banned from fighting.
Triple H detailed a frightening medical condition that nearly claimed his life in late 2021. He claimed he did not feel well and went for routine checkups at the hospital. After performing ECG tests, the wrestler received an urgent message from the doctor. “He wrote to me, ‘Do not take the time, pack a bag quickly and go to the emergency room.'”
When he arrived at the hospital, Triple H’s heart function was greatly reduced. “I dived to the floor and was within touching distance of where you did not want to be. There are moments that take you out and you say to yourself ‘is this it? Do you wake up from it?'”.
Fortunately, the doctors insisted and the legendary wrestler did wake up – but because of the fear that took over he decided not to return to the arena again. “I’m done, I’ll never fight again,” he declared. “I have a defibrillator in my chest and it’s probably not very smart to move it live.”
Levok’s last fight on the big stage was somewhere in 2019, when he was defeated by Randy Orton in Saudi Arabia. Since then he may not have fought, but has helped raise the next generation of wrestlers. Triple H is one of the pioneers in the industry and has a long career of almost 30 years that included several degrees. In 2019 he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
BREAKING: @TripleH announced his retirement from in-ring competition on @espn @firsttake with @stephenasmith. pic.twitter.com/qnyw9NVtv4
— WWE (@WWE) March 25, 2022