How Triple H convinced former WWE star Kyle O'Reilly to join NXT

WWE superstar-turned-administrator Triple H has helped the company grow with his vision. It could also be said that his personal relations and understanding about the wrestlers have helped them grow on the circuit. Former WWE star Kyle O’Reilly recently revealed how ‘The Game’ convinced him to join NXT instead of making headway to the WWE main roster by differentiating between the two with an apt analogy. It should be noted that O’Reilly was a proven name in the individual circuit before signing a contract with WWE in 2017.

He made a name for himself on the independent circuit by wrestling on the promotions like New Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Guerilla. The Canadian also achieved incredible success at the NXT as he won the NXT Tag Team Championship on multiple occasions and was also the original participant in WWE’s first-ever War Games match.

“He said ‘NXT was like the broadway show. It’s where the real performers get out there. They’ve got the chops, they can act, they can sing, they can dance, they can do it all and there are no special effects. There’s no big-budget blockbuster movie special effects that are hiding it all like RAW and Smackdown would be.’ I just thought that was such a great analogy, and it really rang true,” O’Reilly revealed in his conversation with Renee Paquette on her podcast. 

WWE saw the rise of some big names in the mid 2000s with John Cena and Triple H being an integral part of the main roster. The WWE stalwarts were also in the race to become the leading man for the company in that period of time, according to former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. But The Game chose to let go of that role because he wanted to create more adult content than kid-friendly content. He wanted to appear in the last hours of SmackDown or RAW for his DX appearances with tag team partner Shawn Michaels to build his character and legacy around it.

Triple H is now serving as the Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development of WWE. He had played a key role in the transformation of NXT as the third brand for the company’s roster.

The vision was set in 2013 and since then he has worked closely with plenty of stars to build-up their career ahead of the releases. It also turned out to be a win-win situation for Triple H as many knowledgeable minds came out in support of him.

Triple H had formed a unit for the NXT which was supposed to be brought into the main roster after Vince McMahon made his way away from the brand. It should also be noted that William Regal, Gabe Sapolsky, and Road Dogg were core members of Triple H’s team. But their release has naturally impacted his morale in the locker room.

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