Triple H comments on NXT’s future and Shinsuke Nakamura’s status

As WWE closes out 2016, Paul Levesque (more commonly known as Triple H) spoke to ESPN’s Nicolas Atkin about the future of NXT as the brand prepares to enter a new year.

In the interview, Levesque once again emphasized that NXT is more than developmental. He also had interesting comments on roster movement between brands that we could see in the future as NXT further establishes itself.

“We say that it’s developmental, but at the same time it’s a third brand — 200 events this year, specials and the weekly show itself which are one of the most popular things on the Network,” Levesque said. “I think over the years you’re gonna begin to see Raw is its own brand, SmackDown is its own brand, NXT — you’re gonna see people move around. It’s no longer gonna be just, this guy got called up, it’s gonna be maybe ‘this guy got moved over, she got moved here,’ and see that transference of talent.”

“At the end of the day, it’s all content; it’s all product that our fans wanna see. The difference in those products is big, but there’s something there for everybody. I think that’s what’s exciting about it.”

Levesque was asked about Shinsuke Nakamura’s status and seemed confused by fans clamoring for the NXT Champion to be called up to the main roster.

“One of the things that’s funny to me — I always laugh at it — is when people say to me, ‘I watch Nakamura every week in NXT. I don’t know why they don’t put him on Raw so I can watch him on Raw every week,'” Levesque said. “You’re getting to see him, right? You’re getting to see him doing what he does, in a big way. The opportunities are there. He’s got that clean path now to get here, when he gets here he might go there, he might go back.”

Levesque also discussed NXT’s role in getting talent ready to work on television and how that has helped wrestlers like Finn Balor acclimate to WWE. Levesque noted that Balor came from an “indie group” and had his mind blown when working his first live event because he had never thought of where the cameras were or others things he had to do for TV.