Triple H held a pre-WWE NXT Takeover: Portland conference call earlier this morning ahead of this Sunday’s event. Adam Hopkins opened the call, talking about the WrestleMania 37 announcement in Los Angeles and then turned things over to Triple H.

Triple H said that it was an exciting time and that it is the first of the NXT shows that will not be part of a WWE pay-per-view weekend, noting that Portland is a great wrestling city and they are happy to be going there. HHH then previewed tonight’s WWE NXT broadcast and how this weekend is a really loaded Takeover show, noting that he won’t take up much more time running down things before getting to the Q&A session.

The first caller asked about why WWE NXT is not doing as well as AEW Dynamite in the key demographics on Wednesday nights. HHH said that he thinks that it is all about the long game and that what they have to do, is to get to the people in the younger demographics and that when you are promoted and viewed in the younger demographics, those are the people that you will attract. HHH said that the NXT numbers are similar to a basic USA Network number, but that the long game is building up the brand and said that they need to start to add in different things, entertainment wise, noting that they have established that it is great wrestling, but now, they can work on other aspects. HHH said that he is happy with the show and its trajectory and now, they have to go in the direction that they wanted to go. The same caller asked about the decision to drop the term “Women” from the NXT Women’s Championship recently. HHH said that they just felt that they did not need to pound the term women into people’s heads, but that the internet took off with it and ran with it and that it wasn’t an edict.

The next caller asked about A-Kid as part of the NXT UK roster and his future with the company. HHH said that A-Kid is a talented wrestler who is making a name for himself as part of the NXT UK brand and that his future looks good, but that like everyone else, he will need to work hard as someone else is always over your shoulder waiting and ready. The same caller asked if there would be a WWE NXT Championship match at WrestleMania. Triple H said that the Takeover before WrestleMania will be an epic event and that they have a lot planned, but noted that WrestleMania is a super-long event, so it is hard to fit everything in. HHH said that the show starts this year with WWE NXT on television from Wednesday and rolls on from there and that there is a lot going on and things will be in different places.

The next caller asked about the length and feel of this Sunday’s WWE NXT Takeover: Portland event. Triple H said that obviously, it is a much more packed lineup and that he feels like every time he does these calls that he says that, but that there were things that he wanted to put in, but that at the same time, he did not want to overload it and said that he likes the set time window and doesn’t want to go over that. HHH said that currently, the card is one match bigger, but that he does not expect a dramatic difference from events in the past. The same caller asked if more NXT talents will infiltrate the main roster heading into WrestleMania and that if they do, is he concerned about overexposure. HHH said that they talk about it all the time and that from top to bottom, NXT is loaded and deep and that there are people waiting for their shot, plus, people can float over, just like Finn Balor did. HHH said that they have opportunities to criss-cross due to the rosters and thinks that it is great to be able to bring talents in from time to time, with the right situation and that he is not worried about losing talents to RAW or SmackDown because their roster is so deep and sees that movement being a strength.

The next caller asked about Charlotte Flair making appearances back on WWE NXT television. HHH said that Charlotte is a special level talent, so wherever she goes, she brings that with her and that wherever she goes, it is also a huge deal and that is the beauty of having people in a spot like that, noting that for as for where the storyline goes, you will have to wait and see. The same caller asked about the signing of Simone Johnson, the daughter of The Rock and Dany Garcia, and what advice would Triple H give her. HHH said that he can’t give her any advice that her Dad and Mom haven’t and that was a pretty obvious answer. HHH said that she will be under a huge spotlight now, so she needs to be ready for that and that one of the only people who can understand that position is Charlotte Flair, noting that to this day, people still say that she only got what she got because of her father, which is not true and said that you have to be able to look past all of that and know that you earned it and said that Simone has that quality and that she is doing everything to prove herself, noting that she is one of the hardest workers at the WWE Performance Center and is treated just like everyone else there. HHH said that she has the same traits as her father and stays humble, noting that she has passion for this business and that what they can help her with is helping her stay strong, due to her family lineage and said that she can do it.

The next caller asked if Keith Lee could be heading to the main roster. HHH said that anyone that gets momentum will make it onto the radar and that there are discussions that happen with Paul Heyman, Bruce Prichard and the teams and that there is a difference between having a moment of success and a long period of it and that it is up to them to weight all of those factors, but said that Keith Lee is in demand and thinks the same thing about watching Bianca Belair in the Royal Rumble or her personality now and that the same could be said for Velveteen Dream, Tommaso Ciampa and so many others. HHH said that they want to make sure that they are best set up to succeed and in the best place to succeed and noted that the brands are all different and that some talents resonate better on different shows and that has always been the case, even going back to the old WCW and WWF days, but that anyone that is getting themselves over is getting noticed and that is a cool thing, so you run with them as long as you can, but that the final decision on them coming to the main roster at the end of the day, is Vince McMahon’s decision. The same caller asked why there wasn’t a WWE Halftime Heat show this year. HHH said that they were aware of when the SuperBowl was and that FOX is their partner now, so they didn’t want to do that, however last year, the timing was right, but this year, it wasn’t. HHH said that he was glad that they didn’t do the show live as he was at the SuperBowl himself and that it was spectacular, noting that it was mind-boggling how they did their own half-time show.

The next caller asked if Shayna Baszler has officially moved to the WWE RAW roster. HHH said that will play out on WWE television and that Becky’s rise has been insane, but at the end of the day, she still needs great opponents and hopes that it turns into something massive for both of them. HHH said that right now, he looks at it like sports teams who make deals and said that right now, he looks at Shayna as a WWE NXT talent until they make a deal for her to go elsewhere. The same caller asked about the signings of Killer Kross and Timothy Thatcher. HHH said that if you have seen them perform, then you would ask yourself, who wouldn’t want them and said that he was thrilled to have them and was surprised that the news didn’t get out sooner. HHH said that the guys kept the news to themselves, which he appreciated and that it is not the be all and end all to keep a secret, but that it is cool when you can do it. HHH said that they are both phenomenal performers and that with the staff they have, teaching them the TV/WWE side of things will take them to the next level.

The next caller asked about the planning regarding the length of matches on the show. HHH said that there is a planning process for the length, where sometimes talent need 30 minutes or more and that there is a lot that goes into it and that working with the talent, having those conversations about the story that they are trying to tell and how to tell that story is key as you don’t decide that you need three hours when you start to tell a story for a movie in Hollywood and that is what will happen this weekend, noting that they will have the right mix and that fans will see on Sunday if that works. The same caller asked about A-Kid on WWE NXT UK and possible signings. HHH said that he is happy about A-Kid’s progress and that coaching, producing and getting talents to the next level is what gets them to grow as performers and get them to that next level. HHH noted that they are cultivating talent and are taking talents who have all the potential in the world to help them maximize that talent and that they want to get him outside of his comfort zone so that he can grow, while at the same time, they want to make him the biggest star that he can be, so that one day, he can be on and he can headline those major events and be one of the biggest stars possible.

The next caller asked about the potential of taking WWE NXT television the road. HHH said that Full Sail are one of the most valuable partners that they have in the WWE and that he sees it as more of a family relationship than a business relationship, noting that he couldn’t even comment on whether they have a contractual relationship as their partnership does not just train talent, but producers and directors doing WrestleMania now who cut their teeth first off in Florida. HHH said that they have camera guys who are doing that now who also started in Full Sail and that the amount of stuff that they do that we see and do not see and the people who are inside the gears of the machine are from inside in Full Sail. HHH said that they are not just renting a facility every Wednesday, but that Full Sail is NXT family and part of that partnership and that they will always do what is best for business if there is an opportunity. HHH then said that there is a week coming up where they can not run Full Sail that week due to Full Sail having a prior commitment, so NXT will be on the road and said that each side is super committed to each other and willing to help each other. The same caller asked about the ongoing Matt Riddle/Brock Lesnar scenario. HHH said that first and foremost, Vince McMahon never issued his disapproval of what was said by Matt Riddle and that there was a conversation between Matt Riddle and Brock Lesnar and that conversation is between the two of them, noting that they are grown adults and that whatever they decided amongst themselves is what it is. HHH said that sometimes, he reads things and wonders if it is a shoot or a work, but that he is entertained by it and said that Riddle is an incredibly talented performer and has his own viewpoints and that he thinks that Brock probably thinks don’t write checks that you can’t cash, where as Riddle, in his own mind is writing checks that he can cash.

Triple H then wrapped up the conference call, plugging the matches once again and said that it should be spectacular. HHH then put over Poppy, who they will have a special guest with a musical performance and said that she is a great artist and has been a great partner for WWE and the NXT brand.