This week’s NXT will see reigning NXT Champion Adam Cole take on NXT North American Champion Keith Lee in a “Winner Take All” match. Cole just eclipsed 400 recognized days with the brand’s top title while Lee is just a few weeks away from his reign reaching the six-month mark. And unless injuries or a sudden call-up gets in the way, those long types of reigns are par for the course when it comes to WWE‘s Black and Gold Brand, as opposed to Raw or SmackDown where titles can change hands multiple times in just one month.
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During his interview with Sports Illustrated this week, Triple H explained the creative thought process when it comes to title changes.
“So much of this business comes down to guts and feel,” Hunter explained. “There are a lot of people I trust, like Shawn [Michaels], that have experience and a feel for this. When it’s time for a change, you can feel that momentum. There is no math behind it or science to it. The best in our business, they know that feel. That’s always been the art of what we do, which is a little harder right now without 15,000 people in the building giving us their feedback. But that’s what it comes down to for me, the feel.”
During the interview “The Game” also explained why he booked the two-week Great American Bash event to go head-to-head with AEW’s Fyter Fest.
“It absolutely is part of healthy of competition,” he said. “Anyone that thinks it isn’t, to a degree, is being naive to the situation. You saw that back in the day when Clash of Champions was counter-programming [to WrestleMania IV in 1988]. At the same point, it can’t drive your booking decisions.
“Obviously there are counter-programming decisions, but I can tell you exactly how this came about,” he added. “Almost all of these storylines were headed where they are now. There was a gap, timing wise, between In Your House and what will become the SummerSlam TakeOver, and you need a halfway point and a build. This is that halfway point. So it doesn’t change our decision-making process. I don’t counter-book, I book what’s right for NXT.”
Here’s what’s on the docket for NXT tonight:
- NXT Championship and NXT North American Championship: Adam Cole vs. Keith Lee
- Street Fight: Mia Yim vs. Candice LeRae
- Drake Maverick, Fandango and Tyler Breeze vs. El Legado del Fantasma
- Johnny Gargano vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
