Shawn Michaels on running WWE NXT: ‘It’s a role I love’
At 60 years old, Shawn Michaels is grateful to be in a role where he can give back to the wrestling industry and help out its future stars.
Michaels oversees NXT in his WWE executive role, with his official job title being “Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Creative.” He’s been working behind the scenes in NXT for almost a decade now but started to take a bigger role running the brand in 2021.
“It’s a role I love,” Michaels told Justin Barrasso of Undisputed in a recently conducted interview. “None of it feels like work for me. And if it helps the men and women here grow personally and professionally, then those are positives.”
Michaels compared working with NXT’s up-and-coming prospects to sharing advice with your children. He’s able to pass down lessons from his Hall of Fame career, along with having an informed perspective from the personal battles he’s fought in his past.
“I’m supposed to be giving back, and I’m thankful that I can do it in a line of work that I know a lot about,” he said. “It’s like sharing experiences and knowledge with your children. We apply that to the young men and women who walk into the WWE Performance Center, and it’s the same thing from a career standpoint. I understand the personal struggle that goes on during this. To not recognize that would be an injustice. I want to make sure we’re covering everything and do my part in trying to help them.”
NXT will celebrate both its past and present next week with a special TV episode taking place from Full Sail University.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.