WWE EVP of Talent & Live Events, Triple H (Paul Levesque), was recently interviewed by TV Insider. During the interview, Triple H discussed his passion project, NXT, and how he wants the black and gold brand to supersede RAW and Smackdown in some areas.
Triple H on Not Wanting to Make NXT Like Raw and SmackDown:
“If I wanted to make it Raw and SmackDown, I would have already done it. But there is no intent in doing that, and there is no benefit in doing that. I feel in some way we are that band that signs with a major record label, but we’re not going to change what we do.”
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Triple H on What it Means for Talent When They Don’t Make The Cut for A TakeOver:
“That means a lot of talent will debut and be a part of this brand on a weekly basis but may not be on TakeOver events. You prove yourself in these storylines, you get to the bigger storylines. You go to TakeOver. This will be the brand where there will be no participation medals. You earn your spot and grow into your spot. We’re not going to make TkaeOver events longer because we have the bigger bandwidth for storylines. It’s keeping the product for what it is but making more opportunities.”
Triple H on NXT Ratings on USA:
“When those ratings came out after the first episode came out, I spoke to Chris McCumber [president, entertainment networks] at USA, and they were thrilled beyond what they were hoping for and expecting. Now it has become what we do, and I want to grow it bigger I learned early in the process of NXT when someone suggested we go to Barclays Center for a TakeOver, and it was the first thing I balked at when it was thrown at me. I was almost resistant to doing it, and it sold out immediately. It made me get to thinking outside the box and thinking bigger than this. I want to this every bit as a brand to where in some manner I want it to be bigger than Raw and SmackDown on a certain level.”