Shawn Michaels Says WWE NXT Europe Still Planned For Launch 'By The End Of 2023'

WWE announced in August that their "NXT UK" brand was being put on an indefinite hiatus so that it could be expanded into "NXT Europe" in 2023. As a result of the move, several UK talent were released while a select group was brought to the United States to become members of the "WWE NXT" roster including JD McDonagh, Ilja Dragunov, Meiko Satomura, Tyler Bate, and more.

Little updates on "NXT Europe" have emerged since then, but Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels recently noted in an interview with Daily Mail that they are still planning to relaunch the brand by the end of this year.

"Things are still in the organizational stage and we are hoping we will have that up and running by the end of 2023," Michaels said. "I'm really learning. It isn't something you just throw together, especially if you want to set it up for success. I think everyone would feel a bit more comfortable if it takes a little bit longer to make sure we cross every t and dot every i, but still looking forward to trying to make that a reality by the end of 2023."

In January, WWE's Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque explained that "NXT Europe" will function similarly to the current iteration of "WWE NXT" when it comes to the scouting and recruitment process. Rather than just signing independent talent who work their way up to WWE, the company will increase efforts to recruit NCAA-like athletes.