Shawn Michaels on Serving as a Father Figure to the WWE NXT Talents

– During an appearance on Busted Open Radio this week, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels discussed being viewed as a father figure and “Papa” Michaels to the NXT roster and developmental talents. Below are some highlights (via WrestlingInc.com):

Shawn Michaels as being viewed as a “Papa” and father figure to the NXT talents: “Obviously, my wife and kids mellowed me out. It’s also the Performance Center … it brings out that hunger and passion. And it’s at the beginning when you’re dealing with [young men and women] who just want to be pro wrestlers. They’re not aware of the backstabbing and whatnot … they just want to [train] and the fact you’re getting paid is a bonus. I’ve been down the road many times, and I also feel like I can be a cautionary tale. I want to help people get through this process — they’re not gonna go through anything I haven’t.” 

On wanting to be a reassuring presence: “I’m there as a resource to try and help them get through it, help them avoid some of the pitfalls that either myself or [I] saw someone else go through. That’s where you go from being the rebellious guy to ‘papa’ because you want what’s best for them.”

Michaels on the camaraderie in NXT: “It’s a unique camaraderie, much like y’all had in ECW. Busted Open” panelists Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer. “It’s when you feel like you’re doing something special together, something different and innovative — that’s what we have going on there. Because we have so many young men and women, it’s the purest form of that you’re going to get in this business. Because they haven’t been too jaded and that cynicism hasn’t seeped in yet … that’s one of the reasons I use family-like … at least in the beginning, it is genuine. At least for me, being the sort of papa of all this, it’s a nice feeling.”

On NXT TV: “A lot of people think that ‘NXT’ is the best two-hour wrestling show out there today. And we will stand by that. We’ll put our show up against anybody, because we think we’ve got a great show, and we’ll compete with anybody. Our young men and women know that, believe that, and they’re ready to go to battle.”