Triple H Addresses Reports of NXT Changing Its Strategy

Following the WWE Las Vegas Tryouts on Thursday afternoon, Triple H spoke with the media inside the MGM Grand. After reflecting on the two-day tryout and announcing that more than a dozen wrestlers had been signed, "The Game" was asked what he and the other trainers were looking for in this crop of talent, as well as commenting on the reported changes that are coming to the NXT brand in the near future. Recent reports have stated that WWE has been looking to push NXT in a new direction with a new presentation on television and a larger focus on younger, bigger stars who could potentially be main events on either Raw or SmackDown.

"It's a funny thing, people talk about shifting. It never really shifted," he said. "So if you go back and look at the hiring process, (it's) not the hiring process of a television show, it's a hiring process of who we're looking to train and make WWE Superstars. Long term. If you go back and look at it, it hasn't shifted. It's been the same process. I don't negate anybody from a standpoint of, 'I wrestled some independent stuff,' 'Well all right, you're out!' That's not a factor to me, but it's also not the factor that makes me go, 'Okay, you're in.' When they get in here today, if somebody goes in and hits the ropes perfectly every time, has every roll perfect, does all the stuff, makes it look easy because they've been training, that's not really showing me anything. You should be able to, if you've been training, if you've been working indies you should be able to do all of that.

"To me, what is the potential long-term? What is that potential? And are they willing to do the work to live up to that potential. Vince used to always say, 'We're a variety show' — we are. In some manner, you need a little bit of everything," he continued. "That's the key to all of this. But people hear one statement and then make one (assumption). 'Now it's that. No, now it's this.' It always has been."

WWE's NXT brand returns to pay-per-view this Sunday with the NXT TakeOver 36 event. Check out the full card below:

• NXT Championship: Karrion Kross vs. Samoa Joe
• NXT Women's Championship: Raquel Gonzalez vs. Dakota Kai
• NXT UK Championship: Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov
• Million Dollar Championship: LA Knight vs. Cameron Grimes
• Kyle O'Reilly vs. Adam Cole (Two out of Three Falls)