The month of July will close out with one last round of Texas fireworks for WWE’s NXT brand.
For the first time since American Airlines Center in Dallas hosted “Stand & Deliver” as part of WrestleMania 38 weekend, WWE is bringing an NXT premium live event to Texas when HEB Center in Austin hosts “The Great American Bash” on Sunday, July 30.
“Stand & Deliver was a huge success all around for WWE at WrestleMania time. So, as NXT gets to go back, this group is very excited,” said Shawn Michaels, WWE Hall of Famer turned NXT’s senior vice president of talent development creative.
“They do remember what it’s like to perform in front of the people of Texas.”
The Heartbreak Kid spoke to The Dallas Morning News this week about the upcoming event, the 10-year anniversary of WWE opening its Performance Center and more. Here are some highlights, edited for clarity:
On the 10 year anniversary of the Performance Center, and what it’s meant for WWE’s developmental system...
Michaels: “Yeah, well, that was one of those anniversaries just kind of snuck up on us. We were obviously getting ready for, you know, the Bash and everything. And then all of a sudden, somebody mentioned like, holy cow, it’s been 10 years at the Performance Center.
“If you take a good look at the main roster, to me, the biggest thing is that you can see that NXT and the Performance Center has worked. It’s been a great idea, you know. The concept obviously, you know, came from from [Triple H], and I feel like if you look at the main roster 95-98% of those people all came through NXT in one form or another. And I will say this, as I look at our roster here in NXT, and I think about what we’ve done — two years with Bron Breakker, with the Creeds you know, with Tiffany Stratton, and then you see people like Kelani Jordan coming along, Lucien and Bronco. Kelani has been here for six months, and she’s already going on live television.
“So, just the implementation of these new athletes and these NIL athletes coming in. They get this so much faster. I know that there was a lot of, I don’t know, hesitation by a lot of people that, you know, we all sort of grew up as wrestling fans, right? And so we’re not very welcoming of those who are not, or didn’t grow up the same way we did. And I think there was a lot of pushback to some of these athletes. But one of the things that I’ve certainly experienced in the last couple of years, they may not have watched ... but they start to begin to fall into love with it. I think that’s what I’m enjoying the most is watching them, maybe not have been the biggest wrestling fans when they were growing up, but as athletes, and they come here, and they train, they watch what we do ... and they begin to understand and have a real appreciation for what this job is. And it becomes, you know, important to them, and it becomes a passion for them. Because it gets in them, each and every one of them.
“... I think with some of us old school wrestling fans and those of us that grew up wanting to be wrestlers, those differences are not that far apart, and so I guess I’m just proud of the fact that we’ve done that in the last couple of years, we’ve created new stars, when you see the main roster you see so many of those people, the majority of them all coming to NXT at one time or NXT UK and that means that this Performance Center and the NXT system has been a success.”
When you see former NXT-ers Iyo Sky win Money in the Bank, Damian Priest win Money in the Bank, Solo Sikoa in The Bloodline, Grayson Waller debut against Edge at Madison Square Garden, is there a sense of pride, sort of a Papa Shawn Michaels sees all the kids growing up and going out and doing bigger things?
Michaels: “Absolutely. Again, so proud of Pretty Deadly, Waller. You know, that’s the thing. I texted him that night, and I said, ‘Man, not a bad debut. Madison Square Garden, against Edge.’ I said, ‘Could go all downhill from here.’ I mean, that’s pretty exciting, and that’s hard to follow. But again, he’s a guy that I just knew we could put him at any position, and he adapted to it. He’s such a pro. He’s so talented. He’s one of the most versatile guys you’ll ever have on your roster. So I just knew he’d be a great fit for the main roster, and clearly he’s done that. I’m very proud of him.
“And look, it’s something that — I know that even [Triple H] looks at it now — it’s Seth [Rollins], it’s Roman [Reigns], all those guys they got when he started this, those guys are now leading the charge. [Johnny] Gargano is up there and the [Tommaso] Ciampas. And now, for me, it’s sort of a first class of mine, so to speak, that are now up there, having success. I gotta be honest, that’s, you know, one of the reasons I do this is I tell everybody that comes through here, I want them to have, I don’t know, the peace and the joy that I have from this job, which is again, getting to do something I love. I was fortunate to be successful at it, I was fortunate to give my family and I the wonderful life that we have, and I want that for them. And now to watch them begin to start doing that, it’s very exciting.
“... And now we’ve got a whole other crop of young talent coming up. I think Bron, I think the Creeds, I think Tiffany, we’re going to have a number of people before long, they’re also going to be up there. And I don’t think anybody’s going to argue the fact that we could probably see somebody like a Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes, you know, one day headlining WrestleMania, just like they did a premium live event down here someday.”
What led you guys to pick Austin as one of the destinations for a PLE and, as a Dallas Morning News writer, when’s the next one for Dallas? We getting another one soon?
Michaels: “Yeah, yeah. What have we done for you lately? Right, [laughs] exactly. As you know, I’m partial to Texas. So I love any chance to go back, certainly for us. A lot of the premium live events that we’re picking now sometimes has to do with where Raw and SmackDown are going to wind up at that time of year, and we try to find somewhere around that general area, that’s, you know, not too far away. And clearly, they’re going to be in the South around then.
“And The Great American Bash in Texas, I think there’s, you know, we’re a little bit of, I don’t know, Americana down there in Texas, a lot of tradition there. And obviously, it’s a great wrestling state. So for me, that was obviously the biggest reason. I think there’s a correlation with The Great American Bash, the summer in Texas is a fantastic time, any chance to be in Texas with that fan base is one we’re always going to jump on. So we’re very excited about that. ... As you mentioned before, Stand & Deliver was a huge success all around for WWE at WrestleMania time. So, as NXT gets to go back, this group is very excited, because again, they do remember what it’s like to perform in front of the people of Texas.”
As someone who has been a part of his training, what have you seen during the rapid ascendance of Logan Paul’s in-ring career with WWE?
Michaels: “I’ll say from Logan’s standpoint, I’m with everybody else, I’m as impressed as everybody else, you know, with his dedication and his ability, his talent, you know what I mean? The adaptability that he’s gone through, I don’t think anybody would argue the commitment and the time that he’s, you know, put into this.
“And look, I think it’s one of those things. He’s another person. As you know, as I stated, even with our athletes, this business is very different. And that’s why all of us, you, me, and the like, you know, the millions around the world that are, again, we’re wrestling fans, and there’s a certain something that gets in you that, I don’t know, that makes you want to be around this stuff for the rest of your life. I think Logan is, I think he’s caught that but to be perfectly honest, I mean, he understands and appreciates everything that goes along with this.
“Yeah. Is there money and fame and all the other cool stuff now that comes along with it? Yeah. But you know as well as I do, you know, the ones that separate themselves from everybody else have a little something more, a love or something that gets into them, that makes them really want to give their everything, to give their all to this and I think Logan obviously has that. I think he’s gonna be here, you know, for a pretty long time.”
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