Triple H Talks Rick Steiner's Son And Parker Boudreaux Signing With WWE
This past week, WWE made the noteworthy signing of top prospect Parker Boudreaux. The former college football player has received public praise from Paul Heyman, and has been compared to a young Brock Lesnar.
Speaking on a media call ahead of NXT Takeover: Vengeance Day, Triple H discussed Boudreaux's developmental deal. Hunter acknowledged the comparisons between Boudreaux and the Beast Incarnate, but emphasized they are taking their latest signing one step at a time.
"It's funny, people look at somebody like Parker and they go, 'Oh my God, he looks like Brock Lesnar,'" Triple H said. "So immediately, they go, 'Oh, he's the next big thing, and he's got a big personality.' We'll see what he can do. For all of this, you have to be ready to be a performer. Even Brock Lesnar wasn't a guy as amazing, and Parker is as well, as amazing as an athlete as he is [now]. You got to be trained, you got to know what you're doing. Everything's has got to be done safely. Everybody that we bring in the door, you want to succeed to the best of their ability and their capability."
While Triple H wants Boudreaux to succeed like any other prospect, he says it's up to Boudreaux himself to make the most of his opportunity. The Game also revealed that Rick Steiner's son, Bronson Rechsteiner, has signed.
"All the tools are there for them to use. I say this a lot at the Performance Center, that the generations that came before you had none of these tools," Triple H said. "They just trained and learned from the people that were around them as they were getting to do this. In some ways, they're limited today because of the environment of today. There's no live events, so to speak, going on right now. We're working around that, but we didn't have all the other tools at their disposal on a 24/7 basis. Their ability to succeed has increased greatly, but its what they do with those tools. People have a tendency to want to say its this that makes somebody. This training, or this person, or that. It reminds me of that saying that success has a thousand fathers, failure is an orphan. Everybody wants to be apart of that and say this is what it did and this is how it was and all that stuff, but the truth is, you just make those things available to people. It's up to them. Success or failure, how hard they work, how driven they are, how unwilling they are to take no for an answer, and everything else that goes with that.
"I am incredibly excited about Parker Boudreaux coming in. [We also have] Bronson Rechsteiner, we have a lot of people coming in the door. Just as I am about people that have been here for a while, like Rik Bugez and a lot of people that are in the door and at the cusp, COVID has slowed that down, but they're right there. When I say the future is bright, that is what I'm talking about. The ability for those folks that are in those positions, in those on deck positions to be able to explode into growth and be the next, I want to use the 'next big thing' because everybody thinks about Brock. But to be that next big star, that next mega star, and they want to put it on everybody else's development.
"You know, I was there when The Rock became The Rock. Austin became Austin. It very much has a lot to do with yes, they have to be given the opportunity. Yes, they have to be given the platform, but its in the performer."
With the main roster full steam ahead towards WrestleMania and NXT's latest Takeover a day away, Triple H noted it's a busy environment for WWE at the moment. While there is a lot of anticipation looking down the line to the Showcase of the Immortals, Triple H stressed how excited he is for Sunday's NXT card.
"It's a busy time as always, and this is no different as we get on the road, or well on the road, to WrestleMania," Triple H said. "Especially given the circumstances, what will be a very exciting time, I look forward to this Sunday's Vengeance Takeover, which should be, if you look at the card, spectacular. When you lay these out, as we've talked about a lot, the card comes into shape. As you begin to see what it's going to be, I think it gets more and more exciting. Especially given the time right now, when anything can happen at any given moment, this card really came alive."
NXT Takeover: Vengeance Day will see veterans clash for the first time, newcomers get an opportunity to break out, and the entire women's division to really shine. Triple H noted that as both an executive and a fan, this particular Takeover card intrigues him immensely.
"When you talk about for me, for a lot of people, what would be considered almost a dream match scenario between KUSHIDA and Johnny Gargano for the North American Championship," Triple H said. "Johnny coming into his own as a completely different performer, showing a totally different side of himself with his group with Austin, and Indi Wrestling (laughs), and Candice. Just a whole different side of himself is showing up as a performer. It's sort of a dream match scenario between those two.
"MSK, brand new, but making a really strong run and a hell of a statement so far on their way in the door. With Grizzled Young Veterans, who have been together for a while, and if you watch NXT UK you know what they bring to the table. COVID certainly put a damper on them coming into the company and into NXT in the US in the way that we wanted them to, but here they are now. I think they'll make a huge impact, and that match is going to turn a lot of people's heads in terms of what both teams can do.
"You have the Women's Dusty Cup for the first year ever, that boiling down to Shotzi and Ember and Dakota and Raquel. The winner will not only become the first-ever [Women's] Dusty Cup Champions but also will receive a future tag title shot. You know, I think this match again speaks to the strength and the depth of the women's division in NXT. Knowing that you not only have these four, but later in the show you also have the Women's Championship with Io and Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez, three of, again, some of the best in-ring female performers in the world. Almost half of this card, in its entirety, is made up of women. Look at the depth behind them, the division's incredible and it's only getting stronger. Looking at the current class coming into the Performance Center, this rookie class coming in very soon, it's the largest female class we've had in history. That just speaks to the commitment and where we're going with our female performers, and just seeing them as exactly that: performers. There's nothing else in really trying to strengthen that even further."
The main event match-ups will see Io Shirai defend her NXT Women's Title against challengers Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez, while NXT Champion Finn Balor will square off against former NXT UK Champion Pete Dunne. Speaking on the two world title matches, Triple H praised what each competitor brings to the table.
"So of course that triple threat for the [NXT] Women's Championship should be spectacular," Triple H said. "With all three of them: Mercedes Martinez coming back in, Toni Storm reinventing herself and really bringing up the side of her game that she's never really had the opportunity to show before, and of course, Io is Io. I've stated that many times. To me, [she's] one of the best performers in the world, bar none.
"Finn [is] really coming into his own in NXT, and just showing a whole other side of himself as he's always had the ability to. And Pete coming back here to the US, again, a bit of the delay in the COVID world of where we wanted to go but here we are. This one, to me, I can't wait to watch. It's going to be something special. Those two will tear it up. Every match on the card has the ability to be a show stealer, in my opinion."
The traditional pre-show leading into Takeover is set to return, this time welcoming special guest Brandon Walker of Barstool Sports. Triple H noted he enjoys bringing in guest panelists because they offer fresh perspectives ahead of the card.
"As usual, we will have a pre-show leading into that. We will have a special guest as part of the pre-show this week with Brandon Walker of Barstool Sports coming in to be a part of that," Triple H said. "Very excited to have Brandon in, and [for him to] give a different perspective on this, and get his take on it. I look forward to be able to do more of that in the future, and really get different perspectives and points of view leading into these shows, and analysis of what's happening and where it's going."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Triple H's media call with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.