Triple H Talks WWE NXT “Takeover: London” Card, Finn Balor, Creative, Three Hours, More

Triple H held a conference call earlier today to promote next week’s WWE NXT “Takeover: London” event. Below is part 1 of the highlights:

* He’s really appreciative of the attention and interest in the NXT brand that the wrestling media has given. He called it a massively exciting time with NXT going to the UK for the first time. He plugs “Takeover: London” and the 3pm EST timeslot, saying it’s been a long time since WWE did something like that and it’s good for the UK fans that they get a special in their own primetime timeslot. He says it’s a huge opportunity and he hopes it’s so successful that they can do more specials with more international timeslots. He touted the success of “Beast In the East” and said he’s hoping to do the same here.

* Triple H is excited about the card. He talks about Asuka vs. Emma and says fans will see what he already knows about Asuka. He said we’ve seen bits and pieces of her on TV but this will be the first time they get to see her really go. He also praised Emma. He praised NXT Tag Team Champions Dash and Dawson, saying them and others are re-invigorating the tag team scene. He said Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady probably have more charisma than anyone else right now. He gave props to Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin for their come-ups. He said Corbin works harder than anyone else. He said people connect with NXT Women’s Champion Bayley like he hasn’t seen in a long time and gave props to Nia Jax. He talked about Samoa Joe vs. NXT Champion Finn Balor and said while Joe has been around, he hasn’t seen a passionate Joe like we’ve seen recently. He says Joe has flipped the switch and gone back in time. Joe’s passion for the brand is showing and that’s exciting.

* Sami Zayn will wrestle on Takeover night but it will air the next week on TV. They will also tape Elias Samson’s debut and a tag match with The Vaudevillains vs. The Hype Bros. vs. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan vs. Blake and Murphy. He says the tour is massively successful already and they are excited to be in the UK. He says it’s leading to more success for NXT and they should have more announcements in early 2016 that fans will be excited about. He said 2016 will be a big year and he has huge expectations. His 2015 expectations were exceeded.

* He was asked about old school elements in NXT that we don’t see on the main roster like a talent being upset one week and coming out smiling the next week, and why they’re able to do stuff like that in NXT when there’s a bit of a disconnect on the main roster. He said there’s a difference in styles and theories, and the way things are done, but that doesn’t mean one is better than the other. He said he controls the NXT product and doesn’t on the main roster. He said there are different philosophies but that’s OK because they both are very valid and have their place.

* In regards to possibly giving the first hour of RAW to the NXT brand, he says he’s heard the idea from fans but not internally. He said doing three hours is hard and if they did that then it wouldn’t be NXT, it would just be another hour of RAW. He said three hours is extremely difficult but it’s up to them to become more disciplined and more creative with how they do things. He cited unfortunate situations like injuries but said it’s on them to become more creative and come up with a better show. They hear fan frustrations and in a lot of ways, they feel the same way but it comes down to trying to fix it. They’re not 100% sure on how to fix it but they will get there.

* With all the injuries, he was asked if they considered calling Balor up to the main roster. He says we will see Balor when everything is right for the call-up. Balor has expressed a desire to ground himself in NXT and he’s in no hurry to get to the main roster. He talks about Balor came from a different environment in Balor and there are still a lot of things he’s still picking up on. Triple H sees a lot of improvements after each TV taping. He says Balor is still learning and Balor’s aware of that. He hates pulling people from here and there just because they have injuries, because when they return you might have too many spots. Hes against calling people up without a game-plan.

* He was asked about possibly cutting RAW to 2 hours and giving the third hour to NXT on another NBC network on Wednesday nights. He said it’s special being on the WWE Network and it’s episodic programming that makes you want to stay with the Network. He said The Sopranos was on a pay channel and it never hurt them. He said if other people in the company decided that was the right move, he would support it 100%. He will take the platform wherever he can get it. He said the show being on the Network doesn’t seem to be hurting the buzz or expansion of the brand and he hopes that continues.

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