Triple H Plays Down AEW Beating WWE's 'Developmental System'

Ever since the establishment of All Elite Wrestling in January 2019, the wrestling world has watched it grow and evolve in a landscape dominated by WWE. Naturally, with its deep roster of up-and-coming talent and seasoned stars, high production value, and a prime spot on television, many assumed AEW could become a genuine rival to WWE just as World Championship Wrestling did in the late 1990s. These beliefs solidified further when AEW's flagship show, "AEW Dynamite," kicked off on Wednesday nights — the same day of the week that "WWE NXT" called home.

By April of 2021, "NXT" moved to Tuesday nights (via Sports Illustrated), leading many to believe that "AEW Dynamite" won the supposed brand war. According to Triple H in an interview with BT Sport, this conflict has been blown way out of proportion. "First of all, they beat our developmental system. Good for them," he said, adding, "There was never even the pressure of like, 'You have to beat that.' It was never that. It's, 'Put on the best product we could.'" "The Game" notes that, at the end of the day, "NXT" moving to Tuesdays and rebooting as "NXT 2.0" was a matter of bringing the brand back to basics as a means of developing new talent.

Later in the discussion, Triple H gives "NXT" figurehead Shawn Michaels and his team credit for what they've accomplished with the brand, voicing his belief in its future. However, not everyone is so ready to accept what he had to say on the matter. Shortly after this interview was released, current AEW star Chris Jericho called out Triple H for previous comments about the "NXT"-"AEW Dynamite" situation, noting how he's called "NXT" the third brand before and that he's attempting to change the narrative by claiming otherwise.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit BT Sport with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.