Shawn Michaels just gave WWE talent a reality check—and he didn’t leave much room for excuses.
The man running NXT says wrestlers who reach Raw or SmackDown are still welcome to train at WWE’s Performance Center. But once they leave his program, Michaels isn’t going to drag them back through the door. If they stop improving, that’s on them. Michaels addressed the issue during an appearance on “Busted Open” after Dave LaGreca pointed out how little time modern NXT wrestlers receive to develop.
In previous generations, athletes could spend years learning before being placed in a major position. Today, performers with limited professional-wrestling experience can find themselves learning the business on live television every Tuesday night. Michaels agreed that the system is difficult, but he has no interest in blaming younger wrestlers or complaining about how the business has changed.
“I do my best to never complain or make comments about how the wrestling business is and ‘these kids today.’ I understand the changes and all of those things.”
Michaels said coaches have two choices: Waste their time complaining or adapt and solve the problem.
“You can sit there and spend your time—waste a lot of time and energy—complaining about them, or you can just adjust to them and find solutions. I’ve tried to focus more on that.”
One of NXT’s biggest problems is that fans want immediate results. Social media can declare a wrestler, match or storyline a failure before WWE has finished setting it up. Michaels compared that reaction to attacking a book after reading only a fraction of it.
“You have so many people, again, with social media and instant gratification, wanting something done now. ‘Oh my goodness, that’s the dumbest thing in the world.’ Well, it’s the first page of the book. We’re only at page 43 of page 200. Right now, it may not make sense, but you’ve got to let us finish the story.”
That environment forces NXT coaches to prepare inexperienced talent for national television at a brutal pace.
“Trying to train and do your best to help young talent—especially ones that may not have any insight on what it is we do—to do that in a very select amount of time is incredibly challenging.”
Michaels praised Matt Bloom and the Performance Center coaching staff, but then revealed that his involvement doesn’t necessarily end when a wrestler gets promoted. He receives feedback from WWE’s main roster about former NXT talent and the weaknesses they still need to fix.
“I get reports from the main roster, and I see areas where they are talking about certain NXT talent: ‘They need to work on this. They need to work on that.’”
Here’s where Michaels’ message got serious. NXT will pass that information along. The Performance Center will remain available. Coaches will help anyone willing to return and work. But Michaels says the wrestler must make that decision.
“We have to get word to them every now and then: ‘Hey, you have to let them know about this. Let them know we’re always here.’ But once you go out of our hands, it’s kind of up to you how much you put into your job and how much you want to come back.”
“The Performance Center is always open. If you want to come in and work on stuff, help train or do whatever it is you want to do, you can certainly do that here.”
In other words, getting called up doesn’t mean the work is finished. It means NXT is no longer responsible for making sure the work gets done. Michaels made it clear that WWE can provide elite coaches, a wrestling ring and direct feedback, but none of it matters if the performer doesn’t take personal responsibility.
“You always want it to be better. You always want to grow. You always want to evolve, advance and get better. This job is no different. You get out of it what you put into it.”
He also acknowledged an ugly truth about professional wrestling: Hard work doesn’t guarantee that a performer will receive the biggest push. Some wrestlers will train less, sacrifice less and still move ahead faster.
“There are always going to be people who don’t work as hard or put as much into it, and they’re still going to do better than you. That’s just the reality of the wrestling business.”
Michaels’ answer wasn’t to complain about unfair booking, other wrestlers’ opportunities or who management likes more. His advice was to stop watching everyone else and concentrate on becoming impossible to ignore. Then Michaels delivered the line that summed up his entire message.
“You only have control over you and yourself. More than anything, that’s what we try to do here: Get them focused on themselves and not worry about what’s going on around them.”
“Comparison is the thief of peace, and it’s the thief of joy. If you can just make yourself better and grow, that’s what you need to be working on.”
NXT can train a wrestler. WWE can promote that wrestler. The Performance Center can remain open whenever that wrestler needs help. What Michaels won’t do is care more about someone’s development than they do.
“That’s up to the individual. We are here and always ready to put into them, but you’ve got to give us the opportunity.”
The message to WWE’s roster couldn’t be much clearer: A main-roster promotion isn’t graduation, and watching someone else get ahead won’t improve your game. The building is open, the coaches are waiting and the next move belongs to the wrestler.
Do you agree with Shawn Michaels that WWE talent must take control of their own development, or should the company do more to keep wrestlers improving after they leave NXT? Leave your feedback and let us know where you stand.
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