Shawn Michaels NXT Deadline media call notes

[Chris]

Ahead of Saturday's WWE NXT Deadline, Shawn Michaels talked to the media for nearly an hour on Thursday afternoon where he gave some insight into the rehiring of CM Punk, McKenzie Mitchell's release, Wes Lee's injury, and more.

On Punk returning, Michaels said he felt the decision made business sense for everyone and is glad to see him back. He said it makes the end of someone's career easier if they go out on their own terms. He reiterated he seems them as very similar people.

He was blindsided by Mitchell's release last week, but said she is always part of the NXT family and that he hopes they can work together again someday. She was very well-liked by people down there, according to him.

There is no update on NXT Europe other than that they are still working on it and that the region is an important one for the company.

The decision to pull Wes Lee from this Saturday's Deadline was a last-second one as Lee has been struggling with his injury for a while and that they didn't know the depth of it. He didn't think he could make it through the match given the pain he's in so they made the call.

To hear his thoughts on Lexis King, Trick Williams, why the 18-34 demo is enjoying NXT more these days, and more, click the link below for the audio:

Click Here to Listen

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/nxt/shawn-michaels-nxt-media-call-cm-punk-mckenzie-mitchell-nxt-europe

 

[Chris]

On Wes Lee

The decision with Wes was pretty darn close to last-minute. Wes has been struggling for quite some time. I certainly didn't know the depth of it. I knew -- obviously we get medical reports. It was a decision that Wes made on his own, as he should. I mean, clearly, he's a young man that goes out there and just performs like few others. And he had a huge match already going into this premium live event looking for the North American Championship. But just a day or two before, we had a long talk. And he just did not think he could make it through the match with the pain he was in. And so that was the decision certainly that he and our medical team made. It is the best decision for Wes, and that's the only thing in my mind that's important right now, So look, all of this was last-minute. Wes, to his credit, was certainly doing everything he could do to get himself ready for this. But it just wasn't meant to be.

 

[Cwalker]

Hope Wes heals up soon. Seems like they want him to be the one to take the belt back from Dom

 

[Dale]

-Regarding Dragon Lee replacing Wes Lee against Dominik Mysterio at Deadline, Michaels states that Dragon Lee had “more left on the table” and they felt he was the best possible replacement.

-Someone asks about NXT moving to The CW. Michaels says he is very excited for NXT to air on The CW, but that he wants to finish the program’s run on the USA network strong. He reminds the media members that there is a lot of time between now and when they make the move.

-Michaels gets asked about Lexis King, formerly known as Brian Pillman Jr. He says that King has adapted well to being “thrown in the deep end” and has been very receptive to the coaching he’s been given. He believes there is a great deal of potential in King.

-Michaels says Trick Williams will have a big night at NXT Deadline. Admits he sort of feels like a dad with Trick as in he always wants him to succeed and is filled with anxiety while watching him perform. Adds that Trick always gets back up after getting knocked down.

-No update on NXT Europe. Michaels does make a joke about having a larger training facility when the NIL program comes up.

-Michaels discusses how NXT has been able to capture more viewers in the 18-34 demographic. He says that they have a young team of writers that are coming up with stories that speak to that group, adding that the current NXT product is fast-paced and has a great deal of variety.​

 

[King Kota]

Lexis King love lfg