WWE's Shawn Michaels Addresses Rip Fowler and Jagger Reid's Release Request and Future in NXT

Shawn Michaels is currently running things in WWE NXT, and there's been a lot of change he's had to maneuver and deal with over the past few months thanks to the WWE Draft, injuries, and more. He was thrown another curveball earlier this year when Rip Fowler and Jagger Reid (formerly the Grizzled Young Veterans) requested their release. At the time they had joined up with The Dyad's Joe Gacy, and then Ava Raine would join the group later on. They were never released though and have continued to be featured in the group, and in today's NXT Battleground press conference, Michaels was asked about his approach to handling that situation and their continued presence on NXT.

"Yeah, obviously I do. And look, they were guys that clearly I wanted to come over and bring over from the UK. I think they're very talented, but again, I absolutely understand," Michaels said. "It's one of the things that I tell everybody here. Do I want it to be here in the WWE for you to have your success? Absolutely. I can't lie about that, but really this is about wanting to help all, no matter who comes through these doors, help them to have success in this business as a whole."

"I always tell everybody I feel so fortunate for the life that I have and my family that I have, and it's because of this job. And now, there's a real opportunity for everyone that is in this line of work to have that," Michaels said. "I want that for them, so I understand absolutely the way that they feel, but as I mentioned to them, 'While you're here, man, I still want to put you in a prominent role.' Again, there are no hard feelings in that respect. There's too much talent there to waste or to leave on the table, and so, certainly, if they don't mind working, I sure as heck don't mind using them."

Michaels was also asked about NXT Superstars like Carmelo Hayes, Wes Lee, and Gallus, who have all made impacts on NXT since joining the brand. They've all also acquired Championship gold since arriving, and their impacts don't appear to be ending anytime soon.

"Sure. Look, I'll say obviously, and as I always freely admit, I'm clearly biased, but I certainly think they've done a good job. I will say that Wes Lee I think has been, for me, I think the biggest standout and I want to make sure that I say that in a way that I guess given from where he's come from. He came in obviously as a tag team, and then when that fell apart, I don't know, I think everyone was very curious to see how he would be able to sustain himself. And I think he has just gone over and above what I think anybody expected, clearly living up to his potential easily because he is a talented young man," Michaels said.

"But I think he's just done such a fantastic job. And I say that, because again, from Carmelo Hayes, I think everybody saw it the minute he stepped through an NXT door. I certainly saw it from the very beginning. Gallus are guys that had success in the UK and they're veterans. So I think that their rise is not overly surprising. But for me, again, Wes Lee, who had such, I don't know, so many obstacles to overcome, I think I'm most proud of Wes and what he's done with that North American Championship," Michaels said.

Hayes will defend his NXT Championship at NXT Battleground, and Gallus and Lee will also defend their Titles. You can find the full updated card for NXT Battleground below.

NXT Championship Match: Carmelo Hayes (C) vs Bron Breakker

NXT Women's Championship Tournament Final: Tiffany Stratton vs Lyra Valkyria

NXT North American Championship: Wes Lee (C) vs Joe Gacy vs Tyler Bate

NXT Heritage Cup: Noam Dar (C) vs Dragon Lee

NXT Tag Team Championship: Gallus (C) vs The Creed Brothers

Dijak vs Ilja Dragunov

What do you think of Michaels' comments? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!