Above is another video from Wednesday’s ESPN First Take interview with Triple H & Stephanie McMahon to promote WrestleMania 34 and their match against Ronda Rousey & WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle.
Stephen A. Smith asked who the biggest star in the history of WWE is and Stephanie named WWE Hall of Famer Andre the Giant. Triple H named guys like The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Undertaker.
“For me personally it’s got to be Andre the Giant. I think a lot of people would say The Rock, a lot of people might say John Cena, especially recently, but I would say Andre,” Stephanie said. “He’s a pop culture icon that has transcended media around the world. Of course we have our HBO special that’s going to be premiering in a couple of weeks in April and it’s just going to be an incredible reflection on the life of an icon.”
“For me the answer is kind of mixed because there are different aspects to that,” Triple H answered. “You can talk about the impact of Hulk Hogan or The Rock and him now being the biggest box office attraction in Hollywood, you can talk about “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. But there’s one guy for me within our industry that resonates beyond all else. When I go to India or the Middle East or Europe or Japan or Australia, South America, it doesn’t matter – one of the names that’s always brought up first and foremost is The Undertaker. The character, iconic character of that… it just transcends everything and it is for so many people that kind of character that encapsulates what WWE is.”
Host Max Kellerman went with Hogan and Smith agreed but also named The Road Warriors, Ric Flair, Randy Savage and Paul Orndorff.
“That is the thing, when you talk about it, you can talk about the genius of Vince, you can talk about the brand, you can talk about all the things, WrestleMania and all that. Nobody, nobody in any form of entertainment or sports has put out the amount of characters that have transcended generations,” Triple H responded. “That storytelling, that level of character development that transcends generations, that touches your childhood and makes you feel something, takes you back in time to that moment … those moments transcend time, connect with you on a level and a character level that few things in this world can. That’s really the genius of Vince McMahon, that storytelling and that character creation.”
Stephanie added that WWE is really all about creating memories and moments that last a lifetime. Triple H followed up and said they’re always talking about how WWE’s job is to put smiles on people’s faces but that smile is so many things – the scream of a teenager, the smile of a little kid, the smile of a parent watching their kid smile.
