Eric Bischoff recently reflected on Triple H’s time in WCW. The Game worked in Ted Turner’s company from 1994 to 1995 under the name Terra Ryzing and later Jean-Paul Levesque, which was a variation of his real name.
Bischoff recalled his impressions of the future WWE champion in WCW.
“Hunter was solid. Mechanically in the ring, as a performer in the ring, he was very solid, even at a very early age, that was clear to us all. But he didn’t have like this huge personality, not like a Bill Goldberg, when the minute you saw him come out, the fans immediately reacted to him. He wasn’t that type of a character. He was a good, solid worker, that’s the best way I could put it.”
Eric also talked about Triple H’s eventual departure from the company. did The Cerebral Assassin cause any type of drama on the way out of WCW?
“His contract was up. I think I offered him a little bit more money. it wasn’t enough to keep him. It was clear he really wanted to work in WWF. He didn’t really want to work in WCW.
He grew up watching the WWF. He was from the northeast. That’s what he grew up watching, that’s what his goal was. And I don’t think there was anything really going on at WCW at the time to make him change his mind about his goal and when the time came, he was ready to move on. There was no acrimony, there was no tension, there was no arguing, there was none of that stuff. His contract was up, WE made him an offer to up him a little bit, he had already made up his mind, he wanted to go and take a shot at WWF and we parted ways. That was really it.”
Jean-Paul Levesque never really caught on in WCW but of course he did find his way in WWE. Triple H became one of the biggest Superstars in Vince McMahon’s company, where he’s now found a new level of success thanks in large part to his work behind the scenes with NXT.