Triple H and Stephanie McMahon’s Relationship: All About the WWE Stars’ 21 Years of Marriage (and Why They Were Once ‘Forbidden’ to Date!)

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon's love story began in the wrestling ring.

Triple H (whose real name is Paul Levesque) and Stephanie started working together as part of a WWE plot, where their on-screen “marriage” quickly turned into a real-life romance. After sharing their relationship news with fans and Stephanie's dad, former WWE chairman Vince McMahon, the couple wed in 2003.

“It’s wild. Our relationship started as a storyline,” Triple H said on the Impaulsive podcast in August 2022. “We always say it works because we had a dry run on TV. We got married, [divorced] and went through everything on-screen. So, we know what it’s all like."

In the years since, the couple have welcomed three daughters. Triple H and Stephanie have leaned on each other as they've navigated different challenges, both personally and professionally.

"Almost 20 years now, and I think we’re more in love and happier than we were even back then, which is really cool. Being married to your best friend is awesome," he added.

From their dramatic beginnings to their family life, here’s everything to know about Triple H and Stephanie McMahon's relationship.

They fell in love while working together at WWE

Triple H and Stephanie's romance started as a WWE storyline in November 1999. Their on-screen relationship unfolded when Stephanie was slated to marry her then-fiancé, Test, in a televised wedding. However, the ceremony was interrupted by Triple H, who revealed that he and Stephanie had secretly tied the knot in Las Vegas.

The following month, in December 1999, the storyline escalated at Armageddon when Triple H faced off against Vince in a No Holds Barred match, with Stephanie at ringside. In a shocking twist, Stephanie betrayed her father to align with Triple H, forming the infamous McMahon-Helmsley faction.

Before their fictional relationship on-screen, the two had little interaction at work, and Stephanie admitted her initial impression of Triple H was far from favorable.

“We would have production meetings before the show ... I used to think, 'Man, he's so disrespectful,' ” she shared in the 2013 documentary Triple H - Thy Kingdom Come. “He would come in his jeans and leather jacket, lay himself out across the chairs, chomping gum and making jokes — very much who he is."

Still, Stephanie couldn't help but feel nervous around him. "The second he would walk into a room, I would feel my face blush," she added.

“That’s the thing for Steph and I,” Triple H reflected in the documentary. “We got to know each other because once we did that angle, we were working together every day.”

Triple H and Stephanie were "forbidden to date"

Not everyone was thrilled when Triple H and Stephanie began their relationship. Stephanie couldn't become involved with WWE on-air talent as part of company policy, but Triple H strayed away from the rules.

“I was forbidden to date any of the wrestlers, and [Triple H] was flirtatious with me," she recalled in Thy Kingdom Come. "I would think like, ‘No, he’s not being flirtatious, ‘cause this is forbidden. He’s not really flirting. He’s just doing the storyline.’ ”

Despite the restriction, Vince gave his blessing, allowing their relationship to move forward personally and professionally. However, the WWE head later rescinded his approval, creating an obstacle for the pair.

Triple H recounted their determination to be together despite the setback.

“We tried to adhere to Vince's wishes and cool it off, but after a while, it just didn't work," he wrote in his book, Triple H Making the Game. "It was too late to stop. We were in love. We ended up getting back together after about 10 months, and Vince gave us the green light for good this time."

In Thy Kingdom Come, Stephanie reflected on the risks Triple H took for their relationship.

“He put everything that he had ever fought for, everything that he had ever worked for — he wanted to be a WWE superstar since he was a kid — and he put all of that on the line to go after me," she explained. "And that’s just the most romantic story I could possibly think of.”

They married in October 2003

Triple H and Stephanie wed on October 25, 2003, in front of more than 300 guests at St. Teresa of Avila Church in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.

The groom wore a black tuxedo, while the bride walked down the aisle in an ivory wedding dress.

The wedding party featured a mix of family and WWE legends, including Shane McMahon, Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair and The Undertaker. Triple H’s father, also named Paul, stood by his side as his best man.

Among the guests were WWE icons like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Edge, Eddie Guerrero, Sgt. Slaughter, Mae Young and Killer Kowalski.

Triple H and Stephanie share three kids

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are parents to three daughters: Aurora Rose, Murphy Claire and Vaughn Evelyn.

Stephanie has shared glimpses of their growing children, occasionally posting about milestones and memorable moments. Aurora has already shown interest in the family business, with Stephanie hinting at her daughter's aspirations to step into the wrestling world one day.

“My oldest daughter has already started training,” Stephanie revealed on First Things First in October 2019. “I believe in a strong work ethic, and I believe they can do anything in the world they wanna do, but they're gonna have to believe in themselves and work hard.”

It seems Aurora isn’t the only one eyeing a future in wrestling. Vaughn is also looking to get in on the action.

“My youngest daughter is also very interested, but she is all about the personality,” Stephanie told Talksport in November 2021. “Oh my goodness, I can’t wait to see what she is going to do.”

Aurora is now a college softball player at Springfield College, where she is also enrolled in the physical therapy program. But her father says a wrestling career hasn’t been ruled out entirely.

“She's focused right now on going off to college and doing her thing there, so you never know,” Triple H told the Daily Mail in July 2024. “Look, if any of my kids decided to make an attempt to get in WWE, which is a lot of hard work, I would be 100% behind them, but that's up to them and where they want to go with their lives, so I support them in whatever they do.”

They experienced a health scare

In September 2021, Triple H faced a life-threatening health scare. After dealing with viral pneumonia, Stephanie noticed her husband was coughing up blood and urged him to seek medical attention.

At the hospital, doctors discovered fluid in his lungs and around his heart, leading to a diagnosis of severe heart failure. The 14-time world champion revealed that his heart was functioning at a fraction of its normal capacity.

“I was nose-diving. Sort of at the one-yard line of where you need to be or where you don't want to be,” Triple H said during an appearance on Stephen A.'s World in March 2022.

The diagnosis forced the WWE legend into retirement from in-ring competition.

“I think Steph took it way harder than I did and was like, ‘That's not bothering you?’ And I'm like, ‘I rode it till the wheels fell off — wheels fell off. They tell you you're done, and I'm done,’ ” he said on Ariel Helwani Meets in September 2022.

Triple H and Stephanie both enjoy metal music

Over the years, the couple have embraced their metalhead status, with Triple H famously using Motörhead’s "The Game" as his entrance theme and forming a close friendship with the band’s late frontman, Lemmy Kilmister.

Stephanie has also expressed her appreciation for hard rock and heavy metal, often accompanying her husband to concerts and events.

The first tape she ever bought was Metallica’s Ride the Lightning, and she’s made sure to pass her metal fandom down to her family.

In fact, her youngest daughter has already become a metalhead in her own right, jamming to songs like "Am I Evil?" to pump herself up for daring challenges.

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