Paul "Triple H" Levesque was surprised at WWE HQ last week when CEO Nick Khan and legends Shawn Michaels and Undertaker revealed he would be the first member of the 2025 Hall of Fame class.

Levesque will go into the Hall of Fame as a solo wrestler. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a member of the D-Generation X tag-team with Michaels, who were both integral parts of the "Monday Night Wars" against World Championship Wrestling in the late 1990s.

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He spoke about receiving the honor at the Royal Rumble post-event press conference.

"In business for me, outside of the ring, there’s nobody that I respect more, nobody, than him," he said of Khan. "He’s my partner in all of this. So him doing that for me was incredibly meaningful."

Last week, Khan was addressing the company when Michaels and Undertaker, whose real name is Mark Calaway, interrupted and surprised Levesque with their own announcement.

"From a guy who usually has something to say about everything, I’m speechless," Levesque said on Wednesday. "I’m gonna kill Nick when we leave here. If you see someone flying off of the roof, just ignore it. I don’t really know what else to say."

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Levesque was a 14-time world champion in WWE, winning the WWE Championship nine times and the World Heavyweight Championship five times. He had significant feuds with The Rock, Mick Foley, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Michaels, Undertaker and countless others throughout the duration of his career.

He became WWE’s chief content officer in 2022 and helped usher in a "new era" in the company following the departure of Vince McMahon, his father-in-law, due to sexual misconduct allegations. He has since been the main voice behind the company's creative work.

Levesque’s WrestleMania XX match against Chris Benoit and Michaels, his WrestleMania 22 match against John Cena and WrestleMania XXIV match against Undertaker are considered some of the best in the event's history.

The WWE Hall of Fame ceremony is usually set for the Friday before WrestleMania, which would be April 18. He is the only person in the class so far.

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The Royal Rumble is one of the WWE’s marquee premium live events of the year.

The event features the annual Royal Rumble match for both the men's and the women’s divisions, respectively. The unique program consists of 30 participants entering the ring with the last person in the ring standing earning a shot at the world championship at WrestleMania.

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The match starts with two participants in the ring with a new competitor entering the ring every 90 seconds or so. The only way participants can be eliminated is if they’re thrown over the top rope and both of their feet hit the ground.

One of the best things about the match is the feeling that anyone could win and anyone could be in the match. WWE legends, stars who recovered from injuries, or wrestlers who fans haven’t seen in a while have been known to make epic returns and stun the audience.

Former WWE star Edge, whose real name is Adam Copeland, talked to Fox News Digital in 2022 about what it was like to return in the Royal Rumble in 2020 after being out of in-ring action for about 10 years due to injuries.

"I expected if we could keep it as under wraps as we could, then, yes, just for the sheer shock of it," he told Fox News Digital at the time when asked whether he expected the wild crowd reaction.

"Because, just like everyone, I assumed that it’s done," he said of what he thought of his wrestling career at the time. "So, because of that, I assumed there would be a pretty shocked response, and then you do it in a stadium and chances are there’s going to be a pretty good reaction. Even though I thought that, it still doesn’t really prepare you for every emotion that really jolts through your system at that point. I kind of felt like I got hit by lightning in a good way."

This year is no different. The road to WrestleMania 41 is foggy at best at this point. Champions like Cody Rhodes, Gunther, Rhea Ripley and Tiffany Stratton don’t have opponents for the big couple of nights coming up on April 19-20 in Las Vegas.

The 2025 Royal Rumble in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium will feature the Rumble matches, a ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Championship between Rhodes and Kevin Owens, as well as a WWE Tag Team Championship match between Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley and Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.

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Read below for five predictions for what might happen in the event.

WWE fans expected John Cena to be on weekly programming since he made his return to "Monday Night Raw" this month. But that hasn’t been the case. He did announce himself for the Royal Rumble, and when he does come back, his entrance will blow the roof off of the stadium.

Logan Paul has stunned the wrestling audience with the moves he can pull off in the middle of a WWE ring. It’s earned him street cred among hardcore pro wrestling fans and has emboldened his trash talk on the mic to make him one of the biggest heels on the roster. He really got an earful from the crowd in Atlanta on Monday.

Paul had pulled off some incredible moments with former WWE star Ricochet, and with Penta joining the fracas over the last few weeks, it’s likely the two will pull off something wild in the ring for the fans in Indianapolis.

Penta has drawn immense praise since he debuted in WWE, and his debut in the Rumble match is certainly welcomed.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are best friends inside and outside the wrestling ring. They have been at nearly every promotion together and have dominated for quite some time. But their journey is at a crossroads. 

Owens is already in a match for the WWE title against Rhodes early in the night. It will appear unlikely that he enters the Royal Rumble match. But with Zayn being friends with Rhodes, the possibility of Zayn costing Owens the title is very much in play.

In turn, watch for Owens to cost Zayn in the Rumble match and ignite a path of best friends-turned-bitter enemies.

The Royal Rumble is always known for something wild to happen, and it’s likely something like that will occur again.

The women’s Rumble could include pro wrestlers like Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella or Jordynne Grace. The latter signed a deal with WWE after her contract with TNA expired, Fightful Select reported this week, though Grace was adamant that she wouldn’t be in Indy for the weekend. Additionally, Jade Cargill suffered an on-screen injury and was written off of her storyline as a tag-team champion with Bianca Belair. She could potentially return to confront the person who "attacked" her.

The men’s side could also bring out a major return. 

The Rock is always rumored to be involved in WWE storylines one way or the other, but his speech to kick off Raw’s Netflix debut left fans wondering whether he would try to tie up loose ends with Rhodes, Roman Reigns and the rest of the Bloodline.

Omos has also made an impact at the NOAH promotion in Japan. The 7-foot-3 wrestler’s popularity increased as he spent time there and might make at least one more appearance in WWE. His former teammate, A.J. Styles, has also been off television for a while and a return at the Rumble would surprise fans.

CM Punk was injured in the Royal Rumble match last year, and it cost him months and an in-ring spot at WrestleMania 40. His intense promo with Rhodes on "Monday Night Raw" was passionate and piqued the interest of the wrestling fan. A Punk-Rhodes WrestleMania main event would definitely be the talk of the pro wrestling world in the spring.

Charlotte Flair has not been seen in a WWE ring since she tore her ACL, MCL and meniscus during a match on SmackDown on Dec. 8, 2023. She’s appeared in vignettes on WWE programming in recent weeks and is set for a Rumble return.

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WWE superstar Asuka, the four-time world champion, said she has recently felt in danger and has contacted the police regarding fan interactions that have had "romantic" advances involved. 

Asuka, whose real name is Kanako Urai, is a Japanese professional wrestler who sent out multiple posts on her X account Wednesday, when she expressed her feelings about recent fan interactions that had been taken too far in her eyes. 

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"I’ve been feeling in danger recently," she wrote on X. "I’ve already consulted the police. At this rate, even if fans approach me at the airport or in the city, I will feel the possibility that something might happen, and it will scare me, making me unable to respond."

While Asuka did not talk about a specific interaction she had with fans, she did express her want for fans to stop having "romantic feelings for me."

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"It’s meaningless – 100% pointless," she wrote in a separate post. 

"There is absolutely no possibility for others to interfere in my private life."

It is worth noting this is not the first time a WWE star has dealt with fans who take their love for the sport and brand too far. 

Fellow star Sonya Deville had an obsessed fan of hers drive from his home in South Carolina to Tampa Bay, Florida, where she lived, with the intent of abducting her. The man, Phillip Thomas, carried a knife, zip ties, duct tape and mace, and broke into her home. 

A plea deal was ultimately struck for 15 years in prison in 2023 after the incident in 2020, when Thomas was charged with attempted kidnapping, aggravated stalking and armed burglary. 

Asuka, 43, has not been wrestling of late, as she suffered an injury in May 2024, which required knee surgery. 

Asuka is the longest-reigning NXT women’s champion, and she’s also won the Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank in her career, which began in 2015. 

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Latin music star Bad Bunny impressed the pro wrestling world when he battled Damian Priest in a San Juan Street Fight at WWE Backlash in 2023 and came out to a raucous crowd in Puerto Rico.

It wasn’t the first time Bad Bunny had been in a WWE ring – he made several appearances for the company in 2021 – and he’s hoping it’s not his last.

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The music star told Rolling Stone he wants to compete in the ring again.

"I want to do it one more time," he told the magazine in an interview published Monday. "I want to put my life at risk in the ring. I felt like I didn’t risk it enough in the ring, and I want to do it. I want to scare my mother. When? I don’t know. 

"We stay in contact with the people at WWE, we’re always paying attention to what’s going on. But when, I don’t know. I hope there’s a time where I can really get ready, like I did the last few times. And I’d love to take more time to get ready physically.

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"But man, just like in music, I do this to get better and to do something different. Sometimes, I say, ‘I’m going to quit everything and just do wrestling full time.’ I feel like in wrestling, I just go sporadically as a celebrity. I’m going to go full time and be a heel. That’s what I’d love. I was always a fan of the villains more than the good guys."

Bad Bunny’s entrance into the 2023 match was one of the more celebrated moments from that year.

It’s unclear where he would fit in any upcoming storylines but with WrestleMania season upon wrestling fans, anything could truly happen.

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Former WWE star known as Melina was reported "safe" on Sunday after concerns were raised over her whereabouts amid the devastating Los Angeles wildfires during the week.

A Matter of Pride Wrestling, which initially expressed fears over the former pro wrestling, offered an update on social media.

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"We’re relieved to share that Melina has made contact and is safe. We want to thank everyone for their concern, support, and outreach during this time. Your kindness and compassion means the world to us," the pro wrestling company wrote on X.

Melina Perez 45, was born in Los Angeles and got into the pro wrestling world in 2001.

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She burst onto the WWE scene when she appeared on "Tough Enough" in 2002 in hopes of earning a roster spot. While she didn’t win the spot, she later was the valet for the MNM tag team of Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury.

She had a successful singles run as she was the WWE Women’s Champion three times and the WWE Divas Champion twice.

Perez also competed for the National Wrestling Alliance and TNA Wrestling.

She wrestled from 2001 to 2021.

The Los Angeles wildfires have killed more than a dozen people and left thousands of structures and acres of land burned.

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Vince McMahon, who co-founded and previously served as the CEO of WWE, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have reached a settlement following a yearslong probe over undisclosed settlements.

The federal investigation was launched to determine whether McMahon disclosed to the company's board and others that he signed two settlement agreements worth more than $10 million with two women in order for them not to reveal potential claims against himself and WWE.

The SEC said McMahon, without admitting or denying its findings, agreed to cease and desist from violating certain provisions, pay a $400,000 civil penalty and reimburse WWE approximately $1.3 million.

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McMahon released a statement on Friday, arguing the situation was the result of "minor accounting errors."

"The case is closed. Today ends nearly three years of investigation by different governmental agencies. There has been a great deal of speculation about what exactly the government was investigating and what the outcome would be. As today's resolution shows, much of that speculation was misguided and misleading," the statement read. "In the end, there was never anything more to this than minor accounting errors with regard to some personal payments that I made several years ago while I was CEO of WWE. I'm thrilled that I can now put all this behind me."

Federal prosecutors declined to comment.

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SEC officials on Friday said one agreement was signed in 2019 and the other in 2022. One agreement required McMahon to pay a former employee $3 million in exchange for the former worker's agreement to not disclose her relationship with McMahon and her release of potential claims against WWE and McMahon.

The other agreement obligated McMahon to pay a former WWE independent contractor $7.5 million in exchange for the independent contractor's agreement to not disclose her allegations against McMahon and her release of potential claims against WWE and McMahon, per the SEC.

McMahon stepped down from his role as chairman and CEO of the popular professional wrestling promotion in 2022, pending the results of an internal investigation which stemmed from allegations of hush-money agreements. His daughter Stephanie McMahon assumed her father's leadership duties. 

A few weeks after stepping down, McMahon announced his intentions to retire from WWE. He returned as executive chairman in 2023, but resigned from TKO — a company that was the result of a merger between the WWE and Zuffa, UFC's parent company — in 2024. McMahon's resignation came after a former employee filed a federal lawsuit accusing him and another former executive of serious sexual misconduct. 

McMahon maintained he committed no wrongdoing following the filing of the lawsuit.

By McMahon not disclosing the agreements to WWE's board, legal department, accountants, financial reporting personnel or auditors, it circumvented the company's system of internal accounting controls and caused material misstatements in its 2018 and 2021 financial statements, the commission said.

The SEC's order found that, because the payments required by the 2019 and 2022 agreements were not recorded, WWE overstated its 2018 net income by approximately 8% and its 2021 net income by about 1.7%.

Once WWE learned of the settlement agreements, it issued a restatement of its financial statements in August 2022.

"Company executives cannot enter into material agreements on behalf of the company they serve and withhold that information from the company's control functions and auditor," Thomas P. Smith Jr., associate regional director in the New York Regional Office, said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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