WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels held a call today with the pro-wrestling media to promote this Saturday’s NXT Deadline premium live event. Highlights from the call and the topics that Michaels discussed can be found below.
-Michaels begins by addressing Wes Lee’s injury. He says that Lee made the call on his own as he has been in a lot of pain and didn’t think he’d be able to get through any more matchups. He adds that the depth of Lee’s injury was unknown.
-Regarding Dragon Lee replacing Wes Lee against Dominik Mysterio at Deadline, Michaels states that Dragon Lee had “more left on the table” and they felt he was the best possible replacement.
-On CM Punk, Michaels says that the decision to bring him back makes sense from a business standpoint and he’s excited to see what comes of his run. He adds that he just wants WWE to thrive.
-Someone asks about NXT moving to The CW. Michaels says he is very excited for NXT to air on The CW, but that he wants to finish the program’s run on the USA network strong. He reminds the media members that there is a lot of time between now and when they make the move.
-Michaels gets asked about Lexis King, formerly known as Brian Pillman Jr. He says that King has adapted well to being “thrown in the deep end” and has been very receptive to the coaching he’s been given. He believes there is a great deal of potential in King.
-Michaels says Trick Williams will have a big night at NXT Deadline. Admits he sort of feels like a dad with Trick as in he always wants him to succeed and is filled with anxiety while watching him perform. Adds that Trick always gets back up after getting knocked down.
-No update on NXT Europe. Michaels does make a joke about having a larger training facility when the NIL program comes up.
-Regarding NXT interviewer McKenzie Mitchell getting released Michaels says the release did catch him by surprise. He hopes that she will be greatly missed and lets her know that she will always be a part of the NXT family.
-Michaels discusses how NXT has been able to capture more viewers in the 18-34 demographic. He says that they have a young team of writers that are coming up with stories that speak to that group, adding that the current NXT product is fast-paced and has a great deal of variety.
