Shawn Michaels wants to find the best wrestlers to compete in NXT.
The WWE Hall of Famer is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. However, in recent years, he has been tasked with bringing through the next generation of stars as the head booker for NXT.
Recent appearances of Ethan Page and Jordynne Grace have led to the company’s recruitment policy being questioned, which Michaels addressed in a recent interview.
Shawn Michaels spoke with Adrian Hernandez about NXT and his work in the developmental brand. With the recent signings, he questioned the philosophy behind signing new talent for the third WWE brand.
Michaels revealed that their goal is to find the best wrestlers, as well as build up their own stars. He also noted that their goal is to have more variety, which is why that system makes sense.
“Well, look, I think for us, honestly, here in NXT, it’s always been about finding, you know, the best performers, the best wrestlers that we can find, but also cultivating a great many of our own. I guess I go back to, no different than even though it put me sometimes at odds with people when I was younger, this business is something for everybody.”
“People always kind of want to narrow everything down to one way of doing things, and I just don’t think, you know, I’ve just never done this job that way. What you like may not be something the person next to you likes, or what I like is not the same as what other people like. So, it’s more about trying to have variety.”
Shawn Michaels: We Want To Put On ‘Banger After Banger’
Shawn Michaels continued. He claimed that the philosophy for signing talent was one he and Triple H have always had, and that they put themselves in the fan’s chair when wanting to put on “banger” matches for the fans.
“And yes, to answer your question, certainly, I guess I don’t know if it’s a new philosophy; it’s certainly the philosophy that I’ve always had, I know Hunter’s had. Again, we just want to bring the best sports entertainment we can to everybody that’s watching it. We want to put on, you know, banger after banger, you know, fantastic wrestling matches. We can have one that’s entertaining in one way, but one that’s entertaining in a different way.”
“And I think, you know, the more open you are to different ideas and different creative possibilities… I don’t know, for us, putting ourselves in the seat of the fans. Hunter and I, at our core, are wrestling fans, and that’s certainly all we’re trying to do. Just as you spoke about earlier, the possible matchups, these are all things that we’ve all thought about, right? So, why not see if it’s possible to see how many of them we can make happen? It can’t hurt to give it a try; all they can do is say no, right?”
