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Triple H Conference Call Report: Aleister Black’s Injury, Possible Call-Ups, an NXT/NXT UK Crossover, More

August 15, 2018 | Posted by Larry Csonka
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Triple H held his NXT conference call today, and spoke about Aleister Black’s injury, possible NXT call-ups, an NXT/NXT UK crossover, and more. Here are full highlights, courtesy of Pwinsider.com

Adam Hopkins welcomed us and turned it over to HHH.

H thanked us and said he was excited for NXT returning to Barclays in Brooklyn for the fourth time. In some ways it’s the NXT version of Wrestlemania. It’s an exciting weekend and he feels they have a stellar card ready to go on Saturday. It speaks to the depth of NXT that he could make a strong list of people that are NOT on the card.

H then ran down the card, which looks amazing. Then again, NXT Takeover cards always do.

The first question came from Mike Johnson. Adam said he was shocked! Mike asked if there was any consideration to add another person to the main event after Aleister Black was injured. HHH said once Black was injured everything was back on the table. He said that they sat back down and looked at everything. It would be silly and foolish not to. They considered it all and made the decision that they thought was best. Given the history between Johnny and Ciampa, it made sense to not add a third person to the match. He knows they will tear it up, just like they have every time. He is looking forward to it.

Mike talked about the glut of talent that NXT has now. If WWE starts calling people up after SummerSlam, does he think they will be OK. HHH said that it would be hard to complain about the current roster and the depth of talent that they have. As he said earlier, there are a lot of talented people not on the card but could be. He said he thinks they have the right card, but others could also be on. Unless they got totally stripped, they will be fine. They have a lot of people just under the top that could step up.

Next he was asked about NXT being the third brand. Is it crazy to think it would be part of the Superstar Shakeup. He said it kind of already is since people get called up every time they do it. The main roster is about 80 percent made up by former NXT people. It wouldn’t be a shock to see people come back from the main roster back to NXT. They already have brought back The Revival and Tyler Breeze. It’s not a stretch to see that happen.

Will the FOX deal affect how NXT is presented? Right now they are happy on the Network but he never says never as to what will happen in the future.

Brian Fritz asked about the WWE PPV and NXT shows running longer. Could he see NXT going 3 hours or more. To HHH is not concerned with the length of time, it’s about the right card and right length to tell the right story. He wants to balance it. Because NXT is his decision he gets to lay out the times. It depends on what stories they need to tell. It’s nice to be on the Network since they have that freedom.

He was asked how they balance getting all of the talent represented on an hour of TV. H said it’s a good problem to have. They don’t have to overexpose people. There are times he would like to have more time but he thinks it works the way that it is. He would rather have talent spread a little thin than be overexposed.

Jason Powell asked if we will see crossover between NXT and NXT UK. H said that there is a split but he will see some crossover. He wants NXT UK to stand on its own, like the territory system. He would like to see the NXT Champion being like the old NWA champ in that it travels to territories, as they make more of them. He also envisions talents going to different territories and learning in them to grow as workers. Having a territory system will help make that happen.

He was asked about Neville and H said he is not 100 percent positive what is up with him but he agrees, he is a super talented guy and did a great job for him in NXT and on 205 Live.

The next guy said that he was burned out by the main roster and the only show he is looking forward to is NXT. He said that SummerSlam would go too long while NXT is crisp and on point. He asked H is sometimes he wishes he could step back and put the NXT approach to the main roster. H said he wishes he could fly and walk on water. He said everyone has opinions on things and they are free to express them. H is happy he likes NXT. He again said people have different likes and dislikes. The great thing for WWE is that they don’t have a shy fan base and the fans will let them know. He said eventually they hear the fan base. He said that they encourage the fans to let them know what they think.

The guy said that Germany, where he is from, is still waiting for NXT. H said anticipation is a wonderful thing, right? He said it’s about logistics. They have announcements coming. H personally loves Germany and performing there. He said that a lot goes into breaking into markets, plus take into account what they other brands are doing.

He was asked when the first episode of NXT UK will air. H said that they will be making announcements in the coming weeks. He can’t say right now. He wanted to shoot the first episodes to let the fan base know they were serious. He said that the shows are really good. He promised that it will be worth the wait.

Do you have any New Japan stars that you would like to bring in for a night? Talent is talent. If they are free and they can use them in a meaningful way, he’s always open to that. If he can give them something spectacular, he is always open to that.

Dave Meltzer asked about whether they would do a show for broadcast network and one for the Network down the road. There’s a lot of speculation in that scenario. It comes down to who wants what and when. They are open for business and never say never. It often comes down to timing and going with your gut. He never wants to just accept “this is how we do it”. You always need fresh eyes. We will see what happens when they get into it with FOX.

He was asked about how his schedule will become a logistic nightmare when they move to recording on Fridays. He thanked Dave for reminding him of that! Yes, there are huge changes coming, no doubt. The deal with FOX will create a lot of planning. It’s dominos. You move one piece and the others shift. But again, it’s wonderful opportunity to look at how they do things and refine how their processes.

He was asked about Black’s injury. He isn’t sure yet. It’s part injury and part how will they play out the who done it. Also he was about Tegan Nox. He feels so bad for her getting hurt again. He said it was heartbreaking when she got hurt and the crowd was dead silent. Everyone could feel her heartbreak. He spoke to her right afterward and she was devastated. But he just spoke to her and she is doing better now. She said she will be back better than ever. She will be out for a while but she will come back better.

The next question asked his opinion on Mustache Mountain. He said they are incredible. They are coming into their own. He expects this match to be as good, or better, than their first two matches with the Undisputed Era. He said bouts like that make him wonder what the match of the night will be. They could all steal the show. Good luck on this one, he expects this will one match after another topping the one before.

He was asked about putting the Undisputed Era with the three Horsewomen he has in NXT. He said anything possible. He said that the Horsewomen have picked it up really fast. He said it’s amazing how much talent that they have. This year’s Mae Young was even better than last year. It’s amazing how much great talent they have. Renee Young and Beth Phoenix did a great job too.

He was asked about doing post Takeover press conferences. Everything is on the table. It could potentially be. Sometimes it’s nice for the talent though to just finish their match and be done but it’s an idea that’s on the table.

The final questioner mentioned that MMA talent picks up the business fast. Does that make them want to pick more MMA talent. He said talent is talent and some MMA talent gets it quick but other struggle, like other athletes from other sports do. They will keep looking for the best athletes, wherever they come from. He said that they will keep looking everywhere. MMA is a combat sport so it can make the transition easier since there are similarities to wrestling. He said that since MMA has become popular, they do that and then move on to WWE to do something different. He said that being in WWE, you have to love it to be great it. You need to commit to the life.

He then asked if Mae Young shows being batch released worked as well as they hoped, given that it was so close to the finals. He said that numbers aren’t his thing so they have a team that analyzes all of that stuff. Bracketology will air on August 29 and then the show will air weekly after that after NXT. He said the numbers people make that call.

H then thanked us for coming and said he appreciated the interest in the brands. He talked about how great Mae Young was and what an exciting time it is in WWE.

There will be a post show Takeover call

article topics :

NXT, NXT UK, Triple H, WWE, Larry Csonka