Shawn Michaels Says NXT 2.0 Reminds Him Of WWE Attitude Era

WWE NXT 2.0 has had a bit of a shift of power in running its shows over the past month after Triple H suffered a cardiac incident. While Triple H is recovering, Shawn Michaels has taken his place in calling the shots.

The Heartbreak Kid knows that he is filling some pretty big shoes. Michaels, NXT’s Vice President of Talent Development, is always ready to have his best friend’s back. He talked about it with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated.

“Trying to step in and fill his role is impossible to do, everybody here misses him unbelievably, especially me. But I always go back to this—everything in real life takes precedence over everything else. This was a situation where my best friend needed my help and needed me to step in, so I look at this as an opportunity, in a small way, to thank him for everything he did for me earlier in my career. Taking over the responsibilities here is a drop in the bucket compared to what he did for me all those years back. I’m honored to at least have the opportunity to pay him back a little bit and be there for him. That’s what this whole company does—this whole relaunch has been everyone pulling together, and I’m energized and inspired to keep this NXT territory going strong during his absence.”

Change is something Michaels has seen for 35 years. He feels as if the change to NXT 2.0 is reminiscent of WWE’s move into the Attitude Era.

“Doing this now for 35 years, I’ve seen constant change, and change is certainly not new to us in WWE. It’s constantly evolving and changing. I’ve heard people call this a refresh, but it’s still the same crew, which is great because they’re so damn talented. It reminds me of the Attitude Era. We had the same roster the day before he Attitude Era started, and I still remember Vince coming into the locker room and making that speech, inspiring us and making us hungry for the future. That’s what this is—turning over a new leaf, restructuring a few things and putting a brand-new coat of paint on a dominant and incredible brand. It’s chummed the waters, so to speak, and that’s fun to be around.”

Tonight’s Halloween Havoc card was run by Shawn Michaels. The card saw NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa successfully defend his title against Bron Breakker. That was a big surprise as many were expecting Breakker to usher in this new era of NXT 2.0.

Triple H is recovering from heart surgery and is said to be out “for a while,” according to Dave Meltzer in an episode of Wrestling Observer Radio. Superstars may contact him, but they aren’t allowed to discuss work.

What is the best (or worst) thing about Shawn Michaels’ booking on WWE NXT 2.0? Let us know in the comments!