WWE’s Triple H: AEW ‘beat our developmental system, good for them’

Paul “Triple H” Levesque does not believe WWE is involved in a “competitive war” with AEW. 

In an interview with BT Sport’s Ariel Helwani released Friday, Levesque was asked if he felt the rebranding of NXT was punishment for losing the “Wednesday Night War” to AEW.

“No. People put so much pressure on this…this “competitive war”…it never was that. First of all, they beat our developmental system, good for them. No, it was never that. There was never even pressure of ‘you have to beat that.’ It was just put on the best product you could.”

He was also asked if he feels AEW is competition to WWE.

“Everything is competition to us. We pay attention to everything. You have to,” he said. “Do we pay attention to AEW? Do I watch it on a week-to-week basis? No. Am I aware of what’s happening there? To a degree.” 

Levesque was also asked about the future of NXT Europe and the end of NXT UK. 

“We’re pulling [NXT UK] off the air now so that we can get to NXT Europe because it’s tough to do both at the exact same time.”

“We’re going to pull it off for a little bit, we’re going to bring NXT Europe back in a bigger way than it ever was before. And the intent is, hopefully, if we are successful at it, to replicate that so it’s NXT Europe, it’s NXT India, it’s NXT South Africa, it’s NXT Mexico. Be able to take those products, put them around everywhere, and eventually over time to build brands in those markets locally and build World Cup scenarios around that.”

“That tide then feeds into Raw and SmackDown. If Raw and SmackDown are the NFL, NXT at all levels is collegiate football.”