Triple H Talks About NXT Being On Par With RAW & SmackDown
WWE COO Triple H held a conference call on Wednesday to promote tonight’s NXT Takeover 2 live special on the WWE Network. During the call, Triple H spoke at length about the state of NXT and his vision for the promotion as a legitimate third brand for WWE, on par with RAW and SmackDown.
NXT currently does live shows throughout Florida, but Triple H wants to take the show on the road and expose thousands of new fans to the live NXT experience. “Absolutely. It’s something we have been working on,” Hunter said. “I want NXT to be a brand in every way possible … I can grow this to where we can travel and people are seeing NXT all over the globe (through the Network) where we can open it up and continue to give these guys – not losing perspective on the learning experience. I’m open to that. I want it to grow. I want to take it on the road.”
Triple H’s ultimate goal is for NXT to be so good that Vince McMahon says, “I want that guy. I want that guy on Raw. I want him now. And I have to argue, ‘I don’t want him to go. I want to keep him.”
Monday’s RAW saw NXT Champion Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze, and Tyson Kidd compete in a tag team match that got a very positive reaction from fans. Triple H said he was paying close attention to how the WWE roster reacted to the NXT match. At first, he said the guys in the back were excited for the developmental stars. Eventually, reality set in – and there was a “territorial” vibe backstage, with WWE Superstars realizing that the NXT wrestlers could be taking their spots on the roster one day. Hunter sees this as a good thing, with everybody having to work their hardest to protect their jobs.
He understands that the NXT stars are eager to make it to the main roster, but wants them to be proud about their roles in NXT.
“With NXT becoming its own brand and its own living, breathing entity of a brand, they now – it’s still going to be frustrating as they wait for that process to happen and feeling like, ‘I’m ready and I want to get on that main roster and I want to go.’ It’s still going to be a long, frustrating process and you’re anxious to do it,” Hunter said.
“That being said, you now have the creative and the performing outlet that is legitimate. And legitimately rewarding to you. It’s not just, ‘I go perform in front of 25 people over here and we do this little TV shoot now and then with two cameras.’ This is a legitimate brand with a legitimate following. … It’s not just sitting around doing nothing while waiting for that call-up. You’re still getting out there and playing the game; you’re not just playing in Yankee Stadium yet.”
Overall, he’s hopeful that WWE elevating NXT will be “best for business” all around. As for the NXT stars we saw on RAW, he said, “They performed at a level that they belong there now. And now it’s just a matter of ‘When do we need them? When is the right time? How do you want to bring them up and in what way?'”
* NXT TAKEOVER 2 Preview & Predictions