WWE NXT's Bron Breakker Talks Title Win, Rick Steiner's Surprise Appearance, NXT 2.0 Evolution, and More

It was one amazing New Year's Evil for WWE NXT's Bron Breakker, who after a thrilling rematch against Tommaso Ciampa in the main event was able to dethrone the Blackheart and become the new NXT Champion. Despite a clear rivalry between the Black and Gold and 2.0 eras, there was a moment of respect between the two stars, and now Breakker stands at the top of NXT, awaiting his next challenger. ComicBook.com had the chance to speak to Breakker all about his big Championship win as well as that special moment with his father Rick Steiner in the ring, some behind the scenes moments after the win, and much much more.

First, we just wanted to know how he was feeling the day after the win, and he admittedly was still processing it, saying  "It's kind of surreal right now. It really hasn't sunk in yet, man. I might have to give it a little bit of time."

This is so wholesome 🥰

(via @WWENXT) pic.twitter.com/FnZG7C9RtQ

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) January 5, 2022

That brought us to what made the win even more special, which was a surprise appearance by his Father and wrestling legend Rick Steiner. Steiner came to the ring and celebrated with Bron, and it was actually the first time Rick had seen him wrestle live.

"I knew that there was a chance he was going to come but I didn't know," Breakker said. " I didn't really talk to him prior to the show or anything. I mean, he's a busy guy. He is busy all the time so I understand it's tough for him to make it down and make it to the shows and whatnot. That was the first time he has ever seen me work, and yeah, it was a pretty cool moment with him in there. Not going to lie. It's probably something I'll remember for the rest of my life."

When you've got legends in the family, you have access to an extensive well of experience, and Breakker picked up some valuable advice along the way.

"Yeah, yeah, absolutely. My Father and my Uncle both have given me great advice, all the time," Breakker said. "They're always giving me tips on my matches and tips on my promos and things that I could do better as an athlete and just be a better sports entertainer man, because who better than them, you know what I mean? They're an unbelievable resource for me to just pick their brains and get as much knowledge as I possibly can from them. It's pretty unbelievable."

On his way to the ring, Breakker shattered a large X that resembled the X in the Black and Gold NXT logo, and the rivalry between the two eras has been tense at times. That said, getting that nod of respect from Ciampa after a stellar match still meant a great deal to him, and he has nothing but amazing things to say about Ciampa.

"Yeah, absolutely, man. I'm very, very big on respect from the older guys in the locker room. Tommaso and I battled for a long time and we had some bloody just knock down drag-outs in the ring," Breakker said. "We traveled the world together, fighting all over the place, man. I have the utmost respect for him. I think he's a quality human being. He's a phenomenal performer, obviously man, he's one of, if not the best sports entertainer to ever step foot in an NXT ring. He's a veteran of the game, he's a leader here in NXT. He's an ambassador and he represents what we're about as an NXT brand. He's just a professional. He's tough as hell. He gave me everything I could handle and then some. I can't say enough positive things about him and how much respect that I have for him and what he's done for my career. I have no doubt we'll meet again, somewhere down the line."

Breakker also broke down what happened shortly after his win when he made it backstage, saying "I just hugged Sean Michael's neck and we had a moment there and I told him thank you. We just had a cool little moment there. I hugged my dad's neck and it was cool, man. It was the first time he's been a part of it and been there in person to see me and stuff. It was just cool, man. It was a lot of emotions running last night. It was a crazy feeling, man. Unbelievable."

Breakker is excited to be part of this new era in NXT, and can't wait to find out who will step up as the next challenger, as he will be a fighting Champion.

"You know, it's an exciting time to be here, man. It's such an honor for me to be a part of this company and be a part of WWE and to be in the spot to represent what we're about as a brand and to be a pro, man. Show that I can be a leader," Breakker said. "I can be somebody leading the charge for NXT 2.0. It's an honor for me. I can't be more thankful to be a part of the best company in the world. I got to be better every single day. I got to be a fighting champion now."

Shawn Michaels recently brought up how NXT is the one brand that is actually developing and pushing brand new stars, with some having their first matches in NXT, and Bronson feels like 2.0 is living up to that and delivering faces we haven't seen before.

"Yeah. There's a lot of new faces out there, including myself. It's just part of it, man. Business changes over time. Everybody's been new at some point in their career. Everyone's had to dive in and be the new guy at some point in time. Right now it's the time for myself and some other young guys coming up for us to dive in and make a name for ourselves, start our career. What better place? There's not a better place out there for us to start right here in NXT," Breakker said.

Being a star in WWE NXT comes with a few perks, including the possibility of being included in a video game, made into an action figure, or both in many cases. So, which is Breakker looking forward to more?

"I don't know, man. They're both pretty cool things. I played the video games. I played, like, I think it was like Raw Versus SmackDown maybe, or I can't remember. But I played a little bit of the WWE games on the Nintendo when I was a kid. I think that'll be cool, man, being on the video games. That'll be a cool moment for me as well. Both of those things are milestones, you know what I mean? Those are pretty cool," Breakker said.

We're pretty sure figures and some game appearances are both in the not-too-distant future, and 2K22 is right around the corner, so maybe that will end up being the first one. We'll just have to wait and see.

You can watch Bron Breakker in action every Tuesday on the USA Network at 7 PM CST.

Who should Breakker face next? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!