Shawn Michaels Discusses Keeping WWE NXT Rooted in Orlando Amid National Expansion

Shawn Michaels prefers to keep WWE NXT close to its roots in Orlando, Florida, rather than frequently taking the show on the road.

During an interview on The Ringer Wrestling Show to promote WWE NXT's debut on the CW network in Chicago, Illinois, the WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative shared his thoughts on the matter.

“I sort of look at NXT as the NCAA to the NFL,” Michaels explained. “If Raw and SmackDown are the NFL, NXT is the NCAA. The NCAA is a brand. They still put 100,000 people in a stadium every Saturday afternoon. There is an opportunity for NXT to go out on a more regular basis, but I personally would like to keep that special. I never want to venture too far from our home here in Florida.”

Michaels elaborated on why he prefers to keep NXT based in Orlando: “That’s one of the things that makes us different. We have an environment unlike any other. It is intimate and we’re able to do things here that other wrestling programs and brands can’t do. That affords us the luxury of having some of those options that we have in Orlando that you wouldn’t have at various arenas across the nation."

He emphasized the importance of staying grounded in Orlando, adding, "As much as I do want to continue to grow NXT, and I believe we will, I personally don’t ever want to get to where we’re venturing out of here too often. This is our home and this is where NXT was built and should continue to build.”