Triple H Talks NXT Takeover Main Event, Million Dollar Title & More In Post-Show Media Call

Triple H and and Shawn Michaels weighed in on tonight’s NXT Takeover: In Your House including the main event, the Million Dollar Title match and more in a post-show media call. You can check out a recap of the call below:

* Triple H thanked everyone for supporting the show and Justin Barasso for doing the pre-show. He put over the show as well and said the main event and Women’s Title match really delivered, the Million Dollar Title match played well into the nostalgia and played off the prestige of the title. He said that Martinez and Li worked really hard and had a great match, with Li repping herself well in her first Takeover. Finally he said the six-man match was an “off the chart” way to start. He said he was excited to have fans back in attendance to be a part of it. He noted that Shawn Michaels was also here.

* Michaels said that Triple H’s comments and “underwhelming introduction” were enough.

* Barrasso asked about how Triple H grades a match like the main event and what his takeaways are. HHH said that when you have five guys as talented as they had in the ring — and he thinks people negate Kross’ experience and what he brings to the table, which is a totally different character. What Kross brings is awesome, and when you have talent that good, they’re lucky in that they can just walk up to them, tell them what they’re looking to do and let them go do what they do which is what they did tonight. His opinion is that everyone in the ring delivers.

Michaels added that it’s “four sports cars and one monster truck” with a lot of different styles, and a lot of people lump the challengers together with Kross on the outside. But he said they’re all very different and have their own qualities, naming Kross’ “intangible qualities” and he’s not of the NXT mold but that’s what makes it so appealing to him. He said it’s a great quality and they saw that tonight. He always has a nice time with the guys and says “All right, here we go, now go out there and do what they do,” and they always deliver.

* Barrasso asked about Xia Li and he said people underestimate what it takes in this business, and Xia came from a village before her tryout where she didn’t know what WWE was. She was a great athlete involved in MMA and all this, and her personality was huge, but she’d never heard of the company, and he remembered them saying to her “It’s like kung fu theater.” He said he fell in love with what she did during the tryout and she fell in love with what she was doing over the course of a few days. He talks about her doing an interview at the time and how her family didn’t know she was there doing this, and what would happen if she got it? She said they would disown her but at that point it was her dream and she had to do this. In a place where she would have never been able to do that and having to defy everything to follow her dream, and she’s been grinding ever since. He talks about her Mae Young performance and coming full circle to what they’re at now with the Tian Sha storyline, which has “had little stutters and starts” due to COVID and injuries, but there’s moments like this which are why you do this. He said she was having a hard time keeping it together in rehearsals but she did in the match and it makes all of this meaningful and worthwhile.

* Asked about the Million Dollar Match and what LA Knight holding the title represents, Michaels says they started this quite some time ago with just Grimes, and no one had contacted DiBiase. Someone eventually said “Should we call Ted?” He said it’s turned out bigger and better than what they had planned, and fast forward to now with the role DiBiase played in both their backgrounds which he didn’t even know until last week. He said they were blown away by DiBiase and they didn’t know the Million Dollar Title would be involved, and talked about how when they little they both wanted to be Million Dollar Champion. They have a lot of that, and so much of the throwback stuff has gotten bigger and better.

Triple H says it used to be when you came into the business, you almost weren’t allowed to admit that you were a fan and if you admitted being a fan of someone growing up you were an outcast. Seeing that change and seeing what it means to them, it’s great and he’s happy for all of them. He says the first time Grimes and Knight saw the title they got emotional about it. It’s cool to see.

* The next question was about Pettengill’s appearance and how he’s open to doing more with the company, and if it will just be kept to In Your House. Hunter said that there’s a tricky balance of nostalgia to finding the right level of it. If you do it too many times it’s not nostalgic anymore. He’s open to working with Pettengill and hopefully they can do a lot together, but they have to be cautious about it.

* Asked about the challenges and benefits of running a multi-man match for the main event in NXT, Hunter said it’s all down to where you are in the moment storyline-wise and where you’re trying to get to. He’s a big fan of one-on-one storytelling and when you can get there, those are the cleanest and generally the strongest. But when you have that many talented people and a moment in time where it gets you to a better place to put everyone in there, it’s a good thing. You can’t do them all the time and it’s special when you do them.

Shawn noted that the last time they did it was a year ago, and they did it again because of where they were going. The timing felt right to do it again because they feel like they can follow it up in a way that’s the most beneficial to the brand.

* The development of the Tian Sha storyline was brought up and how it’s different than what’s typical in NXT, and how it gets a better reaction than something like Alexa Bliss’ Raw arc does. It was asked if they felt any hesitance of doing it, and Triple H said he’s a big fan of variety on the show with different characters and personalities, different sizes of performers, and different character styles like an LA Knight or a Johnny Gargano, who started very serious and morphed into The Way. He said handling characters like Tian Sha have to be done differently to make them fit in the universe of your show. He said all the shows are slightly different and what works on Raw or Smackdown or NXT is slightly different. He says the mix is good but how you handle them is important to make sure they fit. He highlights Marvel’s ability to use serious, dramatic movies but having moments where they fit in gods, robots, space characters, and such as an example and that’s what they strive to do.

HBK noted there’s some people, characters, or groups that can look larger than life. He points out Taker as someone who could do that as opposed to him. And Taker was a stronger character, and so much of it has to to do with the performer being able to do that stuff. Hunter added that there’s just certain people who don’t have that theatrical flair, while other people make it work.

* The next person said he felt like something’s been missing and not just the crowds. Hunter said you’re always looking for a spark, and they’re coming out of COVID with certain storylines, and the ebb and flow of things. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but he’s happy with the product and talent is working hard. He said no shows goes for 10 straight years without having ebb and flow, high points and down points. He said they’re constantly looking for a place that connects and sometimes you reboot or are telling a longer term story. Every day in the business is a work in progress and they can look back with 20/20 hindsight on certain eras, and there’s always ebb and flow. He emphasized that he’s happy with his roster and how they’re doing.

Shawn said he always takes it as a compliment, being held to a tough standard. He said that they’ve been held to such a high standard and that’s a good problem to have. He says when people see that, it encourages them all to work harder and take it as a challenge. he says he thinks they still have a good batting average in NXT.

* Asked about the “DX vibe” of MSK and if they’ve come to the two for input on that, Triple H said “not really.” They just let them be them. Shawn says he was talking to them yesterday and the funny thing is what MSK enjoy about them is that they haven’t tried to change them and let them be them, have fun, enjoy themselves, and get the most out of what they do. They don’t put anyone in a box and knew what they liked when they were working, which is being challenged when they were encouraged to go out there and do take risk, see what works. That’s what they do.

Hunter added that the other aspect is knowing when something is a crutch like a character trait or the like when you know they’re beyond that but they’re comfortable doing. That’s the hardest thing to do is let that go, and you have to push them out of that comfort zone and get to a different place. He said when you challenge them to that, 99% of the time they get out there. Shawn noted MSK like that and react to that in a phenomenal way.

* Asked about the William Regal cliffhanger and what they can do with Regal if he’s off air to help the brand, Triple H joked it was “the coolest, quietest way of asking us what’s going to happen next of all time.” He said Regal has been such an integral part of NXT since day one. There are people that it’s hard to envision doing without them, and Regal’s one of them and he doesn’t think they’ll ever do it without him until he doesn’t want to. He said it’s why Shawn, he, Matt Bloom, Sara Del Ray and everyone is there: they love the business and all the aspects of it, and they want to help guide it. Regal is that way to the core and is one of the biggest recruiting factors they have. So his value is hard to be measured and he’ll always be a part of it, “no matter where we go on Tuesday.”

Shawn added that he’s a coach to the end and can’t help to want to help younger talent. He’s been that way and always will, whether on TV or not.

* In closing comments, Triple H thanked the fans for sticking with them for the last year and a half as they and everyone have tried to do what they do through the touch circumstances, and the talent who worked through the same with no crowds and such. He said putting smiles on people’s faces just means letting people enjoy what they do, have fun, go to a show and enjoy it. Sometimes people put too much pressure on themselves and they’re not solving the world’s ills, they’re just giving them entertainment and his hat is off to the fans for sticking with it. He says there were a bunch of giddy talent because of the packed arena and it was awesome. With everyone about to get back out there, the talent is thrilled. He thanked everyone and turned it over to Shawn, who also talked about how good it is to have people out there again.