Triple H held his pre-WWE NXT Takeover 30 conference call today. Adam Hopkins opened the call, thanking everyone for their time, before passing things over to Triple H who ran down the announced matches and said that tonight’s WWE NXT should be a very good show to lead in to this Saturday’s event. Triple H said that it is hard for him to believe that the first Takeover show was in May 2014 from Full Sail and ironically, they are back there this weekend, after being at many big buildings for Takeover events in between, but is happy that 6 years on, they are still home. Triple H then talked about Pat McAfee coming in “from the outside” and said that when you do that, there is a lot of press involved, which is an opportunity for them to bring in fresh eyeballs, but noted that a lot of purists will ask why. Triple H said that he is sure that Pat McAfee will show those people why and said that it is a big sleeper match for him. Triple H said that he will now pass it over to the section he enjoys on the call, the Q&A session.

The first caller asked about why WWE NXT is not going to take place in the WWE ThunderDome. Triple H said that with moving SmackDown, RAW and this Sunday’s WWE SummerSlam to the Amway Center, as awesome as the ThunderDome will be, it is important for him that they stay at Full Sail due to their great relationship. Triple H said that it’s a never say never thought process regarding NXT at the ThunderDome, but he is happy right now and said that Friday will be the debut of the ThunderDome. Triple H said that he misses the fans at events as they are the “secret sauce” so to speak and can’t wait to have them back, as they are everything to the WWE, but for the immediate future, they are at Full Sail and are still figuring everything out as they go.

The next caller asked about the investigation into The Velveteen Dream. Triple H said that they take it seriously, have looked into it and found nothing there, but that they will always listen when new evidence is brought up.

The next caller asked what kind of research the company have done in advance of touring again. Triple H said that they are always researching it and that when the world gets to a place where they can return to running shows safely for everyone, then they will do it. The same caller asked about possibly bringing things like UV lights on the road. Triple H said that they are looking into everything, including things that are legitimately scientific and once they can tour safely, they will do so.

The next caller asked about Renee Young’s status and what she has meant, not only to the WWE, but to NXT also over her 8 years. Triple H said that he will not be commenting on her status, but that having her in the WWE has been awesome and that she has been a large part of what they do and that he has loved having the chance to work with her.

The next caller asked if running WWE SummerSlam on a boat was ever an option. Triple H said that every option that the WWE had, was looked into and that most options did not have much of a chance, as it is all about doing things safely and that things on a boat are not easy and said that when you see the WWE ThunderDome, you will get why the WWE went that way with their decision.

The next caller asked about Lars Sullivan’s status with the company after Lars started to post workout videos. Triple H said that he was not even aware that Lars had started those videos and he has no further update. The same caller asked about the potential of Randy Orton working with NXT talents. Triple H said that there are always conversations and that when you are doing 7 hours of television, especially in the current environment, there’s a domino effect and said that changing things is a lot more challenging than people think, noting that things are always discussed, but that making them actually happen is harder. Triple H said that Randy is vocal about it on social media and that he gets calls from people all the time about wanting to work with people in NXT and that is what Randy is doing.

The next caller asked what the biggest lesson they have learned about producing shows in the pandemic is and if there will be a new head writer for the NXT brand. Triple H said that they shift things around writing the show and said that it is a group that includes Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg and himself, but that everything goes through them. Triple H said that there are lessons to be learned everywhere and that the biggest difficulty has been in the shifting of everything, as COVID has made it all exponentially harder, noting that you could have great stuff written and then, you wait to see if it can be used and said that people can also get pulled to different brands and dealing with that and not having fans to bring the noise and energy makes it hard. Triple H said that they do everything to get reactions and with no one reacting, it changes the game entirely. Triple H then talked about how they train the young talent to work to the crowd and that now, they are not able to do it, but with that said, he is very happy with where they are, both with the job that they have done and with the engagement of the talent, noting that it is nice to be able to train the talent again as they have not been able to do it due to using the WWE Performance Center as their base for television. Triple H said that they now have a secondary facility in the area to help the talent improve and that they had been doing it virtually, but now, they can get back to being hands on with the talent.

The next caller asked about talent being poached, now that they have a slot on the USA Network too. Triple H said that due to the USA Network, they have made changes to the process of the talent being poached and noted that you will see that in the WWE Draft when it returns later in the year. Triple H said that people can go brand to brand now and try different things and that when he came into the WWE and talked to The Undertaker about people being in the company for 5-6 years, it was unreal to him that they could stay in one place for that long, but that now, you have people in the company for 10 years or way more and that with that, people now can go to other places in the company and change things up, noting that all three brands need to be supported now.

The next caller asked about Karrion Kross’ work with the brand, what he brings to the table and whether NXT rush matches in the fear of losing talents like him to WWE RAW or SmackDown. Triple H said that he has had his eye on Kross for a long time and could see serious talent there and could sense that X Factor in him and that is the king for any talent. Triple H said that the learning curve is steep when one comes to the company, including the TV aspect, but that Kross is a sponge for the business and is always learning, noting that his improvement and growth rate has been huge since walking through the door, just like Keith Lee. Triple H said that it is not about getting to things faster, but about doing it when it makes sense for the talent and the fans and booking for the long-term, noting that you also take into account when a talent is leaving, such as what they did with Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher in the Fight Pit and said that they also don’t want to rush talents and want to put them in positions to succeed in the best way possible.

The next caller asked about the ratings for the Wednesday shows and what is important for Triple H, the demographic, the viewers and such and what he focuses on. Triple H said that he is focused on NXT and said that people care about the viewership and the demographics, which is good, but at the end of the day, to him, it is about his product and his fans, as you put out the best product that you can and hope that fans want to watch and that is it. Triple H said that he looks at the numbers, but not the way that people do online and said that people can argue all they want, as he does not worry about that, his worry is about NXT, noting that he can’t wait for the fans to come back, as they are the true barometer of what the fans love and that the digital stuff has a lot of factors and negativity, so he likes that there will be true reactions from that, but said that he can’t wait to get the fans back for them to tell him what they want.

The next caller asked about NXT talent appearing on RAW Underground and what the process is for talent to appear on there. Triple H said that it makes sense for some talents to show what they can do, like Arturo Ruas, as it is a cool opportunity and said that just because they are on RAW Underground does not mean that they are a WWE RAW talent, but said that it is a great opportunity to expose talent to a large audience, which he likes, noting that it is a unique opportunity.

The next caller asked how it is for everyone to perform mentally without the crowds. Triple H said that it is difficult as a performer, there is no bigger adrenaline rush that the reaction that crowd gives you as it is why they do what they do and that you can’t put it into words what that means, you just can’t create it yourself. Triple H said that you gear what you do to the crowd and that without them there, it makes things harder, but that he tips his hat to every performer because they are bringing their own energy every time out and that they are all knocking it out of the park, noting that everything they do is for their fans, giving them a product that they can enjoy. Triple H said that for him, he just wants people to sit back and enjoy the greatest form of entertainment in the world.

The next caller asked about Pat McAfee and whether this could lead to additional matches for him on the NXT brand. Triple H said that will be a wait and see approach with McAfee, but noted that he is an amazing athlete, an all around type athlete who monetized by being a kicker. Triple H said that Pat was always a WWE fan and he personally did not realize that when they first met, but gets it now and said that Pat was not looking for a niche role, as he wants to be a wrestler. Triple H said that he has watched Pat train, noting that he is a natural and very gifted and that the reason that he is putting him in an NXT match, where it will no doubt be scrutinized, is that he has the ability to do it and said that he is also working with one of the most gifted guys on the NXT roster in Adam Cole. Triple H said that he thinks that it will be spectacular on both of their ends and that where things go after depends on Pat McAfee, because he has a lot of irons in the fire.

The final caller asked about Triple H’s thoughts on Bronson Reed and what does he think about him, given that he isn’t a prototypical superstar. Triple H said that he loves that Bronson Reed is not a clone of the other guys and likes people that are different, stating that there was a process to get him to this point, but he is there now and he is ready and said that when he was talking to Keith Lee the other day, Keith noted that he was proud of Bronson starting to come into his own. Triple H said that it comes down to making the most of the opportunity when you get it and that Bronson has been knocking it out of the park every week. Triple H said that putting him in a ladder match will be wild, since he is such as a big guy, but that once he goes up that ladder, anything can happen when he comes down.

Triple H closed the call, thanking everyone for their time, noting that before he signs off, he would like to mention the independent wrestling promotions on the WWE Network, stating that he is excited for that and wants people to be able to see the different talents and styles and hopes to make the WWE Network a hub for all of those things. Triple H then told fans to enjoy tonight’s NXT on the USA Network and this Saturday’s Takeover event.