The pre-Deadline media call.
On Saturday, December 9th, WWE’s NXT brand is presenting their final Premium Live Event of 2023, Deadline. Bridgeport, Connecticut is hosting the event and ahead of the show, Shawn Michaels spoke with members of the media and answered questions about topics such as Wes Lee’s injury, McKenzie Mitchell being released and NXT Europe.
Below are highlights from the media call:
- Michaels stated that the decision to pull Wes Lee from Deadline was last minute. The NXT team was not aware of the depth of Lee’s injury, but Lee made the call on his own after struggling with the injury for quite some time. Lee did not think he could make it through the match at Deadline.
- When it comes to Dragon Lee being in the North American Title match, Michaels feels he had a lot more left to do in NXT before moving on to the main roster.
- Speaking about CM Punk’s return, Michaels does not think it was a tough decision for anyone from a business perspective. He wants WWE to thrive and is excited for what is to come.
- Michaels is excited for NXT’s future on The CW but they want to finish strong on USA Network.
- While talking about Lexis King, Michaels feels he’s doing a great job and he was tossed into the deep end from the get-go. He added that King has adjusted to the NXT structure and they believe there’s a lot of potential with him.
- Michaels speaks highly of Trick Williams and thinks Saturday will be a big night for him. He’s hoping for the best of success for him and admits he’ll be anxiety-filled watching him.
- There is no new information on NXT Europe. Michaels adds that they’re working on it.
- Speaking about McKenzie Mitchell’s release, Michaels was surprised. He said she’ll always be a part of the NXT family. It’s a loss, but the machine rolls on and they’ll miss her.
- Michaels shares that he does not spend as much time giving direct feedback to as many talents as he used to and it’s something he misses.
