Shawn Michaels Breaks Down How He Picks NXT Recruits

Shawn Michaels has lifted the lid on his formula for NXT.

At the peak of its popularity, NXT worked to balance the best young homegrown WWE talent and the best of the independent scene on one show. However, that changed when Triple H was forced to step back from the brand on health grounds in 2021, but in recent months NXT has attempted to return to its black and gold roots.

While fans can see the likes of Ethan Page and Lexis King on the show who have more experience, Sol Rucca, Oba Femi, and Trick Williams are among those flying the flag for the WWE Performance Center.

Appearing on The Schmo, NXT boss Shawn Michaels was asked about what he looks for in potential recruits, and the culture he tries to instill in the brand.

“Honestly, for me, everybody talks about the ‘it’ factor. If you can define that, you’d find it, you’d go out there and pick them, and it’d be easy. First of all, charisma. For me, a lot of it is footwork. I watch a lot of guys run across the ring and whether they run, they move, and whether they are stepping. A lot of what I look for is footwork and coordination.

Then, of course, are they coachable and teachable? When everything is said and done, it’s going to come down to attitude and character. That’s one of the things in NXT that Hunter put in place years ago when he started NXT. Character trumps talent. 90% of the time, that’s a culture we continue to try and cultivate.

At NXT, it’s a multitude of things. If you could say it was one thing, it would be an easy process. I do know that we are recruiting incredible athletes from around the world and the future of WWE is very bright because NXT right now is kicking ass in every category, whether it’s men, women, anyone else out there, we are finding it and we’re going to continue to bring them to NXT and have the success we’ve been having,”

Shawn Michaels Meets UFC Legend

NXT held its most recent special Battleground at the UFC Apex on June 9th, with the cross-promotional match between Jordynne Grace and Roxanne Perez grabbing the headlines. As expected, there was a heavy UFC presence at the event, and Shawn Michaels was filmed meeting Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin backstage.

Griffin is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and won the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. The star ended his career with a record of 19 wins and 7 losses, before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.

H/t to Fightful