Triple H On EC3 And New WWE Signings, Velveteen Dream, Tommaso Ciampa's Return, Shayna Baszler
Triple H went live on Facebook with Cathy Kelley after Saturday's WWE NXT "Takeover: Philadelphia" event. Above is full video with highlights from the interview below:
He gave props to the incredible group of men & women of NXT that are trying to find their place and stamp their spots in the history books. Paul Heyman said it best in his intro, this time of the year is the beginning of the road to immortality. Triple H says you could feel that passion and energy tonight as every competitor left their heart & soul in the ring
Triple H wouldn't say for sure if NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era are the most dominant in NXT but he gives Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly props for going around the world together and doing this for a long time, for establishing themselves. He says they are patient and they have a strategy that they stick to. He also gives props to The Authors of Pain and says we haven't seen the last of them by far. He says Akam and Rezar's path of destruction got stopped this one time but he doesn't see it happening often. He says they have been the most dominant tag team in NXT but that landscape changes rapidly, as we saw with War Machine in the crowd.
Cathy brought up War Machine, Candice LeRae, Trevor "Ricochet" Mann and Ethan Carter III in the crowd. Triple H gives props to Ricochet and says NXT has become the hottest place to work. He comments on the talent level and amount of amazing athletes around the world that want to be a part of NXT, saying this is the place to be, bar none. He did not directly answer Cathy's question about EC3 being signed but as noted, WWE has confirmed his signing.
Cathy asked about The Velveteen's Dream cockiness and over-confidence will help or hinder him in the future. Triple H says it doesn't seem to hurt him so far and he's certainly entertaining. He says time will tell but Dream is an amazing athlete. Take all the personality and the look aside, and what you have is a world class athlete that can fight, that can wrestle and do it all, including fly through the air.
Regarding the NXT Women's Title match and if there will be repercussions for Shayna Baszler, he says she has a coldness that he hasn't seen in a lot of women of this industry. Triple H says she's intimidating, she doesn't care, she's cold and there's just something about how methodical she is in the ring. He says champion Ember Moon did retain but did she really beat her or did Baszler beat Moon longterm? He says Baszler has definitely established herself as a force to reckon with in NXT. He also gives her props for putting herself in position for a title shot and coming close to getting the win. He says you also have to give props to Ember Moon for having heart. He gives respect to both of them but especially Moon.
Cathy asked about the Extreme Rules match with Aleister Black and Adam Cole. Triple H calls the match a war, which Black won. He says neither man left the match the same. Regarding Black and the NXT Title, he could be on that path if he wants and he thinks the same about Cole but says Cole still has a problem with SAnitY. They also give praise to Johnny Gargano and NXT Champion Andrade "Cien" Almas for blowing the roof off the arena. He gives props to Gargano for having heart, saying he has no idea how small he is or his limitations, he just goes and goes. Triple H says Almas could be the guy that came in with all the potential in the world but wasted it because he didn't care. For whatever reasons, Zelina Vega has been able to turn it around and Triple H feels he's barely nicking the surface of how good he can be. They agree that Almas is a total package.
He goes on about Gargano and how Tommaso Ciampa returned to attack him. He says that's a whole story with bad blood, two trains headed to each other full steam and when they collide it will be a mess that he can't wait to see. He tells Gargano not to put his guard down because Ciampa can make his life worse, and he doesn't think Ciampa will start. Triple H says it's fight or flight now and they will see where it goes but overall it was an amazing night. He says the NXT talent base always blows it away and talks again about the new talents tonight, including EC3, and says the talent keeps getting bigger, stronger and deeper. He says there's really no telling where NXT can go and the great thing is we all get to enjoy it because... we are NXT.
Cathy asks if we might see some NXT debuts in the Royal Rumble tomorrow and he says the great thing about the Rumble is the unpredictability and this year we have two Rumble matches. Triple H says tomorrow night is going to be no different as they set the table, they put the bar up and now it's up for the talent to take it to another level and he knows they will. He says the Rumble will be off the chart and he can't wait. Cathy thanks Triple H for the interview and plugs the Rumble to end it.