NXT Europe, Shawn Michaels' enthusiasm: "We will also arrive in Italy"
NXT Europe, Shawn Michaels' enthusiasm
NXT Halloween Havoc, a special event linked to the third WWE brand, will be held live from the Performance Center in Orlando. Ahead of the show, we were able to attend an exclusive conference call moderated by Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, who has now become a full-time supervisor of NXT (a role that once belonged to Triple H). Between the change in management that has shaken WWE in recent months, the desire to expand the brand globally and, above all, the arrival of NXT Europe in 2023, here's what he told us.
Interview with Shawn Michaels: from the success of NXT to the arrival of NXT Europe
"I never imagined that I would find myself having a more corporate role within the WWE. I still have to get used to some things, for example I have never made conference calls like this. But maybe there is a part of me that would be proud of what I'm doing. It was not easy to take Triple H's place during his absence due to health problems. I mean, he transformed the NXT brand into global recognition and it is therefore a big weight on his shoulders to continue his legacy. And now if there are things you think are wrong, you can blame me (laughs). Luckily I am working with an exceptional team and talent pool. Everyone has the maximum freedom to express themselves, without having restrictions ”.
Still on the theme of leadership change, Shawn talked about the differences between NXT 2.0, a product wanted by the old Vince McMahon regime, and the new iteration of the brand. "When we started there was a kind of micromanaging. To put it bluntly, I had the option of building a card, but I had to stick to the tools that were put on my table. Now, on the other hand, I have full freedom and we are much more careful in getting the stars of NXT on the main roster, despite the objective being that. We prepare our brand stars for the next step in their careers. There is a more open line of communication and we have no trouble closing the pending storylines at NXT before proceeding further ".
The last question was asked by us of Pop Culture, exclusively for Italy (as can be seen from 36.48 minutes). We asked Shawn if there are any concrete plans to bring the brand to our country in view of the big launch of NXT Europe starting next year.
“We are very excited about NXT Europe, we have been talking about it for some time and in very selfish way I tell you that yes, we also want to go to Italy. We've had conversations going on before, but we need to fix a few things before we move on. The goal remains to move in the early months of 2023 and go on the road. When we talk about NXT Europe, we obviously want to address the whole of Europe. And unfortunately we know how, due to the pandemic, we have had to leave out many countries in recent years, including Italy, and we want to remedy it. In any case, we want to continue expanding not only the NXT Europe brand, but NXT in general. And I really think 2023 will be the year of rebirth, driven by Halloween Havoc tonight and NXT Deadline in December ".
