WWE legend Shawn Michaels believes NXT has finally reached a level of recognition and appreciation that matches its quality, calling it “the purest, the best, the most exciting aspect of all professional wrestling” ahead of the brand’s Battleground event.
In a recent interview with Brad Gilmore of Reality Wrestling, the WWE Hall of Famer and head of NXT creative expressed his enthusiasm for the developmental brand’s current momentum.
“It’s been just a phenomenal time in NXT and the excitement and the energy is palpable,” Michaels said. “I think everybody finally sees NXT for what it is. It’s just the purest, the best, the most exciting aspect of all professional wrestling.”
Michaels attributed the brand’s surging momentum to two key factors: their television partnership with The CW network and the passionate roster of developing talent hungry to prove themselves.
“NXT right now has been enjoying just incredible momentum. So much of that is due to the incredible partnership that we have with CW, but also just the young men and women that come through our doors,” Michaels explained. “They’re so hungry. They’re so passionate. All they want to do is eventually become a Raw and SmackDown superstar and you give every ounce of your being out there when you perform every night of the week.”
The “Heartbreak Kid” also emphasized the importance of getting NXT talent experience on the road, highlighting the upcoming Tampa shows as valuable development opportunities.
“When we get an opportunity to get out on the road, first of all, they’re just over the top excited about the opportunity to be able to do that, but it also is so important to their development,” Michaels noted.
“We do our best to harness it. They’re all like wild stallions and we do our best to harness it and every now and then they can keep a lid on it when they’re in Orlando, but anytime they get out on the road, they’re ready to cut loose in that ring.”
With WWE’s Memorial Day weekend takeover in Tampa featuring Saturday Night’s Main Event, Battleground, Monday Night Raw, and NXT, Michaels is clearly confident that the brand will continue to showcase why it has become must-see programming for professional wrestling fans.