On September 8, 2021, WWE announced Triple H (Paul Levesque) underwent a successful procedure following a cardiac event. The episode was caused by a genetic heart issue. It was announced that he was expected to make a full recovery.
Triple H took time away from wrestling following the event, leaving his position as producer of NXT.
Appearing on First Take, Triple H detailed his health problems, announcing that he can never wrestle again.
He began by saying that he had a viral pneumonia and continued by saying, "From the viral pneumonia, I had fluid in my lungs, fluid around my heart. They followed up on it, did an EKG. Basically, the way your heart pumps out, it's 55 to 65 percent of your injection fracture is a good number. I was at 30 (percent). I had a quick text message saying, 'don't take time, pack a bag, we'll head to the emergency room. I'll fill you in on the way.' By the time I got to the emergency room, my ejection fracture had gone down to 22 (percent). I was in heart failure. Bad. By the next morning, as they figured that out in the evening, the next morning as I was setting in to get an MRI done and about to go in for a heart cap, my ejection fracture was down to 12 (percent). I was nose diving and at the one-yard line of where you don't want to be. For your family and your future, when they tell you it's 99%, it gets real. We have three young girls; 15, 13, and 11 (years old). Suddenly, I come home and I'm a little bit sick, and their dad, who is strong, always, suddenly is in the hospital. I don't know if they understood the consequences of it, but there are moments in there when they are putting you out for stuff and you think, 'is this it? Do you wake up again?' That's tough to swallow. It makes you think differently about life. It doesn't make you any less driven with the things you do, but it certainly makes you appreciate the things you have; your friends and your family."
When asked about his future, Triple H stated, "For me, as far as in-ring, I'm done. I will never wrestle again. I have a defibrillator in my chest, which it's not a good idea for me zapped on live TV."
Triple H's last official match was in 2019 when he teamed with Shinsuke Nakamura against Robert Roode & Samoa Joe in Japan. His last televised match was at WWE Super ShowDown 2019 against Randy Orton.
Triple H retires as a fourteen-time WWE Champion.
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