When WWE moved to its new headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut from Titan Towers in 2023, an impressive amount of old school memorabilia was moved into it from WWE’s warehouses. One of the curators of the massive collection is COO Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who spoke with Complex about the new offices, which he explained better reflect the company.
He also showed off some of the historic memorabilia he’s collected over the years that is on display for all who work there to enjoy, including Andre the Giant’s original Halliburton travel briefcase. Levesque explained the case still has some of Andre’s belongings, including his press kit from “The Princess Bride.”
“I think when he got toward the end, he wasn’t traveling as much, I think he kept the things that were closest to him in there,” Levesque explained. “‘Princess Bride’ was one of his biggest achievements, to him, in his life, and it really meant a lot to him. So, the fact that it is the way he left it and still with that in there to me, just makes it that much more special.”
Levesque showed off The Undertaker’s original urn that was often carried by Paul Bearer. He explained that it was one item that showed how when something is part of a WWE show, it can become iconic to a particular moment.
“I have to think our business is very much like music, in that it’s constantly changing, but when you hear certain things or you see certain moments in our programming, it takes you back to that time in your life,” he said. “If you were a kid and you saw ‘Taker walk out for the first time with that urn, it brings you back to that moment in your life, being a kid.”
Modern Memorabilia on Display
One of the most iconic pieces of memorabilia in recent memory is the lantern carried by the late Bray Wyatt when he was both the leader of the Wyatt Family, as well as The Fiend, and the 2013 iteration of the piece is displayed in WWE headquarters. Levesque said it was really cool, because he worked together with the late star to get Wyatt’s iconic entrance down. He explained there was a point in time where others in WWE wanted Wyatt’s entrance to be filled with lasers, which neither man thought fit the character.
“‘This is the exact opposite. He’s a cult leader from the swamps,” Levesque said. “‘What would scare me is him coming out through the woods at night carrying this lantern and I can barely see his face and make out who he is.’ That’s how the concept came to be. Bray was like, ‘I love that.’ …I can still picture him with Harper and Rowan behind him with us trying to move the lantern so we could see his face and see them, slightly enough to get them, but not see too much and him being like, ‘This thing’s too f****** heavy, I can’t hold my arm this long.'”
Levesque also showed off his 2006 sledgehammer, though admitted, despite the weapon becoming synonymous with Triple H, he used whatever hammer was available at the time, and he hated using props. Levesque said the only time he ever injured someone with the weapon was using a gimmicked hammer against The Undertaker at WrestleMania, when ‘Taker had him up for The Last Ride.
“The handle went all through the foam part, and the handle [cut Undertaker],” he said. “I hit him, I had no idea. He went down and when I came up, he was bleeding. I was like, ‘Holy s***, what happened?'”
All Memorabilia Has Meaning
When asked if there was anything he didn’t have that he would love to display in his collection, Levesque didn’t specify, but said there are indeed things out there, and called himself a “history buff” when it came to the professional wrestling business. He showed off the displays in his own office, featuring a wall of championships showcasing the lineage of the belts, from the beginning with Buddy Roger’s original title he’d defend across the territories that he eventually dropped to Bruno Sammartino. Levesque said it was lost for years before someone found it in an attic and sold it to a collector.
“We caught wind of it, and it was right about the time that we were inducting Bruno, which I had spent a lot of time really becoming close to Bruno,” he explained. “One of my favorite moments is us getting this championship along the way to inducting Bruno to the Hall of Fame, and the day of the Hall of Fame at Madison Square Garden where he sold out once again, bringing him this title to show to him. He had tears in his eyes. He hadn’t seen it since then, like, when he looked at it, he pointed out little things on it that he remembered.”
In addition to the belts, Levesque also has a pair of boots belonging to Andre the Giant, and another pair belonging to his mentor, Killer Kowalski, in his office. He explained that having Andre’s boots in particular was special, as they’re symbolic to the giant’s larger than life persona, but all of the things in his office, and the WWE building as a whole, has “immense meaning.”
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Complex and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
