Shawn Michaels Calls NXT Tapings at 2300 Arena “Huge”

Shawn Michaels expressed that running WWE NXT TV tapings at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA is “huge.”

In a recent appearance on the “Busted Open Radio” podcast, the Heartbreak Kid discussed his anticipation for visiting the arena for the first time and the significance of this event for the NXT brand.

Reflecting on NXT's presence at the 2300 Arena, he stated, “It’s huge. As strange as it sounds, I thought it was so awesome and innovative, what [ECW] was doing at that time. I recognized that, at that time, from a WWE standpoint, we were never going to be able to do it. You only strike those things a few times in your career and you guys [speaking to Bully] did something very special back then. There has always been, in the eyes of WWE and my eyes, an aspect of ‘how can we do that again?’ or at least do our best to come close to capturing that moment. We tried it with the WWE, and it was very very good, but it has to mimic something similar to what you all were doing; a bunch of young guys going out there and letting it fly. I think NXT encapsulates all of that. Obviously, it’s a WWE brand.”

Regarding his first visit to the arena, he shared, “To this day, I’ve never stepped foot in that building. I’m genuinely very excited about going there and I’m excited about being in front of that fanbase. That’s why you guys did what you did; for those people. They brought it out of you. That’s what I’m hoping happens when NXT goes there. They are hungry, maybe in a different way, but they are hungry and excited for getting out on the road. Everybody understands the history of this building and what was built. They want to build on that and do something on their own and make a name for themselves. Everybody is jacked and excited.”