Over the last couple of years, one of the most influential men in WWE NXT has been Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. Taking the lead from a man that many of the current roster grew up idolizing, one can see the finger prints of Michaels’ work and advice all over the current NXT product. Therefore, when looking at what could become of the brand over the next couple of years, few outside of Triple H could potentially hold the keys to the future in the same way that HBK does. Speaking on WWE Backstage on FS1 on Tuesday, Michaels spoke of the future of the brand and who he sees as the superstars of the next generation.
“As you know it’s sort of an always changing group, so to speak, over the years,” Michaels said. “I started with Drew McIntyre, Aleister Black, Ricochet, and The Revival. On to Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, and of course, Adam Cole and Velveteen Dream.
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“Killer Kross — or Karrion Kross — I should probably be better about saying that. Dexter Lumis, [Timothy] Thatcher, I think there’s a number of guys coming up that are going to be very interesting, and again, take NXT to that next level.”
Michaels was also asked during the show about who he sees as similar to himself and his old tag team partner, Kevin Nash (aka “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel).
“It was Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez,” Michaels said. “I was trying to give them an example of one is brash and cocky and gets bumped around a little bit. The other is the heater, she’s the one who shuts the door down.
“I thought it was sort of a dynamic that they could use going forward because it’s one of those things that it’s very visible and easy to comprehend, and just an example to guide them going forward.”
Tuesday night’s programming on FS1 featured a look back at Michaels’ career, showcasing his top WrestleMania moments, in addition to that of John Cena, The Undertaker, and Triple H. Following that, the night culminated with Michaels’ appearance on Backstage.
Who do you think is the future of WWE NXT? Let us know in the comments section below.
[H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcript]
