Shawn Michaels revealed that the developmental process for WWE talent doesn’t necessarily end once they leave NXT and get called up to RAW or SmackDown.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio ahead of NXT Heatwave on August 30 in Edinburg, Texas, Michaels said he receives feedback from the main roster about areas where former NXT talent still need to improve.
“I get reports from the main roster and I see areas where they’re talking about certain NXT talent, they need to work on this, they need to work on that. It’s something we have to get word to them every now and then like, ‘Hey, you have to tell them. 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.”
Michaels added that he can’t remember another stretch where NXT lost as many wrestlers to the main roster in such a short window. The WWE Hall of Famer said the sheer number of call-ups over the past eight months has forced the brand into a significant rebuild.
One of the latest examples came on the August 24 episode of Monday Night RAW, where Bronco Nima and Lucien Price of OTM showed up alongside Royce Keys and jumped The Usos, LA Knight, and Solo Sikoa.
The setup Michaels described remains open even to talent already on RAW or SmackDown. The official WWE Performance Center website states that its programs also serve main roster talent. Matt Bloom is listed as Head Coach and Vice President of Talent Development, while Michaels holds the title of Senior Vice President, Talent Development.