Triple H Talks Genesis Of 'Game' Nickname, Credits AEW Talent With Getting Him Over

In 1999, on an episode of "WWE Heat," Paul "Triple H" Levesque sat down for an interview with Jim Ross and, among other things, called himself "The Game" for the first time ever. It caught on, and looking back on the moment during an appearance on "What Do You Wanna Talk About? With Cody Rhodes," Levesque recalled how the segment was put together. 

"The line was pretty much off the cuff," he said. "There was nothing written at that time." 

Levesque explained that he could feel a shift taking place in the industry, and he knew he had to change his character to suit the atmosphere. The promo itself, though, came about naturally, and the company was open to the more vulgar presentation he was going with.

"I remember we did a take where I said 'the f**king Game' and then they were like, 'That's okay. We're actually going to show it from the other side where you don't see your mouth; it'll be alright! We'll beep it.'"

Triple H added that he truly realized the promo was special during the following TV show, where he saw several signs in the crowd with boards saying "The Game," convincing him that they needed to capitalize on it immediately. Levesque also credited Ross for his role in the segment and Triple H's career at large.

"JR was – I can't give him enough credit for being the soundtrack of our generation," he added, fondly recalling how intensely JR seemed to hate him on commentary back in the day. "JR was almost like my nemesis on commentary and it really, really, really got me over as being a heel."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "What Do You Wanna Talk About? With Cody Rhodes," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.