Coverage of Triple H meeting with reporters after WWE NXT Takeover XXV
Triple H met with reporters after tonight’s excellent NXT Takeover 25 event. Adam Hopkins, as usual, welcomed us. Paul will be right here.
Paul thanked us and said he thanked we had a hell of a night. He couldn’t believe it’s been 25 shows and he watched the clips of the shows that they sent us to lead up to this and he enjoyed seeing all of them. The talent said that they wanted to kick butt and they did.
Mike Johnson asked about it being a self standing show and asked how much that changed the aspect of tonight’s show. He also asked if the Target specials with continue.
Paul said it was experimental to do the Target show. This weekend yes they didn’t have WWE but tonight was all about the storylines and the show itself. You put talent in the ring and let talent do what they do and tear it up, which they did. He also put over that the team did it on such short notice so he thanked his team and the arena. He said it’s changed for the main roster but it’s perfect for NXT. The brand can stand on its own.
He was asked about the Street Profits and their progress?
He said it’s not about how long it takes for a talent to make it, it’s about getting better and to get to the next level. He said that Dawkins has been there for a while and grown while Ford is a crazy good athlete who hasn’t been there that long. It took them a while to find their groove as a team but it takes a while to find charisma as a team. He is really happy for both of them.
He was asked about Ciampa being cleared for non contact. How is his schedule?
He is cleared to do things that aren’t in ring wrestling. He is ahead of schedule but he won’t be doing anything until he is 100 percent. He has a way to go but he is ahead of schedule. He is champing at the bit to get back. He wanted him to be at the show because he wanted him to be around it. It was a good call. He will be back.
Fritz came on the call and H made a joke about Mike making a face at him. He asked how he feels after a show like this.
He talked about the process of dealing what happens and how it happened and when he does it, he goes over the moments that he saw throughout the night. He said he goes back and looks at things after the fact but he also gets the feel as it goes. He talked about the new lighting that they used tonight and tweaking it on the fly. FYI, I liked the lighting. He said that as spectacular as they think it is, the talent doesn’t always see it that way so they dissect it and look at all aspects.
He was asked about how good it was to be home and the Bruins being close to the Cup.
H likes it.
Has you ever seen anyone with what Riddle has?
Riddle has a charisma about him that makes you want to watch him. He is fluid and he has a great background in MMA. It makes him different from anyone else. He is not like anyone else, he is the first him. He is so new it will be incredible to watch him grow. As for Roddy Strong, he is one of those guys who people will really see how great he is after the fact. He steals the show, he makes people look better, he’s a pro. He’s amazing.
Was tonight the greatest success to have tonight to be a standalone?
Yes, there’s only so much that you can piggyback off of. He has said for a while that the brand can stand on its own. They did it tonight in Bridgeport. H said that tonight was the highest grossing WWE event ever in the building.
He was asked what analytics he uses to determine if the show is a success.
He said he looks at the crowd, the viewership, the pop, the reaction, etc. Don’t go too deep into it, just put on an amazing event. He referenced Field Of Dreams, if you build it, they will come.
How about Tyler Breeze?
He fits in the brand perfectly, he always has. He and Dream followed the ladder match because they are spectacular at what they do. It’s great that he got to come back and show what he can do. He proved he can hang and he showed he belonged in NXT.
I asked it he were able to go back in time and tell a younger you that you would be the position you are now to do the things that you do with NXT, what would the younger you have said?
He wouldn’t have believed it. He referenced Michael Hayes singing at his wedding and not being able to believe it. He wants to put on the spectacular show he wanted to see as a kid. It’s about passion he has for the business. He wants to create and put people in a position to excel and make it easier for them. He believes that the talent that are there are the best in the world and he tells them that. He would put it up against any product. Tonight was to make a statement, statement made.
How does it compare to what you did in the ring compared to what you did in the ring?
I asked it so I didn’t type it in real time but he said that both were great but being Papa H to the new talent is pretty cool.
He finished by telling us that Takeover will be at SummerSlam in Toronto plus the NXT Takeover show in Cardiff was booked long before they knew anyone else was running that day. He mentioned that they would be on in the daytime not head to head with the other show that night.
