Shawn Michaels Gives WWE NXT Touring Update
"NXT" has shifted away from its "2.0" reboot, but will the show be returning to the arena setting seen during the "black and gold" era of the brand? Since the COVID-19 pandemic, WWE has held most of its "NXT" shows inside its Performance Center. Gone are the days of "NXT" calling Full Sail University home, and there have been far fewer touring dates.
With that said, WWE has recently taken "NXT" back on the road in Florida. Shawn Michaels, WWE's Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative, spoke to Scott Fishman of "TV Insider" and answered the question of whether or not "NXT" will return to having shows in bigger venues down the road.
"Absolutely. As you mentioned, we started with the Florida loop, or the coconut loop, as we call them," Michaels explained. "We've briefly discussed getting out for our premium live events. Do we want to do that at the end of the year or start at the beginning of the new year? We had Stand and Deliver for WrestleMania weekend, which is the first time many of our talents were out of the Performance Center. It's certainly something we want to get back to. We have every intention of doing that."
Michaels went on to say that there are ongoing talks about how to achieve that goal. He said that not only does WWE want to bring "NXT" premium live events to other states, but the company also wants that to expand to regular live events. He's of the belief that "NXT" talent should be touring regularly as part of their developmental process.