Why Shawn Michaels Enjoys NXT Chess Match

Shawn Michaels is loving life as NXT’s top.

After initially working as a coach in NXT, Shawn Michaels assumed the brand’s top job when his long-time friend suffered a “cardiac event” in September 2021.

This means that not only is he responsible for NXT television, but he also plays a key role in developing and recruiting talent behind the scenes.

In recent years, this aspect of the job has taken a slightly different direction, with WWE placing an increasing emphasis on recruiting athletes from a wide range of different sports, even if they’ve previously shown no interest in wrestling.

But despite the challenges that this can present, it’s a challenge Michaels is ready to embrace.

During an appearance on Six Feet Under with The Undertaker, Michaels opened up about working in NXT and revealed that he finds it easy to spot those who aren’t committed or have a passion for wrestling.

“It’s not if there’s anyone that’s walked through the door that — again, hasn’t or doesn’t become aware of what I’ve done. But, certainly from the job standpoint, the professional of professional wrestling, we’ve got plenty of them now, we’ve got these athletes that weren’t fans of it.

Once you get here and you come in, you do a little homework, you get some history class, and then you kind of, you know, find out about it. But, there’s been a few that don’t understand the depth. I can feel a sense of, you don’t understand, I’m looking to be [the guy]. I don’t want to make it sound unfair to them, but they’re just — when you’ve been doing this for a long time, you can read people and you can understand people and you know passion and you know real desire, and you know when someone is full of BS.

I can tell the difference between the ones that have a good understanding of what I’ve done. But I’ve also had people look at me and kind of go through the litany of them claiming they know what I’ve done when what they’ve done is a Wikipedia search.”

Despite this, Michaels said he enjoyed the challenge of trying to connect everyone together and find common ground between the young hopefuls.

“Believe it or not, it’s one of those things that’s enjoyable about the job is kind of the chess game in all of that and finding ways to connect to these people. Some of the things that Hunter has taught me and some of the things that I’ve learned in this job, again, discerning the difference between one who is full of BS and who isn’t. But also, I’m in a role of teaching now and passing forward, moving forward.”

Shawn Michaels Proud Of Disastrous Final Match

During the same interview, Shawn Michaels reflected on his match Crown Jewel 2018 teaming with Triple H against The Undertaker and Kane.

Despite the match going totally off the rails, Michaels said he’s strangely proud of it, suggesting that it was a fitting farewell. The match was Michaels’ first in eight years after he initially retired following defeat to The Deadman at WrestleMania 26.

Following the ill-fated comeback, Michaels quickly headed back into retirement, and hasn’t wrestled since.

H/t to Fightful