When Paul “Triple H” Levesque left NXT in 2021, it felt like the end of an era for WWE's third brand.

The Black and Gold color scheme was swapped out for a rainbow-colored splatter painting motif that would look right at home on an early Steiner Brothers singlet – which, considering who Bron Breakker's father is, is fitting – and the show's fantastic in-ring work was de-prioritized in favor of giving TV time to green performers like Tony D'Angelo.

Has it worked? Eh, some stuff remained great, but Vince McMahon's fingerprints felt very much on the televised product, as performers like Lash Legend were given televised matches despite a lack of in-ring ability. And yet, when asked about who exactly was in charge of NXT's televised product by Graham GSM Matthews of Bleacher Report, Shawn Michaels took credit.

“When Hunter first left, it became all me, and certainly from a television standpoint. Matt Bloom is the head coach and takes care of everything from the PC training standpoint, but when it came to NXT 2.0 television, that's something myself and my team took over creatively. I know a lot of people thought Vince and Bruce were doing that. I can promise you, they did not have the time to do NXT television. If it's good or if it's bad, that's on me.

“It's been a huge joy to run that show and work with these talents. Again, everyone was put in a real tough position, we all were, but that's where you learn to do things in WWE. That, to me, is a form of talent development, which is understanding that things can always change … around here and you have to adjust to that. The show always goes on. It was trial by fire for a lot of us, but it's been an absolutely fantastic experience.”

Huh, no wonder HBK was just promoted to the Vice President of Talent Development Creative; he's the man who has kept the show going despite a difficult situation and is one of the most experienced minds in wrestling history.

Shawn Michaels is the perfect man to take NXT into the future.

Michaels has done a little bit of everything during his professional wrestling career; he came up in a very popular tag team, worked for years as a midcard champion, secured the World Heavyweight Championship on four different occasions, and even rejuvenated the “later” part of his career as a member of one of the most influential factions of all time, DX. HBK has retired legends, formed a Kliq, and had two of the best matches in WrestleMania history against a Deadman.

While Michaels isn't the most well-traveled wrestler in the sport's history, as he worked almost his entire career in WWE, the man born Michael Shawn Hickenbottom did wrestle around the indies during the mid-80s at the start of his career, and did work a single match in the Texas Wrestling Alliance during his retirement from the WWE in 2000.

Considering Michaels inspired an entire generation of wrestlers with his brash style, innovative move set, and pension for pompous entrances, one would assume a lack of time wrestling in Mexico and Japan has largely been overlooked by recruits who make their way to the Performance Center in Orlando.

But, you may ask, does HBK's game still hold up? Well, all it takes is one word to answer that question: “Superkick.” Sure, he called it the “Sweet Chin Music,” at least during his prominent run in the WWF/WWE, but his signature move has become a fixture maneuver of about half of the professional wrestlers working today, from Adam Cole, to Kevin Owens, and especially the Young Bucks, who throw “Superkick Parties” on the regular.

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Dave Meltzer with a text bubble reading "Those Triple H comments, they aged like milk" with Will Ospreay on his left and Triple H on his right with the AEW Dynasty logo as the background.

Matty Breisch ·

Will Ospreay next to Triple H with the AEW Dynasty logo as the background.

Matty Breisch ·

Becky Lynch with a text bubble reading "He has a vision" next to Triple H with the WWE logo as the background.

Matty Breisch ·

Yeah, that's a ton of “Superkicks.”

While some may wonder if Michaels is really ready to take on such an expansive role, as he's only just now stepped out into the spotlight as a “booker,” the talent – minus FTR – and his DX-partner-turned-boss Triple H appear to trust him wholeheartedly, as you can read below again via Matthews and Bleacher Report.

“Dakota Kai knows she's absolutely one of my favorites and clearly Iyo (Sky) is one of the most talented ladies in the world,” Michaels said. “I can just say this: We have very comparable lists. Hunter and I kind of share the same brain. We have a little list we think about every now and then, so I'm very excited for what he's done and for what he's going to do in the future, and we're looking forward to helping him every step of the way.”

Will this new era of NXT, dubbed 3.0 by aggressively online fans, be as good as the OG program that once won Levesque the Booker of the Year award from The Wrestling Observer? Only time- and the handling of NXT UK – will tell, but it's clear the brand is in the right hands moving forward.