Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque addressed his recent surprise announcement as a WWE Hall of Fame inductee, revealing it wasn’t something he desired. 

“Yeah, clearly I’ve accepted it. When they surprised me with it, and Shawn and Taker walked out on stage, honestly, I thought I just didn’t read the format sheet for the town hall we were doing,” he admitted. He initially believed Shawn Michaels was there for a promotion he’d missed, highlighting his genuine surprise. Despite the initial shock, Levesque acknowledged the honor, especially coming from Michaels and The Undertaker. “You know, as we had talked about Hall of Fame, I did not want to do it. We had other plans, and then Nick [Khan] took things into his own hands, and he’s the president, so what can I do?” 

The WWE Hall of Fame ceremony airs live on Friday night. will be inducted by his longtime friend and DX stablemate, Shawn Michaels. 

The “Total Package” Lex Luger will be enshrined, with his induction speech delivered by Diamond Dallas Page. Michelle McCool, a former two-time WWE Women’s Champion and two-time Divas Champion, will be inducted by her husband, The Undertaker. 

The dominant tag team of The Natural Disasters, Earthquake and Typhoon, will also take their place in the Hall of Fame.  In a unique honor, the inaugural “Immortal Moment” induction will celebrate the unforgettable No Disqualification Submission Match between Bret “The Hitman” Hart and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin from WrestleMania 13, with this encounter being inducted by CM Punk. 

Additionally, the Legacy wing will see the posthumous induction of Kamala, alongside wrestling legends Ivan Koloff and Dory Funk Sr.

WWE’s top executive Paul “Triple H” Levesque isn’t ruling out the idea of taking WrestleMania beyond North America, even if the logistics are complex. In a new interview with Daily Mail, Levesque acknowledged the significant planning involved in staging WWE’s marquee event internationally but emphasized the company’s willingness to make it happen.

“To answer the WrestleMania question, that’s like the Super Bowl,” Levesque said. “People don’t understand the logistics of what that takes. Just going to Las Vegas requires weeks of setup and operations on the ground. When that goes international, it becomes even harder. That’s the challenge. We’re up for it.”

WrestleMania has only been held outside the United States twice, both times in Canada—in 1990 and 2002. However, with WWE’s strong global presence, cities like London have shown growing interest in becoming future hosts.

This weekend’s WrestleMania 41 spectacular has already descended upon Las Vegas, while New Orleans is confirmed to host its third WrestleMania next year in 2026.

Triple H has confirmed that NXT Europe remains a key part of WWE’s international expansion strategy. Despite delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the WWE executive reiterated his commitment to growing the company’s presence in major global markets, including Europe, Japan, the Middle East, and India.

Speaking during recent WWE tryouts in the UK, Triple H described the relaunch of international development programs as “exciting,” referencing the model first built with NXT UK. “I still believe it’s there,” he told Daily Mail, asserting that pandemic-related travel restrictions—not waning interest—halted the original plans.

With WWE holding European tryouts ahead of WrestleMania, Triple H’s vision for talent development remains focused on identifying charisma and leadership over prior wrestling experience.

“Athleticism is important, but once you get through that, it’s less important. It becomes about who has that X-factor,” he explained.

He pointed to WWE stars like Bianca Belair as examples of athletes who entered with little to no wrestling background but had the presence and drive to succeed. “Charisma and leadership—those are hard to teach,” he added.

Triple H also touched on WWE’s global event strategy, confirming more international premium live events are coming, including a return to the UK. As for a future WrestleMania in London, he acknowledged the complex logistics involved but expressed enthusiasm about making it happen.

As WWE’s global footprint grows through partnerships and platforms like Netflix, Triple H emphasized the company’s goal: “To give opportunity to talent across the world—and replicate this model everywhere.”