Triple H Defends WWE: Unreal Docuseries — “We Can’t Be Afraid of Criticism”

Triple H is pulling back the curtain — and he’s not worried about who doesn’t like it.

The WWE Chief Content Officer appeared on ESPN’s First Take to discuss WWE: Unreal, the company’s new five-part Netflix docuseries that dives into the backstage world of pro wrestling. From the start, Triple H made it clear: letting fans see behind the scenes wasn’t just a gimmick — it was a deliberate evolution.

“I think in today’s world with the internet… half the fun for our fans, I think sometimes, is speculating around what is going on behind the scenes anyways. So we decided to let them take a look.”

But if you think WWE is laying it all out on the table, think again. Triple H said the show still protects the business while showing enough to increase appreciation for what really goes into a WWE show.

“We’re not exactly showing you everything and how the magic is done, or how the tricks are done, if you wanted to use a magic reference, but we’re giving you the behind the scenes. We’re showing you what goes into this.”

“A lot of people think it’s just these athletes show up and they put on a show and that’s it… it’s all predetermined. So it’s easy. It’s not that at all. There’s a million things that go into this, and a lot of complex navigating, and it’s a fascinating look.”

Stephen A. Smith pressed him on whether WWE feared extra criticism from fans now that they’ve seen the process. Triple H didn’t flinch.

“Absolutely, we all looked at that. We looked at every aspect of it, and the positives and the negatives, and we weighed it out.”

“You can’t be afraid to do something in life. You can’t be afraid that, ‘Well, somebody might criticize us.’ If we were afraid that people might criticize what we do, we wouldn’t put on a show every week.”

He said the criticism is part of the magic — and likened it to sports fans debating a coach’s call.

“You can look at it no different than a sport. You can look at it and say, ‘This coach doesn’t know what he’s doing. I would have done this, and I know that would have been better.’”

Triple H also pointed to the success of Formula 1’s Drive to Survive as proof that giving fans a deeper look into the people behind the product creates emotional investment.

“People that weren’t fans of F1 racing, see the behind the scenes of everything that goes into it, and it has increased their respect of an industry, their respect of what those athletes go through.”

“I think this just increases the respect level for what we do.”

And if you think larger-than-life stars like Rhea Ripley are untouched by pressure, Triple H wants you to think again.

“When you have athletes like Rhea Ripley, who many see as this larger-than-life, never-would-have-a-doubt character, going through the highs and the lows and the pressure and the doubts, the self-doubts, and overcoming those to go out there and perform the way she does… I don’t know how it doesn’t make you appreciate her more as a performer.”

“They do it for the fans. They do it to entertain. They do it because they love what they do.”

Triple H believes WWE: Unreal will do more than entertain — it’ll make fans respect the grind behind the spectacle.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.