EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Despite one relatively minor setback, life is good for Triple H right now.

Triple H was limping noticeably after his match with Chris Jericho at WrestleMania X8. He initially thought that he had just aggravated his left quadriceps muscle, which sent him to the sidelines for eight months after he tore it last May. But he later learned that his discomfort was because of a whole new injury.

"Somewhere along the line between the preparation and the actual event of WrestleMania, I seemed to have fractured my kneecap," Triple H told WWF.com. "So I have a small fracture in my kneecap right now that I've just been taping up and working through every night. That's kind of a little bit of a downer, but other than that, I'm good."

The Undisputed World Wrestling Federation Champion realized just how good he is as he was driving to Continental Airlines Arena on Thursday for a special non-televised event. He thought about the fact that he would be teaming with Hollywood Hulk Hogan in the evening's main event.

"This is the first time I've ever been in the ring with him," Triple H said. "I was just thinking about that on the way over here. I was thinking in my head, 'Would I have ever imagined 15-20 years ago when I was a kid watching WrestleMania, that years later that I'd be standing in a sold-out arena with my tag team partner being Hulk Hogan and with me being the champ?' It's a mind-blowing thing, you know what I mean?

"It's a testament to Hogan. I'm happy for him. I don't know Terry (Hogan) that well, but I'm very happy for him to have the opportunity that he has right now. He truly loves the business and loves what he does. So for him to have the opportunity again to be at the top and get the reception that the fans are giving him, that's great."

The Game wrestled on Thursday with his left knee will be heavily taped. He said he just has to wait until the injury heals; it won't require surgery "unless I were to break it completely." And he definitely doesn't intend to miss any ring time -- especially because he's the only male superstar who will appear on both RAW and SmackDown!

"It's pretty cool except for the fact that I have to work more," The Game joked. "It's a honor in this historic time in the business to be the one guy who's going to go between shows. It's a great opportunity for me, but at the same time it also means that you've got your work cut out for you. It's one more thing that being the champ now means -- and that's more workload. But one thing I've never shied away from is the workload."

Asked what it is like to head to the ring without Stephanie McMahon for the first time since December 1999, Triple H chuckled.

"One of the things in the business is that it's very easy to get accustomed to things, and then you don't want to change," he said. "At first, the change is strange, but then you begin to get used to it. So it feels good to be on my own and do my own thing.

"I don't think when we first (got married), nobody thought it was last anymore than a couple of shows. And here we are -- what a run we had, right? The McMahon-Helmsley Era and the whole thing -- it was a hell of a run. All good things come to an end, but you never know what happens down the line either.