Credit: Larry Csonka
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Triple H held a conference call today to discuss tomorrow's
NXTspecial and more. Here are the highlights and audio…
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Triple H doesn't like referring to
NXT as developmental because he feels that it is much more. He feels that NXT is more like college football is to the NFL of the original ECW was to
WWE AND WCW during the Monday Night Wars.
* He takes the time to break down the title matches for tomorrow's show, and notes that he is proud of the
NXT ladies division. Charlotte and Bayley headlined a recent NXT live event, which he was very proud of.
* When asked about the use of
NXT talent on
Raw and
Main event this week,
Triple H noted that they are open to do more of it in the future. They did it this week to obviously hype the special, and that it did feel fresh. He also doesn't think that they looked like "developmental talent" while working the big shows this week.
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Triple H says that they have a plan in place for both Prince Devitt and Kevin Steen. They want to bring them o the right way and to make them as big of stars as they possibly can.
* Going back to using
NXT talent on the main shows,
Triple H said that they are open to a lot of things, but that it is also a work in progress. The main thing is to keep the appearances special, because if they appear too often, then they are just
Raw and
Smackdown guys, and it isn't special.
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Triple H discusses the learning curve in
NXT, noting that you never stop learning about wrestling. Things that worked years ago do not work now, while other things can be brought back. Sometimes wrestlers that come in become victims of their own success.
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Triple H says that the editor of Muscle & Fitness was just at the Performance Center and went through a workout camp for an article
* When asked about Steen, KENTA and Devitt keeping their names thus far,
Triple H says that these guys have history and doesn't want to bury his head in the sand and ignore that history. He doesn't want to erase what they did prior to
WWE, because they bring a lot to the table and that is what they want to build on. Due to intellectual property issues the names could change.
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Triple H was asked about mainstream athletes working for
WWE, and Triple H noted that they have a loose working relationship with the NFLPA and they have a few name guys that they are close to bringing in. He did not want to give any names at this time. To him, he will take talent where ever it comes from; NFL, Indies, actors, whoever it is. He notes that the Road Warriors claim to fame is that they were bouncers, and most regard them as the greatest tag team in wrestling history.
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Triple H looks at
NXT as the petri dish for the main roster, they look at a lot of talent and they try a lot of things with the talent in front of the smaller audience as their test run.
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Triple H says he is like a proud father when he sees the
NXT talent rise up to the main roster and then succeed there. He noted that seeing
Bray Wyatt headline in Madison Square Garden made him very happy.
* When asked about the Monday Night War series and if
Mick Foley made him a better performer, he said absolutely.
Triple H feels that guys like him, Foley, Austin and Rock helped them all up their game because they all wanted to prove that they could be the top guy.
* As far as the talents in
NXT developing, he is happy with it overall and notes that guys obviously develop at different rates. What he knows is that the NXT brand is growing, sales are up and the wrestlers are becoming stars. He would love for the NXT brand to become a major brand, but wants to get there the right way.
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Triple H closes by thanking all for listening, and also extended his condolences to the family and fans of Sean O'Haire.