WWE NXT is about to kick off its CW era in style with a big premiere live in Chicago, and they will have a very special guest in the house in CM Punk. Punk has been advertised for the upcoming episode, and during a recent interview with Fightful’s Iridiun Fierro for WGN Radio, NXT’s head of creative Shawn Michaels was asked what fans could expect from Punk during the show. While Michaels wasn’t ready to reveal any big secrets, he did tease two significant things, with the first being the Punk is set to have a major role. The second note was that there are other surprises planned as well, so it would seem NXT is hitting the ground running as it begins its run on The CW.
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Era of Punk Hits NXT
When asked about Punk’s role in the episode and what fans could expect, Michaels said, “Can’t let the cat out of the bag on that right now. So, he’s going to be there. He’s going to be playing a major role, obviously, for us, and again, as I said. Certainly, other surprises are sure to come.” Michaels also expressed excitement about hitting the road for a bit, and is thrilled that gets to happen in a place like Chicago.
“The NXT Universe, as they say, are very excited to be coming to Chicago. Here in Orlando, our talent, we absolutely love our home base here and our arena, but getting out on the road is a really big event for us and for our talent, so they’re excited to come. Perform in front of, again, not just saying that, one of the greatest crowds that everybody around the world knows about, that’s Chicago there at the Allstate Arena. Absolutely one of the best crowds to perform in front of, and our NXT Superstars are extremely excited about getting to do just that,” Michaels said.
A New Era
NXT will launch The CW era with two big shows in Chicago and St. Louis, and both will have two WWE Superstar guests. As mentioned above, Punk will be in the mix for Chicago’s show, which takes place at the Allstate Arena on Tuesday, October 1st. The second show will take place in St. Louis at the Enterprise Center on Tuesday, October 8th, and will feature none other than The Viper Randy Orton.
“We are thrilled to welcome the WWE brand into the CW Sports portfolio as they play an integral role in our mission to bring live sporting events to the network year-round,” said Dennis Miller, President, The CW Network. “WWE NXT is a perfect fit for The CW thanks to its dynamic young talent featuring the hottest rising stars in the sport and exhilarating, unpredictable weekly events. The passion and engagement of WWE’s fanbase is unmatched, and we are eager to grow that audience as WWE NXT’s new home on broadcast television.”
“The CW has made impressive moves over the past year with its live sports programming schedule,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “It’s a truly exciting opportunity to expand NXT’s audience by bringing the show to broadcast television for the first time in NXT’s history.”
What do you want to see from Punk and Orton on NXT? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!
