Triple H recently spoke to Thrillist for an interview before the NXT two-hour premiere on Wednesday.
Triple H mentioned how NXT helped out AEW become relevant and exist.
Triple H commented on a variety of things, one of things he talked about was how NXT differentiated from RAW and Smackdown:
“Raw and Smackdown are like this band you were into when they first started. They were small, and no one had heard of them, and they were the greatest band ever, right? Then, five, six years and two, three albums down the line, they go mainstream and hit it big. Casual people are all into them because they’re selling out stadiums, and you’re like, ‘That is the worst piece of crap sellout song they’ve ever made. You’ve got to go back and listen to these first two albums!’ Raw and Smackdown are the thing that want to try to grab everyone. NXT? I want to grab people at that base level, where they started, where this is the greatest band ever. There’s not as many of them, but they’re super-engaged from day one. We’re gonna be laser-focused on the stuff that the more passionate fans will care about — the pure product, as opposed to just the spectacle.”
Triple H also spoke on how NXT helped pave the way for AEW’s success:
“I don’t mean to knock what they or anybody else is doing, but in a way, NXT created the template to show them that this can be done. The question is, can they continue to do that? It’s one thing to take athletes and put them in the ring and go, ‘Just do crazy shit and see what you come up with.’ Fans will tune in, but they won’t stay, because it’ll lose its luster. After a while, you’ve seen it.”
Triple H also stated on what AEW should do to keep its viewers:
“What will make people stay is the characters and the storylines. If they can create that, then they can be successful. In the short term, it’s easy to make a moment and a spectacle and have people look and watch. To continue that long-term and have it grow is a lot more difficult. I’ve seen that historically prove out with WCW and everybody else under the sun. Time will tell.”
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