By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE executive Shawn Michaels spoke with the pro wresting media on Thursday, February 1, 2024 to promote Sunday’s NXT Vengeance Day premium live event. Refresh the page for the latest updates.
-Shawn Michaels opened the call by talking about the NXT Vengeance Day card.
-Michaels was asked if there are protections in place for NXT talent who may feel like they are in vulnerable positions. Michaels said you can always do better. He said it’s a very sad situation. He said he has very little to do with corporate decisions. He said they have regulations that were updated in 2022. He said it’s incredibly important to support the talent and give them a safe work environment. Michaels said he thinks they do a fantastic job of that in NXT.
-Michaels was asked if he’s had any conversations with the talent in NXT regarding the Vince McMahon allegations. Michaels said everyone is aware of the situation and understands it. He once again said it’s an incredibly sad situation. He said he takes all of the youth that comes through NXT very serious. He said it’s tough to leave home to pursue a dream and they take it seriously that the young talent is impressionable. He said the talent is empowered to ask the questions that they may be afraid to ask.
-Michaels was asked if they have a system in place for talent to come to him or someone else should something else happen again. Michaels said they have policies in place and will be looking to improve them. Michaels said they provide help outside the Performance Center that people can reach out to as well.
-William Regal’s return was mentioned and Michaels was asked if we can expect to see him on television going forward. Michaels recalled Regal telling the Ava character that she can always call him for help. Michaels said you need to have more than just one shot with a character like Regal. He said everyone was excited about his brief cameo and he has not doubt they will have future Regal cameos.
-Michaels was asked about Wren Sinclair. Michaels said he hasn’t gotten to know her well. He said she came in with some knowledge and made an impactful debut. Michaels praised her performance thus far.
-Michaels was asked about the NXT wrestlers who competed in the Royal Rumble match. Michaels said it was huge for them and huge for NXT. Michaels said Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, and Tiffany Stratton are foundational people they have built around. Michaels said he feels like he knows how Paul Levesque feels watching a locker room of his NXT guys and how proud it makes him.
-Michaels was asked about female representation on creative and with the WWE PC coaches. Michaels said Sara Amato at the PC all the time and the only thing she’s not taking part in is when it’s showtime because she is at home with her baby. Michaels said they look forward to continuing to spotlight the women in NXT.
-Michaels was asked about the policies they updated in 2022. Michaels said he knows they were upgraded in 2022, but he couldn’t specifically list them if he tired. Michaels said he has a daughter who comes to the Performance Center every week. He wants an environment where the men and women feel comfortable. Michaels said he couldn’t care less about what is on paper. He said he cares about it, but it’s about if things are genuinely done to take care of the talent. He wants all the talent treated with the respect they deserve and earn.
-I missed the specific question, but it was something about NXT losing talent to the main roster. Michaels talked about having 50-plus talents on television. Michaels said he looks at NXT talent having a role in the Rumble being a sign of the main roster having an eye on certain people. Michaels said the joy and challenge of NXT is funneling all of the talents as best as he can. He said their job is actually to lose talent (due to call-ups).
-Jordynne Grace’s role in the Royal Rumble was brought up and the caller asked whether we could see a Worlds Collide style event. Michaels said he’s seen Grace from a distance and wondered if she would ever be interested in being in NXT. He said things that weren’t allowed in the past are now things they can think of when it comes to working with other promotions. He said it would be great to get some experienced people to swing by NXT. He laughed while saying he will use the approach of “it’s okay for you, but it’s not okay for us” when it comes to asking Levesque about working with outside companies.
-Michaels was asked about CM Punk’s involvement at the WWE Performance Center. He said Punk has been there quite a bit and has talked about doing his physical therapy there. Michaels said Punk has a career he wants to pursue. Michaels said Punk is welcome at the PC any time and he believes Punk will taken them up on that. Michaels assumed that Punk’s priorities are to get healthy and get back in the ring, but he knows that they are a call or a text away.
-Michaels was asked about changes in the culture at the PC. He said there have been considerable changes and they should have been. He said he wants the talent to enjoy their time with them.
-Michaels was asked about Brutus Beefcake making allegations about him and Marty Jannetty, as well as things that were shown on Dark Side of the Ring. Michaels said he doesn’t hide from his past. He said if you ask Brutus, he’s never actually seen the things he’s talked about. Michaels said he’s never been in a position where being with a woman was not consensual. Michaels said he’s had a lot of counseling. He said typically, it’s a situation where you don’t like women or you have power issues. Michaels said those were not his issues. He said any allegation about him being in a nonconsensual situation with a woman is not true. He said the dirt sheets spun a lot of stories that were not true.
-A caller asked about the dynamic between him and Paul Levesque in terms of Michaels getting notice on talent being moved to the main roster. Michaels said many things are different from the past. He said there’s more synergy. He said it doesn’t have to be an abrupt call-up. He said they can go back and forth and make it a more fluid call-up situation. He said one of the more challenging parts of the job is transitioning to other people.
-Michaels was asked about things that he and Levesque have spoken about when it comes to transitioning wrestlers from NXT to the main roster. Michaels said a lot of people from NXT no longer go through abrupt character changes. He pointed to the acknowledgement of NXT and stories, which wasn’t always the case in the past.
-A caller brought up social media. Michaels said people tell him everybody thinks this or that and when he asks who everybody is, he’s told social media. He said it’s not everybody. He said they have people who work with the talent on social media and he warns the talent to be careful with it. Michaels said he can take accountability for the things he’s done in the past. He said he won’t do that for things he didn’t do.
-Michaels said this was the toughest media session that he’s done. He said he appreciates that the media has a job to do. He said he’s not corporately trained and he hopes that he did a good job. He said he hopes to get back to the fun ones, but he appreciates that the media members are doing their job. He said he hopes they can talk about Vengeance Day and the future of NXT coming out of the show. Michaels said he thinks there are tremendous times ahead. He said the future is bright and there is so much talent and he hopes they are able to put the past behind them without discounting any of the pain that has been caused. Michaels thanked everyone for taking part and plugged Vengeance Day for Sunday.
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