Shawn Michaels addresses challenges of preparing NXT talents for main roster
Shawn Michaels discussed the challenges working with NXT talents and getting them main roster ready within a specified period.
Speaking on What’s Your Story with Stephanie McMahon, Michaels talked about the transition from wrestling to coaching the next wave of WWE talents at NXT.
“Well, so it was obviously it’s you’ve got the the teaching of the business and wrestling and coaching and you know, again, from basics to intermediate to advanced, you know, very structured from a coaching teaching aspect. But the biggest, the part that moved me the most, is the idea that it doesn’t have to be the over the top kind of tough love that we all got. Now, on one hand, I recognize that there are going to be people that are going to say that the way we got brought up was whatever.”
Michaels also addressed the challenges in moulding NXT talents to be ready for the main roster and key points discussed in his documentary.
“It’s very challenging and look, and that’s one of the things I can remember being asked like ‘how long do you think it takes to get one of these athletes that doesn’t know anything to get them totally ready for the main roster?’ And I said honestly, to get them ready to what I think is adequate to be ready for a main roster guy, he said. And they said really, you can’t get done faster than that. And I was like, well, we, I mean, I guess we can. But if not, not to get them to where I think they need to be simply because of that, because we don’t have the opportunity there. We have people that, you know, I was, in the hundreds of matches in probably three months.”
Michaels is the Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative for NXT. He got involved in backstage roles for the brand in 2021 and has been pivotal in creating the future stars of WWE.
Rosanne Raphael is a wrestling writer with over three and a half years of experience covering all things related to the industry. From a kindergarten teacher to PR Associate to turning her lifelong passion for the industry into a career, Rosanne is currently writing for F4W Online where she focuses on wrestling news, analysis, and storytelling.
Rosanne previously contributed to Sportskeeda as an Assistant Content Manager.
When not consumed by wrestling, Rosanne is a musician and an aspiring artist.