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Paul Levesque met with reporters on a conference call today to discuss Sunday’s NXT Takeover event, which airs on the WWE Network. He previewed the card and then told us there will be a unique aspect to the show that we will see on Sunday. He talked about NXT UK and the Heritage Cup. It will be contested under the British Rounds system. It will be “very British” and he thinks it’s going to be great. He said he hoped we will get past the pandemic at some point and be able to travel again. He then took questions from reporters.
We opened with Mike Johnson. He asked about the COVID situation and how it’s affected the company over the past week. Where are we in terms of the PC being open again and will the card take place as expected? Right now, HHH is confident it will but it’s a touch and go time. The PC is back functioning. Nobody can control this situation and no one is going to be able to stop it. They are doing the best that they can to keep everyone safe. Positives will come up and then they contract trace backward and quarantine affected people. The goal is to keep everyone safe. Every walk of life is dealing with it and doing the best that they can, and that is what they are doing as well.
He was asked, hell I have no idea what he asked and HHH wasn’t sure either. Will NXT be on TV in Spain? They are constantly looking to get on in markets that they are not on in now. The pandemic complicates things like making deals with new outlets.
Jason Powell asked if there was any type of punishment to people that bring COVID into the company. HHH said that you try and convey to people how serious this is. Some people believe the pandemic is over when it’s not. They very much urge the talent to follow all of the protocols. Unfortunately this is real life and sometimes real life poses risk to people. They are not thrilled when people break protocol but they can’t totally control what people do in their personal life.
He was asked about NXT Takeover Dublin being postponed to next June. Where will the next one be? He would love to do one before then but we are in a pandemic. You can’t plan because everything changes on a daily basis. As soon as he can travel talent, they will do it. As soon as they can go to a bigger venue, they will. If things don’t get better, he will look into running a venue like BT in the UK or elsewhere for Takeovers. They have to play it by ear right now. They have a team in place to constantly monitor what they can do. They will be back running normally as soon as possible. But for now he’s just happy that BT has given them access to the studios to do the shows.
He was asked about Kyle O’Reilly getting a Title match. Has there been a plan to elevate him to singles spot for a while? Yes, it’s been something they talked about doing for a while. Did circumstances speed up the process? Probably a little, yes. He would have rather had more time to flesh out the story but change is constant so you react to it. Kyle is a great performer and they have seen him as a single for a while now. Kyle is excited for the opportunity. H said he is a great person and he is happy for him to get the opportunity. Kyle and Balor have been talking about working together for a long time.
Someone asked when does H realistically think we can see fans in buildings. I guess he wasn’t listening. H reiterated that we are IN A PANDEMIC. He doesn’t see it happening for a while. Things are ramping up again with cases, but places are also opening. He said they will watch what happens but they won’t tour unless they can do it safely. Performers come first. They want to keep everyone safe.
Will NXT be involved in the Draft? HHH says he honestly doesn’t know. He’d like to know but right now he doesn’t.
An Australian guy put over his countrymen and women. Is H still watching Australian talent even though he can’t go there and is there a place for them in NXT? Yes, absolutely. The scene there is great. He loves recruiting people who want it. They are definitely keeping an eye on it. They can get footage all the time, even though they can’t go there right now. As soon as they can travel there, they will be back recruiting. H wants the best talent from anywhere in the world.
He was asked about Retribution debuting. How much input do they all have in how they will be used on the main roster, both H and the talent. H laughed and said wow, they came from NXT? He talked about the process of being told people are wanted and he tells them when he can get them written out of the storylines in NXT then they go to the other roster and it’s up to the creative teams on those brands as to how they are used. He offers updates what talents can do when asked, but that’s it.
He was asked about what led to bringing Wade Barrett in. H said he has been a big fan of Wade when he was in the company. He left and did commentary and H was impressed. The timing was never right to bring him in but then the stars aligned and the deal was made quickly. It’s a difficult time to do business and travel and he’s really happy they were able to come to a deal. He thinks Wade is very talented and a great addition to NXT. He’s very smart as well. He looks forward to watching Wade getting even better.
The last question came from Dave Meltzer. He referenced the audience rising on Tuesday when they were moved. Is there any talk about moving to Tuesday or Thursday to get away from AEW. He said sure. He’s happy where they are but there are questions around his product all the time. H made the point that they were on Wednesday first, implying that their day got glommed. Meltzer said that was due to the NBA. H said he knew that, implying that wasn't the point. He then said they always look at all aspects. He said that he has said since the beginning that it’s not a concern to him. He just wants to put on the best shows that he can put on. He said it’s up to WWE and the partners and wherever it ends up he will put on the best show that he can.
HHH ended by telling us that Tegan Nox has torn her ACL and already had surgery. Ugh. That poor woman. H said she has had a rough run of injuries but she is strong and if anyone can return from her, it’s her. He can’t wait for her to come back because she deserves it. He asked us all to keep her in our thoughts.
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