15 Of Triple H's Closest Friends In WWE

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On camera, Triple H is one of the meanest, most vindictive, and heartless superstars ever to wrestle for WWE. Of course, he’s also married to Stephanie McMahon, the daughter of Vince McMahon, so he pretty much gets to do whatever he wants despite those qualities. In real life…well, it isn’t too different from that, at least if his harshest critics are to be believed. Triple H has been accused of constantly rewriting history to make himself a bigger star than he actually was, and then continuing to use his power in the present day to put himself over subsequent generations of top talent. If these rumors are to be true, one might expect Triple H doesn’t have too many friends when cameras stop rolling, regardless of how much power in the company he might have.

Turns out, not everything you read on the Internet should be taken for 100% face value. Triple H no doubt has his enemies within the wrestling world, but he also has his fair share of close friends, both on a personal and professional level. Triple H has been one of the biggest names in wrestling for nearly two decades now, and as his backstage roles increase, he really is making himself a bigger deal on camera than ever before, so as time goes on there are fewer and fewer secrets about The Game that will truly surprise the fans of the WWE Universe. That said, at least a couple of his friends in the industry truly are surprising in how little they’ve benefitted. Of course, the other half of this list will show Triple H is cerebral in more ways than one, as plenty of his friends have received cushy jobs as a result of the camaraderie, and have been reaping similar rewards for years. Keep reading to discover 15 wrestlers you didn’t know were close friends with Triple H.

15. Jamie Noble

Jamie Noble was a member of J&J Security alongside Joey Mercury, and as such was a bodyguard of The Authority and one of the first true “stooges” to Triple H. Even with that knowledge in mind, it’s somewhat shocking to discover there have for a long time been rumors connecting Noble and Triple H as close friends outside of the ring. Very little information is public on this one, as neither man has disclosed anything about the other, but Noble’s current status in the company and the longevity of the rumors make it seem like they just might be good friends after all.

Prior to becoming a member of The Authority, Noble was best known for his redneck/white trash character, which was only mildly successful in WWE when it earned him a run with the Cruiserweight Championship. Noble achieved greater heights in Ring of Honor, but arguably his biggest role yet has been wearing a suit and standing behind Triple H. It’s a pretty big promotion for a former midcarder who hadn’t been wrestling in years, and although the story might not entirely be known, it could only be a matter of time before one of them confirms what everyone has long assumed.

14. Henry O. Godwinn

Triple H is one of the highest profile names in wrestling, so we apologize if the names on this list aren’t as shocking or surprising as initially advertised. Henry O. Godwinn, however, has got to be one of the last people most fans would have expected to be a close friend of Triple H. The truth is, Godwinn is such a good friend of Triple H that The Game attempted to get HOG a legacy job in WWE—way back in 2006.

Godwinn spent the majority of his career tagging with Dennis Knight, best known to WWE fans as the European Championship killing Mideon. Godwinn briefly went solo when he debuted for WWE, and his first significant program in the company was feuding with the Connecticut blueblood who would change sports entertainment, Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Despite the fact they feuded on television, Triple H and Godwinn were always good friends, and Triple H proved it when he recommended Godwinn to company officials years after most people would have passed Godwinn by. The career revival didn’t quite pan out for the pig farmer, but now that Triple H is even more powerful than he was 10 years ago, perhaps Godwinn could be getting a backstage job of some kind if he ever happens to show any interest.

13. William Regal

William Regal has a strong reputation as one of the greatest technical wrestlers of his era, but he also has a reputation for nearly destroying himself with drugs and alcohol at several of the most important moments of his career. It might seem surprising that WWE has given Regal the number of chances they have, even considering that his in-ring work and skills on the microphone are virtually unmatched even by talent half his age. Regal’s fortune becomes even less of a mystery when his talent is combined with the fact he claims to have been good friends with Triple H for many years.

Most wrestling fans probably don’t remember the fact Triple H and Regal briefly formed a tag team during Jean Paul Levesque’s short tenure in WCW. The team barely made a dent in WCW at the time, and reports would indicate the two didn’t become particularly close while they were tagging, either. Years later, Regal has claimed that Triple H was the one wrestler who would call him every week during his various lay-offs and injuries, and it was their friendship that helped him get through many tough times. Regal has repaid the favor by calling Triple H every week whenever he was injured, as well.

12. Chris Benoit

Regardless of how high up in the wrestling industry Triple H ever becomes, there will always be at least one former friend of his who never benefits from his success in any way. Of course, that wrestler is the black mark on the entire industry, so the only person Chris Benoit has to blame for that one is himself. Triple H has never spoken in depth about his friendship with Benoit, but it's very clear the two had a powerful mutual respect for one another, as evidenced in Triple H’s comments during the now forgotten Chris Benoit tribute special. Triple H famously tapped out to the Crippler Crossface at WrestleMania XX, making Benoit’s career dreams come true.

At the time, Hunter was happy to let help someone he so strongly respected finally make it in the industry. These days, he probably has strong mixed feelings on the matter to say the least, but his friendship with Benoit nonetheless existed. Unfortunately, Triple H needs to move on and forget about whatever friendship might have existed in the past thanks to what Benoit did at the end of his life. Even more unfortunately, it isn’t too hard to do that when you think about what Benoit’s crimes were.

11. "Diamond" Dallas Page

Fans know “Diamond” Dallas Page is a magnetic personality who seems to get along with just about everybody, so it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see him pop on this list. It might be a minor shock, though, considering DDP and Triple H rarely crossed paths during their long and storied careers, and in fact seemed to be furthest apart at times when their respective careers were waxing and waning. According to DDP, though, the two have actually had a quiet friendship for decades, stemming all the way back to Triple H’s short tenure at WCW.

DDP says Triple H was actually in the room with him when Johnny Ace gifted Page the Diamond Cutter, and it was this incident that would prove their friendship despite not being physically close to one another over the years. DDP claims he saw a video of Triple H hitting the move, and thought multiple big name wrestlers using the same move could dilute his ability to make it huge, and says he called Hunter and asked him to stop using it as a result. Out of respect for Page, Triple H never used the Diamond Cutter or Ace Cutter again, and Page never forgot what the gesture meant. DDP also has said Triple H was most responsible for Jake Roberts getting inducted into the Hall of Fame, something DDP had strongly been wanting for several years.

10. Vince McMahon

It felt unnecessary to include Stephanie McMahon on this list. We’re going to get into some well known territory, but it went without saying Triple H is rather close to his wife of the past decade, and the woman who has almost been inseparable from him on television for at least the past five years. That didn’t stop us from pointing out once again that Triple H might actually be even closer to his wife’s father than he is to the Billion Dollar Princess in the first place.

Triple H and Vince McMahon obviously have tons in common, boasting strong physiques, intense ambition, and a shared single-minded focus on doing what they think is best for the wrestling industry. Rumors indicate their friendship birthed out of Hunter’s relationship with Stephanie, obviously, but also from long hours shared in the gym with one another, bonding the unique way only muscle bound sports entertainers can. While it has always been assumed Vince McMahon would leave WWE in family hands should he ever step down, Triple H has surprised people by stepping forward and being perhaps a likelier candidate to take over than his wife. The friendship he shares with his father-in-law definitely helps those rumors spread.

9. Ric Flair

Ric Flair seems like an overly sentimental and emotional person whenever he starts to talk about history, but the legendary Nature Boy still manages to hold a very special place in his heart for the man he calls his best friend, Triple H. The two were paired on television for the first time in 2002, when Flair began managing Triple H and stood beside him as the senior member of Evolution. Off screen, Triple H had respected Flair for decades along with the rest of the wrestling world, and when he had time to meet one of his heroes face to face, he was able to turn that respect into a friendship that has grown ever stronger to this day.

Flair has taken his friendship with Triple H to turn into one of his strongest defenders, always attacking critics who claim Triple H is out for himself. Triple H returns the favor by always giving Flair the respect the Nature Boy deserves. Of course, people have taken these two facts to guess perhaps Triple H is giving Flair’s daughter Charlotte unfair preference in the women’s division. Whether or not Flair benefits from it in any way, the fact remains, he and Triple H are extremely close to one another and will always look out for one another.

8. Sheamus

Sheamus is a slightly confusing figure in the modern wrestling world, considering his rise to a top contender in WWE was truly meteoric. Sheamus won the WWE World Championship only months after making his debut on Raw. Unlike some flash in the pan stars, Sheamus has also stuck around long enough to win his fourth WWE Championship in 2015, but despite this, Sheamus rarely connects with fans the way a top talent should. Fans were merely shocked during his first title win, and were focused on the fact he looked stupid during his more recent reigns. Perhaps it has been a long-standing friendship with Triple H that has been keeping Sheamus in the spotlight all these years.

From the very start of Sheamus’s career in WWE, it was being reported that he and Triple H were work out partners. Considering how much time men with physiques like theirs spend in the gym, this quickly blossomed into a fast and genuine friendship, and Sheamus has been reaping the rewards for years…allegedly. There has never been any direct evidence connecting Sheamus’s success to Triple H, but the fact remains, the two are most definitely good friends.

7. The Undertaker

Triple H and The Undertaker have had one of the most epic feuds in WWE history, with the stakes kept to the very simple concept of respect. As it would turn out, the two may not have been secret best friends behind the scenes all these years, but they have managed to form a strong connection with one another based on that same simple concept. The Undertaker is one of the most respected wrestlers in WWE history, thanks to his status as a locker room leader and his relationship with Vince McMahon. Triple H was the first wrestler to really challenge Taker’s status in this regard, and Undertaker always seemed willing to support Triple H in his efforts to take over.

The most telling story of Triple H and The Undertaker’s friendship came shortly after Triple H started dating Stephanie McMahon. Virtually every wrestler in the industry had strong reservations about Hunter dating the boss’s daughter, including the other superstars on this very list. The Undertaker, however, was the first wrestler to step forward and give the couple his blessing, feeling that Triple H was too career-minded to risk ruining it unless he truly loved Stephanie. With moments like that in mind, the End of an Era battles between the two could be viewed as the wrestling industry’s warped way of explaining the bond gestures like that are able to form between one another.

6. X-Pac

The relationship between Triple H and X-Pac isn’t particularly surprising these days, considering both are well known as members of The Kliq. However, there was a brief period in wrestling history when their friendship was heavily strained, and at least on the surface it seemed like it may never recover. Chyna just missed our list due to the fact she was so directly connected with Hunter throughout her life it would have been as redundant to mention her as it would have been to mention his wife, and proving that, her influence on his life was strong enough to become relevant in this entry, anyway.

Chyna and X-Pac dated not long after Triple H cheated on Chyna with Stephanie McMahon, thus ending their relationship. Some fans might assume this caused bad blood between the two, but according to X-Pac, Triple H never was mad at his friend. If anything, Triple H was only concerned, warning X-Pac that Chyna was spiraling out of control with drugs, and telling him to stay away from someone like that. Now that Chyna has passed and any negative feelings are being forgotten, X-Pac and Triple H are probably closer than ever.

5. The Road Dogg

Only a few years ago, The Road Dogg most definitely would not be making this list. Despite the fact he and Triple H spent some of the best years of Road Dogg’s career together as members of D-Generation X, Road Dogg was highly critical of Triple H before he made his return to WWE in 2011. In a shoot interview alongside New Age Outlaw partner Billy Gunn, Road Dogg called Triple H insecure and accused him of burying any talent that could threaten his position.

Several years later, the New Age Outlaws were both rehired by WWE, and any hard feelings were quickly forgotten about. Road Dogg has since been promoted to the role of a backstage producers, and more tellingly to his friendship with Triple H, received another run as WWE Tag Team Champion in 2014, long after peaking as a performer. Road Dogg has since been staunchly supportive of WWE and its corporate policies, as well, most likely an extension of his newfound friendships and professionalism. Road Dogg has also said he abused drugs in the past and WWE putting him through rehab helped get him get his act together, which could play a role in both his negative comments in the past and why he was able to turn his feelings around on Triple H so quickly.

4. Dusty Rhodes

Triple H and Dusty Rhodes never wrestled one another, and it never would have made a great deal of sense for them to do so. Dusty was as dominant and powerful as Triple H in his heyday of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but was contemplating retirement already when Triple H started to step into the ring. It's kind of surprising the two even crossed paths in a non-wrestling capacity, as Dusty wasn’t always thought to be on the best terms with WWE as Triple H rose through the ranks to the high executive position he has today. That changed when Triple H was in charge of NXT and appointed Dusty as creative director of the brand.

Dusty was a mentor and coach to virtually every superstar in NXT, and that even extended to Triple H as the founder of the territory. How close the two were isn’t clear, but when Rhodes passed in 2015, Triple H immediately expressed regret over the loss of a man he called both his mentor and friend. Though the whole wrestling world may have been echoing those comments, the connection the two had through NXT and the faith Triple H must have had in Dusty to put him in the position he had definitely makes it seem possible the two were closer than anyone realized.

3. Scott Hall

Scott Hall is one of the most tragic and emotional stories in the wrestling world, for few have suffered with addiction in the same way the WWE Hall of Famer has. According to Stephanie McMahon, WWE has spent more money putting Scott Hall through rehab than any other performer, and Hall’s friendship with Triple H is probably a big part of why the company is so ready to repeatedly go to ball for him. Hall has also been inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in his persona of Razor Ramon, another forgiving act made easier by the fact Triple H was pushing for his friend to be honored.

While some of the other people on this list were linked with Triple H on television for decades, Scott Hall rarely worked with Hunter for whatever reason. They did link up at least once, though. Every WWE fan remembers the Curtain Call incident that publicly revealed the members of the Kliq once and for all, but what some fans forget is that Razor Ramon and Triple H had actually wrestled earlier that night. They may not have wrestled often, but the historical significance of their encounter and the money WWE has spent on Hall ever since should more than prove Triple H has always been a fan of Bad Guy.

2. Kevin Nash

Triple H and Kevin Nash are such good friends that their union nearly destroyed one of the hottest WWE angles in recent memory. The Summer of Punk had wrestling fans buzzing in a way they hadn’t been doing in years, and when Triple H decided he wanted to get involved with Punk’s rising star, he did so by having one of his oldest friends steal the spotlight and confuse everybody long enough for Punk’s momentum to fade away. Kevin Nash appearing to attack CM Punk is still one of the more bizarre moments in SummerSlam history, at least until you take into account Nash’s long and storied friendship with the Game.

Like several others on the list, Nash is one of the core members of the Kliq Triple H started hanging out with in the mid 1990s. Nash has always painted Triple H as the most responsible and perhaps professional member of the group, and Triple H has always in turn respected Nash as perhaps the member with the best business sense. While the CM Punk angle with confusing text messages might not have been the best way for Nash and Triple H to publicize their friendship to the WWE Universe, the fact they played with their relationship on television at all makes Nash one of the more obvious entries onto this list.

1. Shawn Michaels

Stephanie McMahon was kept off this list by way of being married to Triple H, and honestly, we just about considered leaving HBK off this list for extremely similar reasons. Triple H and Shawn Michaels have been inexorably linked to one another since they formed D-Generation X in late 1997, and their friendship had already been forming for some time since that. While most of the friendships on this list have only been hinted at or vaguely referenced on television, the fact Triple H and Shawn Michaels are real life best buds has been one of the driving characteristics of both men for many years now.

Shawn and Hunter’s friendship isn’t only evident in their team together, but also their many feuds against one another, and even against with other opponents. Triple H is usually wrestling to one up his friend, and the last several years of HBK’s career existed with the fact his best friend was slowly taking over the company, looming over every storyline he was involved in. Triple H and Shawn Michaels remain the best of friends now that HBK is retired, and with a recent promotion to a role coaching at NXT, Michaels is probably only growing closer to Hunter as they keep taking over the WWE Universe together.

Sources: Inquisitr, Bleacher Report