As the father of two young daughters -- Aurora Rose (now 2) and Murphy Claire (born July 28) -- you'd think sledge-hammer-swinging Paul Levesque may have softened up a bit.

But the seven-time world heavyweight champ who fans have come to love as Triple H isn't afraid to come out swinging when it comes to talking about some of the kids in the wrestling business, guys who want to become stars.

"I hate to sound like an oldtimer, but sometimes I get upset about the young guys," says Triple H. "We've got guys like Arn Anderson, Barry Windham, Ricky Steamboat and Michael Hayes around. That's a wealth of knowledge ... and they still have to make it mandatory for guys to show up early and go into the ring with them.

"When I got into the business, you couldn't get me out of the building. I had a burning desire to get better. Now, the young guys seem more interested in their iPods or playing Guitar Hero.

"I see guys complaining: 'I've been here for five years and they're not doing anything with me.' I say to the guy: 'Dude, you're doing the same thing now that you were doing five years ago. What do you expect?' "

And heading into tomorrow night's Summer Slam, where he'll face gigantic Great Khali in one of WWE's biggest nights of the year, Triple H pulls no punches when asked about "the best wrestlers in the world."

"This will sound like I'm firing back at the guys who take shots at me on the Internet all the time," he says. "But if you go to the Internet, there's always somebody saying 'this guy is the best wrestler in the world' and you've got somebody else saying, 'no, this guy is the best wrestler in the world.' But it's not about what they like. It's what the masses like. These guys they're talking about are wrestling in front of 50 people, not 20,000. And that's because the masses don't want to see them.

"Vince (McMahon) doesn't make anybody. Wrestlers make themselves. Stone Cold (Steve Austin) was brought in to be an extra, but he created a character that people went nuts for. So he became a star because of the fans.

"The biggest name ever, if you look at Hulk Hogan, what big move did he ever do? But he knew how to tell a story, how to get fans to interact with his character and keep them entertained. It's not about how high or how far you can jump, it's about telling stories."

Truth be known, Triple H is eloquent and reflective on the phone. There are no sour grapes. He's just being honest, with no need to sugarcoat what he believes.

Has being a father changed his life?

"It's been great, other than the no-sleep thing," he says. "It's put a whole new spin on life for me. It's changed my perspective about what's important in life. I don't know if it's softened me up, but it changes the way you look at women. I'm probably going to pay for my past."

Contrary to popular opinion, his move to Smackdown! hasn't given him more family time.

"It's actually worse for me," he says. "When Vince told me, I said I'd go wherever he needed me. It really screws me personally, but we'll make it work. You know when you get into this line of work you're going to be gone a lot. It's really important that the time I get to spend with my family is quality time."

And what about being cast as the "face," the fan favourite?

"It's more fun playing a heel," he says. "I just went to see the Batman movie (The Dark Knight) ... and I'd so much rather play The Joker than Batman. I look at a guy like Edge, and I mean this in the nicest way, he's getting to do such cool things."

Even at age 39, Triple H has a passion for the business, a craving for the adulation.

"When I hear the music and go through the curtain, there's a rush of energy, an adrenaline rush," he says. "You see guys past their prime, guys that maybe shouldn't be wrestling and they're still getting into the ring because of that feeling, that moment. That's why it's hard to put down. It's like a drug. Harley Race said: 'There's no better place to be than under the lights.' "

SHOW IN PEMBROKE

There's a show Aug. 22 (next Friday) at the Pembroke Memorial Centre, at 8 p.m. The main event is Sylvan Grenier vs. Hotshot Johnny Devine. The Honky Tonk Man and Bushwhacker Luke will team up to face Aftershock. For more details, check out wrestlingsupershow.com.

ORTON LUCKY TO BE ALIVE

Randy Orton re-broke his collarbone in a motorcycle crash and could be out at least three months. While trying to avoid a veering car, he struck a curb, flying 300 feet before landing in a ditch.

AROUND THE RING

Stevie Richards, Colin Delaney, The Highlanders, Cherry and ref Wes Adams are the latest WWE releases, following Daddy V, Domino, Shannon Moore, Nunzio and ref Nick Patrick out the door ... Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes won back the WWE tag titles from John Cena and Batista.

ON THE CARD

- WWE Summer Slam pay-per-view goes tomorrow night. On the card: Edge vs. Undertaker (Hell in a Cell); Triple H vs. The Great Khali; CM Punk vs. JBL; Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy; John Cena vs. Batista; MVP vs. Jeff Hardy; and Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix vs. Kofi Kingston and Mickie James (winners take all).

- UFC 88: Breakthrough goes Sept. 6 from Atlanta. The main event will feature former light-heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell taking on undefeated TUF 2 winner Rashad Evans. Also on the card will be Rich Franklin's return to the 205-lb. class, where he will take on Matt Hamill.