WWE Hall of Famer & Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels hosted a media call following Saturday’s WWE NXT Vengeance Day event. Here are the highlights:
* Michaels stated that they put on a fantastic show in Charlotte with Vengeance Day and the roster, and that everyone had a great time. They are very pleased with how this first stand-alone show in three years and the first major show outside of the Performance Center went. Vengeance Day aided the development of several stars.
* After handing over the NXT Tag Team Titles to Gallus, Michaels was asked about The New Day’s future. He stated that they have an open invitation to come to NXT, that they enjoyed their time with the brand, and that they appear open to returning, depending on their schedules. Michaels hopes to see them again. Michaels believed The New Day recognized the value of their knowledge and wisdom to the NXT roster.
* In terms of potential injuries, Michaels stated that everyone was fine, and Dijak underwent x-rays on his finger, which was not broken. The finger had already been reattached, but it’s a miracle he didn’t break it.
* When Ivy Nile was announced for a ROW show, the promotion owned by WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, Michaels was asked about reports of NXT changing its policy on Superstars being able to work indie events. He stated that this was a one-time deal to help Booker’s promotion and that there was nothing else to it, at least for the time being. Shawn stated that Booker has been very good to them and that they wanted to assist him with the show. According to Booker’s announcement, there will be more NXT talent working ROW shows.
* Michaels stated that they hope to take the weekly NXT TV show on the road one day, especially if the reaction and attendance for Vengeance Day exceeded all expectations. He likes the idea, but the “bean counters” must analyze everything before it can be implemented, and it will likely be a while before they have live event tours outside of Florida.
* Michaels was asked about the headline match between Carmelo Hayes and NXT Champion Bron Breakker at Stand & Deliver. He praised them both as the clubhouse’s top leading stallions and discussed how they’d kept them apart for a year, but now it’s time for what they realize is a big match. They had known for at least 1.5 years that this would be a big match. These are two top-tier NXT wrestlers, and he believes it will happen soon.
* He mentioned the newly crowned NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Fallon Henley and Kiana James had little experience prior to joining NXT, but they have grown in that time. He stated that they noticed James and Henley had chemistry against each other, so they put them in a team to see how it worked, that they explored it and saw how it went, and that it appears to be one of those things that worked. He recalled WWE Vice President of Global Talent Development William Regal saying that Henley and James felt like homegrown NXT stars tonight. Former champions Katana Chance and Kayden Carter were praised by Michaels as one of the most consistent tag teams in WWE, and he looks forward to them chasing James and Henley, adding that Chance and Carter have very bright futures in WWE.
* Earlier in the call, Grayson Waller stormed in and confronted Michaels on why he wasn’t “the guy” in NXT. Waller was led away by WWE Head Coach Matt Bloom. When asked what had just happened, Michaels stated that there was an incident coming back from the Gorilla Position between him and Waller, and that Waller is just “a bit perturbed” at him, and that it has been festering for some time. Michaels stated that he loves Waller but is upset about some issues that they will discuss later. According to Michaels, Waller isn’t much different on TV than he is in real life.
The video is embedded below:
Here’s the clip of Grayson Waller interrupting Shawn Michaels’ NXT #VengeanceDay Media Call! pic.twitter.com/JndBaJL9n5
— Moments From Wrestling History (@wwrestlehistory) February 5, 2023
