Will Triple H Wrestle at WrestleMania 38?
WrestleMania 38 is expected to be loaded up with celebrities and part-time wrestlers for its two-night card on April 2-3. Between matches that have already been confirmed and the various rumors from the past few weeks, the lineup could include Steve Austin, Vince McMahon and Johnny Knoxville on top of a card that already includes Ronda Rousey and Logan Paul. However, one name that hasn't popped up is Triple H, who suffered a cardiac event last September and has been keeping a low profile ever since. He was brought up on a recent episode of the Wrestling Observer Radio and was immediately shot down by Dave Meltzer.
"His heart situation is, he can't," Meltzer said. "I don't want to say never because that's because that's unfair because maybe he can do something but that would be a horrible idea for him and that's not gonna happen this year. There's no way."
Ever since Hunter had to step away for his health, Shawn Michaels has been overseeing NXT 2.0. He has talked in a number of interviews about needing to step in for his best friend.
"Trying to step in and fill his role is impossible to do," he told Sports Illustrated last October. "Everybody here misses him unbelievably, especially me. But I always go back to this — everything in real life takes precedence over everything else. This was a situation where my best friend needed my help and needed me to step in, so I look at this as an opportunity, in a small way, to thank him for everything he did for me earlier in my career.
"Taking over the responsibilities here is a drop in the bucket compared to what he did for me all those years back," he added. "I'm honored to at least have the opportunity to pay him back a little bit and be there for him. That's what this whole company does —this whole relaunch has been everyone pulling together, and I'm energized and inspired to keep this NXT territory going strong during his absence."
Here's the updated lineup for WrestleMania 38 as of Monday. The show is set to take place inside AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
WrestleMania Saturday (April 2)
- SmackDown Women's Championship: Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey
- Raw Women's Championship: Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair
- Dominik & Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz & Logan Paul
WrestleMania Sunday (April 3)
- WWE Championship and Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar
Additional Matches
- Edge vs. AJ Styles (Rumored)
- Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville (Rumored)
- "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Kevin Owens (Rumored)
- Vince McMahon vs. Pat McAfee (Rumored)
- WWE Women's Tag Team Championships: Carmella & Queen Zelina vs. Sasha Banks & Naomi