Triple H on online criticism: ‘You can’t base things on the opinions of some’

Paul “Triple H” Levesque has clarified his recent comments about how WWE responds to online criticism.

During an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast earlier this week, Levesque downplayed the importance of listening to fan feedback on social media, saying that “the internet is not real life.” On Friday, he clarified those statements on The Pat McAfee Show, using Jey Uso’s Royal Rumble victory as an example.

Levesque said:

“I don’t put a lot of stock into what is on the internet unless it follows through to other things we do. When Jey Uso won the Rumble, there were a lot of people that had a their thoughts and comments and opinions on that, which is at the end of the day, all they are. But there are 15,000 people in a venue and, as Pat’s said, its been sold out all the time and Yeeting and going absolutely crazy when he comes out. So who do we listen to? The few people? Or the large crowd?”

Levesque said WWE effectively has a live focus group every night in the form of crowd reactions.

“People are allowed to love what they love and dislike what they dislike, and their opinions are their opinions. But you cannot base things on the opinions of some when the majority feels differently, but when the majority starts to feel it you gotta listen,” Levesque continued.

Levesque will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2025 tonight—something he says he initially didn’t want. He was surprised by Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker during a town hall-style meeting in January and told he’d be headlining this year’s class. According to Levesque, WWE president Nick Khan took matters into his own hands.

“I thought I just didn’t read the format sheet for the town hall we were doing. I thought if Shawn’s coming out here to promote something and I didn’t see it on the sheet, I gotta start paying more attention to this. It’s an incredible honor. It was an incredible honor to be told by those two. As we had talked about the Hall of Fame, I did not want to do it. We had other plans and then Nick (Khan) took things into his own hands—and he’s the president, so what can I do?”

Triple H’s full appearance on The Pat McAfee Show is available below: