Paul “HHH” Levesque conducted his traditional pre-TakeOver conference call Thursday, discussing the card and answering questions around NXT and WWE as a whole.
He opened the call talking about the passing of Pat Patterson and how difficult Wednesday was for everyone. He put over Patterson’s influence on WWE and the wrestling business which he said is only second to Vince McMahon. He talked about Patterson a lot on the call including a few quotes and said that during a Wednesday camera break, they showed the Sgt. Slaughter-Patterson street fight match inside the Capitol Wrestling Center and that both talent and personnel all stopped to watch.
Here are some of the highlights from the call:
He put over the NXT UK Heritage Cup as spectacular and put over A-Kid. He loves what they are doing and urges people to watch WALTER vs. Dragunov. He is looking forward to when talents can travel and forth post-pandemic.
He was asked about his previous statement about Charlotte Flair’s WrestleMania win over Rhea Ripley being part of a bigger plan and whether things are still going according to plan. He said COVID basically changed all plana and talked about how growing as a performer with up and downs, relating it to his own career. He still thinks there are some valuable lessons Ripley learned through that process and that she is a “way better performer” which came through that process.
He was asked about whether they would be open to crossovers with other companies. He said “we’re open for business” and that perceptions of their business from others are often incorrect. If it’s the right thing and meaningful, he thinks Vince is open for anything.
He put over Pat McAfee’s desire to be a WWE wrestler, his athleticism, and dedication. He talked about critiques on “outsiders” when athletes come in and try to become wrestlers, but that McAfee has always wanted to do this. “It’s a testament to him that he’s doing this better than some who have done this their whole lives,” he said.
He said NXT being left out of Survivor Series was likely due to the pandemic and trying to keep the brands as separate as possible.
He loves the current pacing of the product and continued to beat the drum of planning for the long-term.
To listen to the call, click below.
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