Shawn Michaels Says NXT Survived Massive WWE Roster Shake-Up and Is Finally Hitting Its Groove

Shawn Michaels isn’t pretending NXT had an easy road after WrestleMania.

WWE sent a major group of NXT performers to Raw and SmackDown, leaving Michaels and his team with the difficult job of rebuilding the developmental brand while continuing to produce live television every week.

During an appearance on “Busted Open,” host Dave LaGreca asked Michaels how proud he was of the current roster. LaGreca noted that NXT had undergone significant changes following WrestleMania but had already recovered enough to present what he considered one of the brand’s strongest shows in a long time. Michaels said roster turnover is part of NXT’s purpose. The brand is designed to prepare future WWE stars for Raw and SmackDown, meaning its most successful performers will eventually leave. This particular stretch, however, was much more severe than usual.

“Very. That happens on a regular basis. Obviously, that’s what NXT is as a brand. It’s about preparing WWE Superstars for Raw and SmackDown. But I can’t remember a year where we went through this much talent going up in probably, at the very least, a year—but certainly about an eight-month span.”

Michaels said NXT always expects a rebuilding period after call-ups, but the scope of this transition demanded an extraordinary effort from everyone involved. He pointed to the difference between Great American Bash and Heat Wave as evidence of how rapidly the brand had recovered. Michaels also credited the addition of new performers—including names transcribed as Mike, Waller and Zilla—with energizing the roster and forcing NXT’s established wrestlers to raise their game.

“We always understand there’s going to be a rebuilding process. But this was a yeoman’s effort, I think, this year—to the point where you look at the difference between Great American Bash and now Heat Wave, and it really jumps off the page, the difference in this show.”

Those additions didn’t merely strengthen the Heat Wave card. According to Michaels, they placed pressure on the rest of the men’s division and challenged the NXT creative team to produce stronger material.

“I do think, again, the addition of Mike and Waller and Zilla was obviously a huge boost. It’s also, I think, challenged all the other men on our roster to step up. And look, it challenges us as a creative team as well.”

Michaels said everyone involved had to rise to the difficulty placed in front of them—and that process is one of the things he enjoys most about running NXT.

“It’s one of those things where you have to rise to the difficulty in front of you, and that’s what we get a kick out of doing here. I’m very proud of everybody who pulled together. All of our talent has done a great job.”

The WWE Hall of Famer believes the wrestlers understood exactly how much responsibility had suddenly landed on their shoulders. Instead of allowing the depleted roster to sink the show, they helped NXT regain its momentum. Michaels closed his answer with a strong endorsement of NXT’s future and the performers who helped carry the brand through a difficult transition.

“They understood the pressure that was on their shoulders. I think we certainly have momentum now, and I think we’re going to be hitting our groove again coming to the end of the year and, obviously, into 2027.”

“Once again, the future is very bright for NXT, and I couldn’t be more proud of all of our talent for working so hard.”

NXT’s roster may have been stripped down after WrestleMania, but Michaels believes the rebuilding phase has already produced a hungrier group. Now the real test is whether that momentum survives the next round of WWE call-ups.

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