As noted, WWE Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development Paul “Triple H” Levesque spoke with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith on First Take this week to officially announce his retirement from in-ring action. He also spoke about his health for the first time since suffering a cardiac event last year, and revealed how bad his condition got, plus more. You can click here for the original report on what he had to say from the First Take appearance, and you can click here for tributes from around the wrestling world. You can also click here for Triple H revealing plans to work WrestleMania 38 this year, which were nixed due to the health issues.
In the full interview with Smith, which has been released via “Stephen A’s World” on ESPN+ and YouTube, Triple H was asked about his future in pro wrestling. He revealed that he is back in the office at WWE HQ, and is fully focused on recruiting and developing the future of the company.
“My foot is not off the gas. In some manner, I have to step back a little bit, I’m still in recovery and my endurance is not quite what it used to be before,” he revealed. “I’m back in the office. I’m fully focused on recruiting and developing our talent for the future.
“Whether that’s at the Performance Center, finding the next young stud that’s out there, male or female, Gable Steveson, two-time NCAA Champion, Gold Medal at the Olympics, his next step is with WWE. With us, it’s finding that and creating that future. That’s the biggest focus for me. As we move forward from there, it’s making sure WWE is a success for generations to come.”
Triple H had to step away from his daily duties last fall when he had the cardiac event, and while he still has not resumed his normal daily workload, he has confirmed that he is back to work in at least some capacity.
Stay tuned for more on Triple H. The full interview with Smith can be seen below:
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