After Shawn Michaels heavily suggested that there could be some big surprises at NXT Battleground, fans were somewhat disappointed to see that there wasn't a single new in-ring debut on the show, with the lone “surprise” appearance at the UFC Apex belonging to Ash by Elegance, who WWE fans know as Dana Brooke.

Why didn't HBK bring out the Rascalz? Or a singles star like Moose? Well, according to Brooke in an interview with Darren Paltrowitz on Paltrocast, her return to NXT almost didn't happen, as she didn't find out about the booking until surprisingly close to bell time.

“Well, to be honest with you, it was all like a last-minute decision. I had no idea that any of this was going to happen. I thought it was great that there was some integration of the brands, especially with Jordynne (Grace). She’s one powerhouse, and she’s definitely one of the most talked-about women wrestlers currently, so it’s just — it made perfect sense to be honest with you because I am gunning for that TNA Knockout Worlds Championship, and I felt like she was at a little bit of a disadvantage. She’s in NXT territory, I’m very familiar with it so, I was trying to help her, let’s put it that way. I was just trying to help her but she took it differently,” Danna Brooke told Darren Paltrowitz via Post Wrestling.

“It was really incredible because I had a signing in Jacksonville on Saturday before I headed out to Vegas, and it was very difficult because, you know, a lot of people would come up, and they’re like, ‘Oh my God, we would love to see you back’ and this and that. I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, never say never.’ Try to hold it in and I never told anybody, I like to keep it a secret and nowadays, you know if you can keep a secret from wrestling fans and breaking the internet then you know you’ve done something right.

Was it interesting to see Brooke return to NXT? Sure, she was fired in the middle of an angle due to no fault of her own, and seeing her return could have theoretically garnered a big pop among the NXT fans, even if that didn't happen. No, the disappointment had more to do with the fact that it was only Brooke who came to the UFC Apex, with stars like Jonathan Gresham and Gail Kim relegated to seats in the crowd instead of on-screen players.

Shawn Michaels reveals what he looks for in an NXT Superstar.

Speaking of Shawn Michaels and what he does and doesn't want to do in NXT, the “Heartbreak Kid” recently stopped by The Schmo to discuss his developmental philosophy and why, in his opinion, character trumps wrestling talent 90 percent of the time.

“Honestly, for me, everybody talks about the ‘it' factor. If you can define that, you'd find it, you'd go out there and pick them, and it'd be easy. First of all, charisma. For me, a lot of it is footwork. I watch a lot of guys run across the ring and whether they run, they move, and whether they are stepping. A lot of what I look for is footwork and coordination. Then, of course, are they coachable and teachable? When everything is said and done, it's going to come down to attitude and character,” Shawn Michaels told The Schmo, via Fightful.

“That's one of the things in NXT that Hunter put in place years ago when he started NXT. Character trumps talent. 90% of the time, that's a culture we continue to try and cultivate. At NXT, it's a multitude of things. If you could say it was one thing, it would be an easy process. I do know that we are recruiting incredible athletes from around the world and the future of WWE is very bright because NXT right now is kicking ass in every category, whether it's men, women, anyone else out there, we are finding it and we're going to continue to bring them to NXT and have the success we've been having.”

Now, for fans of indie wrestling and, well, pretty much every other promotion around the world, the idea of finding the right character being more important than having the goods to back it up sounds downright scandalous, as the vast majority of wrestlers outside of the WWE Universe get where they are today thanks to their hard work in the gym, not for developing a can't miss character. Still, for WWE, who sign as many NCAA athletes as they do indie workers, that might actually be true, though only because very few of those athletes actually come with any wrestling talent to begin with.