WrestleMania week is typically a time of celebration for WWE. But even as he prepares to be inducted into the company’s Hall of Fame, Paul “Triple H” Levesque appears to be in a combative mood.
As a part of WWE’s PR push ahead of its biggest weekend of the year, the former superstar-turned-executive sat down with Peter Rosenberg for an extended interview on the company’s YouTube page. And when it came to a conversation about WWE’s creative and how it’s received, Triple H didn’t mince words.
“This will sound defensive. Every critic that is out there, I wish I could tell people f*ck off being a critic. Be a fan,” WWE’s chief content officer said. “Go watch this and be a fan.”
Levesque continued: “If I tell you, ‘go to the movies and watch this movie. I saw, it it was really good.’ Then you just go to the movie as a fan. You watch the movie, you have one opinion. If I tell you, ‘Hey, go see this movie, but can you give me a one-page detail, what you liked, what you didn’t like, and if it worked for you or didn’t work for you?’ You watch it totally differently. You watch the product totally differently. It ruins it for people. The world was so much better when nobody knew and you just watched it.”
Triple H is certainly right; that did sound defensive.
While it was initially unclear whether his message directed at fans who have been critical of WWE’s booking or professionals who are paid for their opinions, his subsequent comments indicate it was the latter. In particular, “the Cerebral Assassin” took aim at those who try to “ruin the surprise,” which he believes makes the product less enjoyable for fans.
“They try to tell you the sh*t that’s going on, it just ruins it for people,” he said. “The business that feeds you, you’re now ruining it for people and lessening their enjoyment of it to a large degree. Because you’re telling them all this sh*t, right or wrong, that is going to happen.”
“This’ll sound offensive, I wish I could tell people fuck off being a critic, be a fan.”
— Triple H
(via @WWE) pic.twitter.com/rwu1UM1m7h
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) April 16, 2025
While it’s certainly understandable why Triple H would take such a stance as the head of WWE’s creative, the idea that his booking should be beyond criticism is hardly rooted in reality. And his analogy to watching movies also falls short, as reviews from both fans and paid professionals are a major part of that industry. Ever hear of Rotten Tomatoes?
As for the question of whether journalists should be actively spoiling storylines, that’s a healthier debate, although it certainly didn’t lessen the shock of John Cena’s turning heel last month. Ultimately, it’s up to WWE to prevent such information from leaking out before the storylines play out, which Levesque and his team have seemingly taken extra precautions to accomplish.
And if the twists and turns do leak out ahead of time, that’s nothing new, as “dirt sheets” have been a part of pro wrestling for more than 40 years. Perhaps the bigger story here is why is WWE spending its biggest week of the year going on the offensive against one of the most passionate portions of its industry?