There's a lot of buzz in WWE about the NXT ARRRIVAL special that is airing at 8pmET on WWE Network tonight (Thursday). With that in mind, Triple H participated in a conference call with members of the wrestling media to talk about NXT. It should be noted that the focus of the conference call was about NXT. He didn't venture off NXT much at all. Here are some notes on what was discussed courtesy of
LordsofPain.net and my thoughts on them. - He talked about how proud he is of the Performance Center and NXT. He talked about Vince McMahon and WWE being so proud and trusting of NXT to let them have Arrival. He specifically mentioned Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn and predicted Cesaro will explode over the next few years.
JC: That's great about Cesaro because he's proving himself to be a special all around talent capable of putting on great matches with anybody. Hopefully Zayn can be a huge star in the next few years also. - He said the fans at Full Sail University own the NXT show, comparing it to something like ECW back in the day. He said Arrival feels like the NXT roster's WrestleMania and they are ready.
JC: The fans really area huge part of the show. It's not a big venue (maybe 500 people), but they're loud and that helps the atmosphere of the show. - He never thought WWE's talent development was in bad shape but realized it needed to grow. They will likely tour with live shows some more. He doesn't want NXT to go global but touring would help the talents.
JC: Touring would be a wonderful thing. Currently, they really only tour in the south Florida area in very small venues. Since NXT will be on WWE Network and pushed heavily, that will allow them to tour in other parts of America. It's good for the talent to get that experience. - The conversation between he and Vince when Vince wanted Triple H to take a bigger role in the company was one that took place over a long period of time. He joked that it happened way before he got involved with Stephanie McMahon. He enjoys watching the behind-the-scenes process and felt like a "giddy dad" watching The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family at Elimination Chamber. He said Vince had a huge smile on his face after the match and said, "Wow!"
JC: It's nice to know that Vince McMahon loved the match so much. It really was excellent and everybody involved should be proud of it. From the build up to it and the match, it was outstanding to see. - He said the guys from the indies are doing great moves but they need to learn story telling and that slowing down and letting fans digest what's going on is important.
JC: It's understandable that he would say something like that because when they bring in guys from the indies they're always going to put them in NXT to teach them WWE style. They want people to wrestle matches their way. Slowing down in the ring is a good idea, but at the same time it's important to not take away the styles of certain wrestlers too. - They may do more live NXT shows on the Network in the future but right now they're focused on Arrival. NXT shows around the big pay-per-views like WrestleMania and SummerSlam are possible.
JC: The live specials are a good idea. If they did four of them per year every three months it would be perfect. It's nice to see that Triple H is so involved in the development process. He's a top executive in WWE that is going to have a major role in the company over the next 30-40 years. He's the right guy for the job. The future of WWE is in very capable hands. Remember to watch NXT ArRRIVAL tonight at 8pmET and see the stars of tomorrow...today!