There’s no one simple make-or-break factor that makes someone a WWE talent, Shawn Michaels believes. Instead, as he recently explained, it’s a “multitude” of factors that are all considered.
Michaels, the current Senior VP of Talent Development at WWE NXT, recently explained what he looks for when scouting new wrestlers to join the brand. When talking with The Schmo, he mentioned many different parts of a wrestler’s skillset that he looks at.
“I think everybody talks about the ‘It’ factor,” he told The Schmo. “And if you could define it, you’d define it, you’d go out there and you’d pick ’em, and it would be easy. First of all, I think [about] charisma. For me, a lot of it is footwork. To me, I watch guys run across the ring. I watch whether they run, whether they move, whether they’re stepping. For me, a lot of what I look for is footwork [and] coordination. And of course, are they coachable and teachable?”
Michaels put an emphasis on a wrestler having a positive attitude. He described the focus on character more than talent as something that NXT has placed an importance on since Paul Levesque was in charge.
“And of course, when everything’s said and done, it’s going to come down to attitude and character,” he said. “That’s one of the things at NXT I think Hunter [Paul Levesque] put in place years ago when he started NXT, that character trumps talent 90 percent of the time. That’s a culture that we try to continue to cultivate. In NXT? Look, it’s a multitude of things. I think if you could just say it was one thing it would be an easy process.”
When asked about the development of Logan Paul, an internet influencer who quickly learned how to wrestle in recent years, Michaels had lots of praise.
“He’s doing fantastic,” Michaels said about Paul. “I think there were a lot of people that were skeptical about him. But the time I’ve spent with him, he’s a dude that’s really committed. I appreciate the effort and the work that he puts in. I think that’s something that over the past several months people have become very appreciative of. I think both of those Paul boys. Look, I recognize they push a lot of buttons and they don’t always work for everybody, but they’re two young men that are incredibly dedicated to whatever it is they put their mind to.”
