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SHAWN MICHAELS DISCUSSES NXT'S LEAP TO THE CW NETWORK, WES LEE, DRAGON LEE'S RETURN TONIGHT AND MORE

Earlier this week, Shawn Michaels took part in a Media Conference Call to promote tonight's NXT Deadline PPV.  Highlights:

NXT moving to the CW Network in 2024:

"That move's still a bit of ways off in 2024, but we're extremely excited about it again.  Obviously thrilled about that. That new partnership with CW here in 2024. But, the partnership that we've had with The USA [Network] has just been phenomenal. They have been absolutely fantastic and so supportive throughout the years. Certainly, from my personal standpoint, from a WWE time, I did a lot of stuff that got in trouble with the USA Network, and they were always just fantastic with us.   Can't thank them enough for the partnership that even NXT has had over the past several years.  Look, we want to finish out strong in that partnership but I'd be lying if I didn't say we were very excited about the future with CW. More of those things will come as we get closer though.  I have no doubt I certainly plan on, getting as many big and special opportunities as we can and blowing it out in 2024 with the CW Network, but we've got a ways before we get there. Gonna finish strong for USA and then make a big blast when we hit CW."

Wes Lee's Injury and the return of Dragon Lee:

"Wes has been struggling for quite some time. I don't,  I certainly didn't know the depth of it. I knew obviously we get medical reports, but from it was a decision that Wes made on his own as he should. Clearly he's. a young man that goes out there and just  performs like few others.  He had a huge match already going into this premium line event looking for the North American championship, but just a day or two before we had a long talk.  He just did not think he could make it through the match with the pain he was in.   So that was a decision, certainly that he and our medical team made.  It's it is the best decision for Wes.   That's the only thing in my mind. That's important right now. So look, all of this was last minute.  Wes to his credit was certainly doing everything he could do to get himself ready for this, but it was just it just wasn't meant to be. So we made the decision,  I guess in less than 24 hours with Dragon Lee.  I think there's obviously story there from before with Dragon Lee.  Just from a selfish standpoint for me I was so looking forward and enjoyed having him in NXT. But I'd be lying if I didn't say I didn't have him as long as I wanted to.  He's somebody that again, I felt would obviously be a fantastic match. He's somebody that I happen to personally enjoy and not just as a performer, but as a human being.   Again, I just I know there were match-ups that were still on the table for me here in NXT.  So I thought that if there was any possibility of those matches being able to happen, that Dragon Lee would be the best fit. So we'll find out Sunday if he can become, yeah, I'm sorry, Saturday, the 9th, if he can become the North American champion, but one way or another it's great to have him here in NXT, even if it's just for a little bit longer."

The NXT Announce Team:

"I love them both. First of all, I'm a huge fan of Vic Joseph.   I think he is absolutely one of the best play by plays guys in this business, and I mean that.  Vic is absolutely fantastic at his job, and I don't know a young man that works harder at that job than Vic does. Booker T, again, we are on a regular basis in the back,  again, laughing out loud with their chemistry every Tuesday night. Again it's, I still watch as a fan as we're back there doing this, and the fact that, again, It may not always be the right thing, but if I enjoy it and it's making me laugh, I always feel like we're going to keep going with it.  So I love the chemistry. I love what it is. ]What] they put together, I think there's a good yin and yang that goes on there. Booker can be so far out to lunch sometimes and watching and listening to Vic having to reel him back in is some of my most enjoyable times during the week. I can't speak more highly of our announce team.  But I, if I could say on a serious note, I don't ever want to lose Vic, but he is absolutely the best. He's a dude that is incredibly gifted and really good at his job."

Ava's current role:

"Ava has been been spending a lot of time . She comes and sees me a lot and brings me a lot of information about these matches and I gotta tell you, I think she done a really good job. I think we all know the bloodline that Ava comes from.  She's very astute in this business, to say the least.  She's been incredibly helpful assisting me with all the stuff that I have to do.   She is still part of the NXT roster, a big part of it and someone that we always love and enjoy having in NXT programming, and she certainly seems to be, she's certainly helping me out a great deal. So I got to be honest with sort of her just business acumen, acumen and, I don't know, just her sort of real natural feel for this line of work. I can't tell you that how much I appreciate the assistance and nothing would thrill me more for her to take more off my hands in the future, we'll have to see how that goes."

Nikita Lyons and the NXT women's division:

"I think everybody saw a lot of potential in Nikita before she went down with the injury from Blair Davenport. [Her return] adds to what is already a, unbelievably stacked women's division, as we talked about earlier. But I'll say this.  I think anyone with, two eyes in their head can see that she's an extremely talented young lady. She does have something special. Again, as people say that 'it' factor, I think that's something she possesses, but one of the downsides of having a stacked women's division is there is a lot of competition.  There are a lot of ladies scratching and clawing to get to the top and she's just not going to [have it] handed to her. She's come back certainly with an intensity and a fire.  She looks ready. She looks like she's in shape. Looks like she's going after Blair Davenport, obviously, but look, I'll say this...our women are hungry. We've got a bunch of extremely talented women. They're not just gonna bend over backwards and let Nikita Lyons walk all over them. So she's gonna have to earn it. I think she's a special individual. I think she's, again, she has a unique look. She's got a certain, I don't know, a quality, I think that a lot of our fans like.  She's got ability, but like I said, she's gonna have to earn it, when she gets back in that ring and we'll find out here, I'm sure in the very near future how that all pans out."

 

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