HBK views his stepping into Triple H’s NXT role as a ‘thank you’ for what his former DX stablemate has done for him in his career.
Since the relaunch of NXT into NXT 2.0, Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque has been absent from live events while recovering after undergoing a procedure for a genetic heart issue. Filling in for Levesque on tonight’s Halloween Havoc edition of NXT 2.0 is Shawn Michaels.
Michaels spoke to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated to promote the show and discussed Levesque’s absence from NXT. Michaels views it as a situation where his best friend needed him to step in:
Trying to step in and fill his role is impossible to do. Everybody here misses him unbelievably, especially me. But I always go back to this—everything in real life takes precedence over everything else. This was a situation where my best friend needed my help and needed me to step in, so I look at this as an opportunity, in a small way, to thank him for everything he did for me earlier in my career.
Taking over the responsibilities here is a drop in the bucket compared to what he did for me all those years back. I’m honored to at least have the opportunity to pay him back a little bit and be there for him. That’s what this whole company does—this whole relaunch has been everyone pulling together, and I’m energized and inspired to keep this NXT territory going strong during his absence.
Regarding NXT’s recent creative overhaul, Michaels said he’s seen plenty of changes throughout his years in the business. He said it reminds him of the period of time right before the Attitude Era began with everyone getting pumped up for the future.
Doing this now for 35 years, I’ve seen constant change. And change is certainly not new to us in WWE. It’s constantly evolving and changing. I’ve heard people call this a refresh, but it’s still the same crew, which is great because they’re so damn talented. It reminds me of the Attitude Era. We had the same roster the day before the Attitude Era started, and I still remember Vince coming into the locker room and making that speech, inspiring us and making us hungry for the future. That’s what this is—turning over a new leaf, restructuring a few things and putting a brand-new coat of paint on a dominant and incredible brand. It’s chummed the waters, so to speak, and that’s fun to be around.
Scheduled for tonight’s NXT 2.0 is Bron Breakker challenging Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Championship. Also, Mandy Rose is getting her shot at the NXT Women’s Title when she meets the champion Raquel Gonzalez one-on-one.
