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TED Talks Daily

Inside WWE's storytelling machine | Paul "Triple H" Levesque

with Paul "Triple H" Levesque

Published September 23, 2025
View Show Notes

About This Episode

Paul "Triple H" Levesque discusses how WWE blends athleticism, storytelling, and character to create a unique form of entertainment that emotionally engages a massive global audience. In conversation with Patrick Talty, he explains WWE's creative process, media partnerships, and the importance of family, presence, and health, including his work on the President's Fitness Council. He also reflects on his own journey from childhood fan to performer to chief content officer, and how WWE's stories can inspire resilience and connection for fans around the world.

Topics Covered

Wrestling Storytelling Streaming media industry Leadership and management Work ethic Workplace dynamics Fatherhood Exercise and weight loss Personal Development Sports fandom

Disclaimer: We provide independent summaries of podcasts and are not affiliated with or endorsed in any way by any podcast or creator. All podcast names and content are the property of their respective owners. The views and opinions expressed within the podcasts belong solely to the original hosts and guests and do not reflect the views or positions of Summapod.

Quick Takeaways

  • WWE is positioned by Paul Levesque as less like a traditional combat sport and more like the movie "Rocky"-where story, characters, and emotion make the athletic action matter.
  • He argues that true work-life balance is a myth and instead emphasizes being fully present wherever you are-at work, with your spouse, or with your kids.
  • WWE's creative process is organized around a long-term "north star" like WrestleMania, while remaining flexible enough to pivot quickly when injuries, life events, or new opportunities arise.
  • The most compelling WWE characters often blur the line between a performer's real personality and their on-screen persona, creating constant ambiguity about what is real.
  • Levesque credits the gym and training with teaching him work ethic and believes fitness, health, and wellness are foundational to success in life.
  • He describes WWE's evolution across closed-circuit TV, pay-per-view, its own network, and now partnerships with Peacock, Netflix, and ESPN as a series of bold pivots ahead of media trends.
  • Family, particularly his wife and children, is described as more important than any professional success or money, a perspective sharpened by his own serious heart issue.
  • Levesque views WWE's highest purpose as helping people-especially families and kids-through tough times and giving them something meaningful to connect around.

Podcast Notes

Show introduction and setup of the conversation

Elise Hugh introduces TED Talks Daily and the episode theme

Framing question: what happens when leadership meets play?[2:28]
• Elise explains that this question anchors the inaugural TED Sports Conference in Indianapolis, USA.
Introduction of Paul "Triple H" Levesque and Patrick Talty[2:39]
• Paul Triple H Levesque is described as a WWE Hall of Famer, 14-time world champion, and WWE's chief content officer.
• Patrick Talty is identified as co-chair of TED Sports Indianapolis and the person interviewing Levesque.
Elise frames WWE as a powerful storytelling machine[2:54]
• WWE is said to captivate more than a billion fans globally.
• The talk is positioned as relevant both to wrestling fans and to people interested in performance psychology and universal hero/villain/redemption stories.

Warm-up word association and personal grounding

Rapid-fire word association game

Levesque on Shawn Michaels[3:26]
• He calls Shawn Michaels the "greatest in-ring performer of all time."
Levesque on The Undertaker[3:30]
• He describes Undertaker as the greatest big man of all time and one of the most respected in-ring performers, at least in his view.
Self-reference: "Hunter"[3:42]
• Asked about "Hunter," Levesque calls it a "fun alter ego."
Levesque on New Hampshire[3:49]
• He associates New Hampshire with solitude and home, noting he grew up there.
• He says he still has a place on a lake there where he can turn the world off and "go be normal for a minute."

Talking about his wife Stephanie ("Steph") and family values

Steph as Levesque's rock and the importance of choosing a spouse[4:09]
• He calls Steph his rock and says he and WWE president Nick Khan tell interns that the most important decision in life is choosing a spouse.
• He emphasizes that choosing a spouse wisely can be the greatest or the worst thing in your life, depending on the choice.
• He says he feels he chose well and hopes his wife feels the same.
Impact of health issues on his perspective[4:57]
• Levesque mentions having health issues a few years ago that put life in perspective, especially regarding family, kids, and his wife.
• He asserts that family is the most important thing in the world to him, and that everything else-work, money, success-is "just stuff."
Reflections on legacy and regret[5:42]
• He says no one will ask how hard you worked on a Tuesday when you die.
• He notes that most people regret not spending time with family or doing meaningful things, and that almost no one on their deathbed wishes they had made one more board meeting.

Work-life balance, presence, and priorities

Levesque's view that work-life balance is a lie

Why he thinks work-life balance doesn't exist as a fixed state[6:07]
• He says he's often asked about work-life balance and responds that work-life balance is a lie and doesn't exist as a stable, perfect condition.
• He argues it's not a matter of finding one formula that makes everything perfectly balanced.

Being present as the core strategy

Definition of presence in different contexts[5:30]
• He suggests the only way to achieve some semblance of balance is to be present in whatever you're doing.
• At work, be fully present at work; with kids, focus on kids; with a spouse, focus on the spouse.
Quality vs. quantity of time[6:45]
• He emphasizes that it's not the quantity of time with kids or family that matters most but the quality.
• If you're physically there but on your phone or taking calls and not paying attention, the time isn't really worth it to them.
• He notes that kids and others can sense when you're not truly present.

What WWE is: athleticism, competition, and predetermined storytelling

Clarifying the nature of WWE as both athletic and scripted

The apparent contradiction fans wrestle with[6:05]
• Patrick notes that WWE is athletic, competitive, descriptive, but predetermined, and that people struggle to wrap their heads around that.
Levesque's framing of WWE as entertainment like other sports[5:21]
• Levesque says what they do is all of those things wrapped into one, and that everything-including sports-is a version of entertainment if you're watching rather than playing.
• He argues that in combat sports, most viewers aren't experts in the technical intricacies; what they know are the stories that lead them into the events.

Importance of rivalry and narrative in all sports

Storied rivalries as stories that drive business[6:41]
• He notes that the biggest-market sports teams that have storied rivalries do better business, highlighting "story" as the key word.
• A football game is just a game unless you're invested; if your kid is playing and you know the story going in, you're invested.
Parallel to WWE's model[7:05]
• He says it's the same for WWE: it's about the story, not just the match.
• While matches and athletic spectacle are important, what truly hooks people is the storytelling.

Storytelling fundamentals in WWE

Heroes, villains, and shades of gray

Timeless good vs. bad structure with modern nuance[7:15]
• Levesque says stories have existed since the beginning of time and that WWE works with those archetypes of good and bad.
• In today's world, he notes, no one is fully good or fully bad; there are shades of gray, though characters may lean certain ways.
Audience choice and resonance[7:40]
• People pick and choose the characters they want to follow and the storylines that resonate with them.
• Story resolutions take place in the ring, sometimes in front of tens of thousands or up to 100,000 people, and then are seen globally via media partners.

Media distribution and WWE programming overview

Domestic and global distribution[8:04]
• Levesque explains that Raw is on Netflix domestically, which he calls the largest streaming platform on the planet.
• Internationally, most of their programming is also on Netflix.
• NXT, their developmental program, airs on Tuesdays on the CW, which he notes is broadcast television.
• SmackDown airs on Fridays on USA domestically and globally is on Netflix.
Premium Live Events (PLEs) and ESPN partnership[8:58]
• He explains that their biggest events used to be pay-per-views and are now called premium live events because they are on streaming services.
• They recently did what he calls a massive deal with ESPN, which he's very proud of, pairing ESPN's sports brand with WWE's live-event spectacle.
• He asserts that nobody puts on live events like WWE, especially with the spectacle of WrestleMania, which he considers unmatched by any other sporting event.

Mainstreaming WWE through ESPN and normalization as sport-entertainment

Comparisons to UFC's growth through ESPN

How ESPN changed UFC's cultural status[9:36]
• Levesque recalls that UFC wasn't a household name the way it is today, and credits ESPN with changing that.
• He says ESPN put UFC into day-to-day conversation, likening it to "water cooler talk."

Effect of ESPN partnership on WWE's perception

Being recapped on SportsCenter like other major leagues[10:58]
• He notes that when Monday Night Raw ends and viewers flip to SportsCenter, there is now a recap of Raw similar to coverage of NFL or NBA games.
• He calls this a massive step forward that normalizes WWE alongside other sports and makes entry and conversation easy for both fans and non-fans.
Highlighting WWE's shared dynamics with sports[10:51]
• He reiterates that all sports are entertainment, and adds that WWE has the same backstage contract and drama elements any sport has.
• He plugs the Netflix documentary "Unreal" that for the first time shows behind-the-scenes writers' room work and long-term story planning.
• He compares "Unreal" to the F1 series that reveals the heart, soul, and passion behind the racing, arguing that seeing WWE's behind-the-scenes makes it easier to appreciate.

In-ring storytelling and character work

Every move in the ring as part of a story

Superstars' awareness of narrative in each action[11:11]
• Patrick recalls a superstar telling him that every move and action in the ring is part of the story being told, even if it was pre-scripted or decided beforehand.
Commentators' role as narrators[11:23]
• Levesque asks why sports have commentators if you can see the action, answering that they explain what's happening and what it means in story terms.
• He likens WWE to a movie with a narrator guiding viewers through the scenes while two talents compete in the ring.

Underdog vs. bully example of a match story

Constructing emotional arcs within a match[11:43]
• He describes a hypothetical story where a big bully faces an underdog who seems doomed, then rallies, gets shut down, and eventually appears to have a chance.
Boxing vs. "Rocky" analogy[11:54]
• Levesque says WWE is less like boxing and more like "Rocky"-there's not a lot of actual boxing in the movie, but the rest of the movie makes the fights matter.
• He says WWE gives you the movie around the fights and then an epic fight scene to play out the drama.

Creative process, north star, and constant pivoting

How creative planning is structured

Large team of writers and north star concept[13:05]
• Levesque notes they have a large team of writers and says creative is like creating a north star.
• For the current time, he identifies WrestleMania in April as the north star they plan toward.
• They decide where they want to be by WrestleMania: what the biggest characters and storylines are and how they should pay off.
Very short off-season and constant renewal[12:38]
• He says WrestleMania both ends and starts all their stories, because the next day they do Monday Night Raw and the process begins again.
• He jokes that their off-season is about 10 minutes.

Dealing with reality: injuries and life events

Live nature of the business and disruptions[12:34]
• He stresses that this is not a movie; it's live and involves real human beings.
• He lists injuries, sickness, and family problems as reasons why great creative plans can be derailed.
• Sometimes what they thought would be epic in April has to be scrapped in December or January, forcing them to start over.

Using the north star like a GPS and recalculating

GPS analogy for creative direction[13:16]
• He compares the north star to a GPS: if they miss a turn creatively, they recalculate and decide how to turn next to reach the destination.
• If a talent gets sick, injured, or otherwise unavailable, the creative destination changes and they pivot.
Example: adding Wrestle Palooza on short notice[13:38]
• He mentions Wrestle Palooza on September 20 in Indianapolis as a new event and the first WWE event on ESPN's app.
• He explains ESPN wanted an initial first-run epic event; ESPN gave a date, WWE chose Indy as the host city, and they built the event on a very short timeline.
• This meant inserting a third PLE into a six-week period and making it bigger than the others as a launch point, requiring a rapid recalculation of plans.
• He stresses that without a north star you're lost in chaos; knowing where you're going is the biggest thing they do.

Character creation and blurring reality

Best characters blending reality with on-screen personas

Types of characters: fully fictional vs. close to real[14:27]
• Levesque says some characters are completely a character, giving The Undertaker (Mark Calloway) as an example of a deeply fictional persona.
• He outlines Undertaker's core premise as a dead guy you can't hurt, who keeps coming back no matter what is done to him.
• He contrasts that with characters like CM Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks; in his view, Phil Brooks is CM Punk, and it's hard to separate the two.
Why near-real characters are powerful[15:05]
• He notes that Phil Brooks' real attitudes, excitement, and displeasure show up directly in the CM Punk character.
• This makes CM Punk a great character because fans can't easily tell whether they're seeing real-life feelings or performance.
• He says it becomes interesting when people wonder if situations and confrontations are real, scripted, or real events turned up to make them worthwhile.

Range of tones: from hokey fun to serious realism

Embracing hokeyness as part of entertainment[15:37]
• He acknowledges that some non-fans think WWE is hokey or corny and says some things are supposed to be-it's meant to be fun.
• He says WWE aims at times to make you laugh, cry, be on the edge of your seat, be excited, or be sad, running the gamut of emotions like a great TV show.
Serious characters and blurred lines[16:58]
• He says the most serious characters are often the best ones, particularly when they blur reality and make people think two performers might genuinely not like each other.
• He notes that each character has three layers: the character, their real-life story, and what the internet believes is really happening.
• Blending those three layers can, in his words, make magic.

Levesque's personal journey into wrestling and creative leadership

Early childhood fascination with wrestling

First memory of seeing wrestling on TV[16:36]
• As a young child, around five, he remembers his dad changing channels on a big console TV and landing on wrestling (Chief Jay Strongbow in WWF).
• He recalls putting down his plastic football helmet and ball, climbing onto his dad's lap, and being instantly fascinated.
Wrestling as a multi-generational family bond[17:28]
• He says wrestling became a thing he and his father shared, and his father had similarly watched it with his own father.
• He shares that his quiet grandmother would watch and swear at the TV, demonstrating how emotionally engaged she was.
• He notes being proud that wrestling can bring families together, mirroring his own experience.

Demographics and atmosphere of WWE live audiences

Family-heavy live attendance[17:28]
• He cites that over 50% of their audience comes to shows with a child co-viewing, including grandparents, parents, and kids.
• He says 40% of their audience is female and that they over-index across all ethnic and racial categories.
Positive, communal fan culture[17:58]
• He says you almost never see fights in the crowd; people aren't there for that.
• He likens WrestleMania to a family reunion with 100,000 people who are in your family but you don't know.
• If you don't know a storyline, a fan behind you will often enthusiastically explain it, turning the crowd into guides for one another.
• He describes fans walking around with title belts and wearing shirts of their favorites, representing their "team."

From fandom to pursuing wrestling as a career

Ric Flair as childhood favorite and father-son bond[18:44]
• He shares that as a kid his favorite wrestler was Ric Flair, whom his dad hated, creating a bonding point between them.
Relentless pursuit and early training[18:56]
• As he got older, he wanted to wrestle but didn't know how, yet remained relentless in pursuing it.
• He started going to the gym at 14, believing he needed to be the size of wrestlers he saw on TV.
• He eventually found a place to get trained, things took off, and "the rest is history."

Curiosity about the business side and creative partnership with Vince McMahon

Always wanting to understand the full game[19:32]
• Levesque says he was never just a kid who wanted to play; in baseball he wanted to know all the positions and the theory of the game.
Evolving from performer to creative collaborator[19:44]
• When he started to make it in WWE, he had the opportunity to talk creatively with Vince McMahon, starting a decades-long creative relationship.
• While performing, he also worked behind the scenes, learning what drove the business and the business-of-the-business.
• He says that when Vince finally left, he had been in that behind-the-scenes position for many years, enabling a relatively seamless transition, though no one can fully take Vince's place.

Media evolution and strategic pivots of WWE

Vince McMahon's vision across media eras

From closed circuit to pay-per-view[20:16]
• He notes WrestleMania 1 was on closed-circuit TV and that WWE pioneered closed-circuit distribution.
• When pay-per-view emerged, Vince saw the potential to reach every home, took over territories, became the first national/global brand, and pioneered the pay-per-view industry.
• He says some in the industry claim pay-per-view would have failed without WWE's frequent events, compared to infrequent boxing one-offs.
From pay-per-view to WWE Network to Peacock and Netflix[20:50]
• As pay-per-view slowed and streaming arose with Netflix as a first mover, WWE tore up its pay-per-view model and launched WWE Network.
• When streaming became a technology war, they decided that wasn't their core business, shut down WWE Network, and partnered with Peacock in a five-year deal via NBC.
• He notes that much of their streaming today is on Netflix, the biggest streaming provider in the world, and that their PLE deal with ESPN returns them to streaming with ESPN as a de facto Barker channel.
• He attributes WWE's success partly to staying ahead of these media curves and says he was present and involved in these transitions.

Fitness, family, and Levesque's role on the President's Fitness Council

Importance of fitness in his life and philosophy

Early training and influence of Arnold Schwarzenegger[21:37]
• He repeats that he started training at 14 and that Arnold Schwarzenegger was a big hero and mentor figure for him.
• He parallels Arnold growing up in a tiny town in Austria with his own upbringing in a little town in New Hampshire, each having a big dream.
The gym as a teacher of work ethic[22:02]
• He says the gym doesn't lie or "bullshit" you: what you put in is what you get out.
• He lists factors like how hard you train, how strict you are on diet, and how well you handle sleep, nutrition, and athleticism as directly tied to results.
• He believes the weights don't lie and that the gym teaches work ethic and everything you need to know in life.

Concerns about modern sedentary lifestyles and screens

Contrast between past and present childhoods[22:36]
• He notes that older generations grew up being sent outside in summer to play until streetlights came on, riding bikes and playing games.
• He contrasts this with kids now sitting on couches, influenced by food and chemical issues that are still being worked on.

Role and goals of the President's Fitness Council

Why he joined and what he hopes to achieve[23:00]
• He says he was fortunate to be named to the President's Council and believes, like the administration and Secretary Kennedy, that society needs to make people healthier.
• He mentions potential rewards for kids such as accolades for passing fitness tests and possibly scholarships that can advance their lives.
Building success through small fitness achievements[23:26]
• He gives the example of a kid embarrassed about not being able to do push-ups and describes scaling: starting from knees or a bench, then progressing to one push-up, then more.
• He believes that the feeling of achievement from these steps can put kids on a path of success.
• He asserts that fitness, health, and wellness lead to success in life and serve as stepping stones for all good things.
• He summarizes his philosophy as "mind, body, soul" and says the gym teaches there are no excuses-you either do it or you don't.

Health scare, perspective on mortality, and primacy of health

His genetic heart issue and lessons learned

The heart issue and being on the "one yard line"[24:21]
• He shares that he had a genetic heart issue a few years ago that was caught in time, and says he was "right on the one yard line."
• This experience changed his perspective, reinforcing that money and success are meaningless without health.
Health as the first priority[25:39]
• He states that with no health you have zero; even the biggest bank account cannot buy anything when you die.
• He adds that large wealth at death may just buy problems for your family, reinforcing his view that health must be priority one.

Purpose of WWE and its impact on fans

WWE as motivator and emotional support

Make-A-Wish stories and John Cena's record[25:39]
• Levesque cites Make-A-Wish as one of WWE's biggest partners and notes that John Cena has granted more wishes than any other celebrity in history.
• He says they often hear stories of characters serving as kids' rocks-things they cling to that get them through difficult times.
Helping people through dark periods[25:19]
• He mentions people telling WWE that the show helped carry them through very negative stages in their lives.

Defining success beyond labels of sport or entertainment

What matters most to WWE[25:31]
• He says if WWE can motivate, inspire, and help people get to a better place in life or connect with family and friends, then they are successful, regardless of labels.
• He states he doesn't care if people call WWE sport or entertainment; what matters is the impact on people's lives and relationships.
• He expresses a desire to make WWE one of the biggest forms of entertainment out there while acknowledging they sometimes succeed and sometimes don't.
Mutual meaning between WWE and its fans[26:07]
• He tells fans that if WWE means something to them, the product means just as much to the people who create it.
• He says they put their hearts and souls into the product for the fans and reiterates both the athletic and entertainment aspects.

Outro and production credits

Closing of the live conversation

Patrick's sign-off and naming Paul "Triple H" Levesque[26:26]
• Patrick thanks "Paul Triple H Levec" and the session ends with audience appreciation implied.

TED Talks Daily closing and credits

Elise Hugh contextualizes the talk's curation[26:31]
• She notes this conversation took place at TED Sports Indianapolis in 2025 and invites listeners to learn more about TED's curation guidelines at ted.com/curationguidelines.
Production team acknowledgments[26:57]
• She credits producers and editors Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Brian Green, Lucy Little, and Tansika Sungmar Nivong.
• She mentions mixing by Lucy Little and additional support from Emma Tobner and Daniella Balarezo.
• Elise signs off by saying she'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea and thanks listeners for listening.

Lessons Learned

Actionable insights and wisdom you can apply to your business, career, and personal life.

1

Chasing perfect work-life balance is unrealistic; focusing on being fully present in whatever you're doing-work, family, or rest-creates more meaningful experiences and relationships.

Reflection Questions:

  • • In which parts of your day are you most likely to be physically present but mentally distracted, and how could you change that?
  • • How might your relationships at home or at work improve if you experimented with truly single-tasking for one hour a day?
  • • What is one specific situation this week where you will commit to putting your phone away and being fully present with the people in front of you?
2

Storytelling-not just performance or technical skill-is what drives emotional engagement, whether in sports, business, or entertainment.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Where in your work or projects are you currently presenting raw information or results without a clear story behind them?
  • • How could you frame your next presentation, product launch, or initiative around protagonists, challenges, and resolutions to make it more compelling?
  • • What is one relationship-client, team, or audience-where you could deepen engagement by telling a better backstory about why your work matters?
3

Having a clear long-term "north star" while staying ready to pivot-like recalculating a GPS-allows you to adapt to setbacks without losing overall direction.

Reflection Questions:

  • • What is the clearest long-term outcome or "WrestleMania" equivalent you are aiming for in your current work or life project?
  • • When unexpected changes have disrupted your plans in the past, how quickly did you adjust your route versus clinging to the original plan?
  • • What is one contingency or alternative path you could sketch out now so that if your primary plan hits a roadblock, you can pivot faster?
4

Blending authentic parts of yourself into your professional persona creates more compelling "characters" and makes your work feel truer to you and more engaging to others.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Which aspects of your real personality or story are currently hidden in your professional life but could actually strengthen how others connect with you?
  • • How might selectively revealing more of your genuine opinions, passions, or quirks change the way colleagues or customers respond to you?
  • • What is one safe, low-risk way you could experiment with bringing a bit more of your real self into a meeting, presentation, or interaction this week?
5

Physical fitness and health are foundational assets; without them, money and success lose their value, while consistent training builds discipline that spills into every area of life.

Reflection Questions:

  • • How would you honestly rate the current state of your health, given the ambitions you have for your career and family life?
  • • In what ways could a simple, consistent training habit (even 15-20 minutes a day) reinforce your sense of discipline and follow-through?
  • • What is one concrete change you could make this week-related to sleep, movement, or nutrition-that would meaningfully improve your long-term health trajectory?

Episode Summary - Notes by Avery

Inside WWE's storytelling machine | Paul "Triple H" Levesque
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