NXT star Apollo Crews recently appeared as a guest on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast and spoke about a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On taking gymnastics as a kid:

“I took gymnastics as a young kid. I could always flip. I’d be on my bed or whatever, trampolines, just doing the most random stuff.” Crews continued, “[people] are harsh as kids. I wish I had my mentality now when I was a kid because, right now, I wouldn’t really care what people thought back then. But, back then, I cared what people thought, so I’d take gymnastics [and other kids would say], like, ‘ah, naw, that’s not something a guy should be doing,’ just teasing me [and] picking at me for doing that.”

On his goal to make it to WWE:

“It was always a goal [to make it to WWE]. Like, the reason I did start working on the indies and doing those things before I got here was to get here, so it was cool. At the time I was asked to come here, I didn’t even know if WWE knew about me.”

On being in no rush to make it to the main WWE roster:

“I don’t want to miss out on the moments. Like, I want to remember everything. Triple H said before, ‘no matter where we go from here, we’re going to look back on this moment and it’s probably going to be the greatest time in our life’. I don’t want to look back and be like, ‘NXT, I loved it, but it just went by so fast’. I want to enjoy every [moment].” Crews added, “I have goals that I set and I want to accomplish everything I can here possible. For me, it’s amazing because my tryout was a year ago. Like, day one, I said I was going to come in here and my goal is to be [NXT] Champion, so for me to be in this spot is an honor.”

On his preference to be a singles competitor and his interest in having a manager:

“I like being solo. Like even when I did things in high school [or] even in team sports, there’s something about just depending on yourself. Like, when you’re out there, it’s you versus this guy and you know that you are your only chance of survival. I thrive off of that.” Crews continued, “Definitely, I’d love to have [a manager]. I definitely wouldn’t mind that. It would be pretty cool. I think there could be some interesting things we could do there too, so that would be cool. Tagging, I wouldn’t mind it, but I do love singles a lot more, but a manager would be cool, actually. I could see that though.”

• Update On CM Punk’s UFC Debut, Conor McGregor’s Next Fight & Rousey/Holm 2!

NXT star Apollo Crews recently spoke with the TheMirror.co.uk about NXT’s success and the brand’s evolving reputation as it relates to WWE.

As NXT continues to grow, talents like NXT Champion Finn Balor have stated publicly that they’re in no rush to join the main roster because NXT is the place to be. Crews echoes that sentiment:

“I wouldn’t say NXT is a stepping stone, by no means. I think everybody has certain things they want to accomplish here and of course the goal is main roster, but when you come here, you come here with things you want to accomplish here in NXT. You get here and things start happening. It’s definitely not a stepping stone by no means.

I think for me personally if you’re a wrestler, NXT is where you want to be. From being down at the Performance Center, starting getting on the road more often, traveling to Texas, Brooklyn, Louisville, Sacramento and now the UK, it’s just growing and expanding, and more and more people want to be a part of this and more people are getting onboard. The WWE Network is a major outlet for NXT and when you come to a place like this and see the support we’re getting, it just shows how big NXT really is.”

NXT star Apollo Crews recently spoke with The Mirror out of London to promote the NXT TakeOver: London special while on the recent NXT U.K. Tour. During the interview, Crews, formerly known as Uhaa Nation, spoke about working with Samoa Joe early into his WWE run in NXT, his thoughts on eventually moving to the main WWE roster, how the late WWE Hall Of Famer Dusty Rhodes helped influence his new character and more. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On working with Samoa Joe:

“It’s amazing. It’s not every day you get to be in the ring with somebody of that calibre so to be able to have that opportunity is amazing for me. It’s a chance to show not just everybody else but myself that I can hang on that level. Sometimes you get caught up in Florida, it gets stressful, and like I said you start taking it like it’s an actual job, but being here and working with guys like that… somehow in a weird way you get so relaxed and just let things happen, you know? I think it comes with him being so experienced and coaching me through certain things, the amount of things I’ve learned from him just these last few days has been really helpful. For me it’s a huge opportunity because he is somebody I used to watch before I even got into wrestling. It doesn’t even seem that way now, you see certain guys before you get here, and when you get here they become your peers and your friends, so it’s weird in that way but amazing at the same time.”

On making it to the main roster:

“I wouldn’t say NXT is a stepping stone, by no means. I think everybody has certain things they want to accomplish here and of course the goal is main roster, but when you come here, you come here with things you want to accomplish here in NXT. You get here and things start happening. It’s definitely not a stepping stone by no means. I think for me personally if you’re a wrestler, NXT is where you want to be. From being down at the Performance Center, starting getting on the road more often, travelling to Texas, Brooklyn, Louisville, Sacramento and now the UK, it’s just growing and expanding, and more and more people want to be a part of this and more people are getting onboard. The WWE Network is a major outlet for NXT and when you come to a place like this and see the support we’re getting, it just shows how big NXT really is.”

On Dusty Rhodes being a big help with his new WWE character:

“I would say Dusty Rhodes first and foremost. I got the privilege, opportunity and honour to work side by side with Dusty from the time I came into NXT until the time that he passed. It was cool, I would always go to talk to Dream in the office and end up talking to him for a couple of hours each time I went in there. I would go in and every time he would see me he would say ‘what do you want?’ ‘You know what I think, I think you’re ready, you remind me of me, now get out of my office!’ It would quickly turn into ‘just kidding, just come in and sit down baby’. He first and foremost was somebody who saw something in me. There have been some battles and Dusty has gone in to bat for me on a few things and I will always cherish that, knowing what he meant to me, and never forget anything he said to me.”

• VIDEO: Top UFC Stars Explain Why They’re Starting To Worry About CM Punk’s UFC Future

– The Thanksgiving edition of “This Week In WWE History,” which you can check out above, features Corey Graves and Kyle Edwards looking at a “Turkey-On-A-Pole Match” featuring Team Sgt. Slaughter vs. Team Larry Zbyszko from the AWA.

– WWE’s official website has confirmed Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin for the NXT TakeOver: London show on December 16th. They are billing the match as a battle of two of NXT’s hottest prospects.

– WWE taped the following matches on Tuesday evening in Indianapolis, Indiana for tonight’s Thanksgiving edition of WWE SmackDown:

* The Dudley Boyz vs. Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman
* Paige vs. Becky Lynch
* The First Annual New Day Potluck Dinner
* Jack Swagger vs. WWE United States Champion Alberto Del Rio in a non-title match
* The Lucha Dragons vs. Big E and Kofi Kingston with The Gobbledy Gooker in a non-title match
* Dean Ambrose vs. Tyler Breeze vs. Dolph Ziggler in an Intercontinental Title #1 Contenders Triple Threat

• Video: Emotional Footage Of Ronda Rousey’s Family Watching Her Get KO’d

Former NXT Champion Sami Zayn is being advertised for the NXT tour of the U.K. coming up in December, including all of the regular live events and the NXT TakeOver: London special on December 16th.

It’s possible that Zayn is just appearing at the shows in a non-physical capacity, as we haven’t heard that he is ready to make his in-ring return just yet.

Other talents advertised for the NXT tour that is scheduled to kick off on December 10th in Newcastle, England include NXT Champion Finn Balor, NXT Women’s Champion Bayley, NXT Tag-Team Champions Dash and Dawson, Neville, Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews, Samoa Joe, Dana Brooke and Emma.

• Video: Emotional Footage Of Ronda Rousey’s Family Watching Her Get KO’d

WWE announced this week that the next NXT TakeOver special, which is scheduled for Wednesday, December 16th, will air live on the WWE Network from the SSE Wembley Arena in London, England at 3 p.m. Eastern time and Noon Pacific time.

Although an official lineup has yet to be released, the card is loooking like:

• NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe
• Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin
• Asuka vs. Emma

The 12/16 TakeOver show is also expected to include NXT Tag-Team Title and NXT Women’s Title matches. Those two title matches should become clear on November 19th when the final television tapings leading up to the show are taped at Full Sail University.

Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com on Wednesday, December 16th for the best NXT TakeOver: London live results coverage on the web!

• Ronda Rousey Getting Heat For Controversial Sex Comments, Rousey Responds

Welcome to the first installment of the rebooted SEScoops Mailbag. We got a ton of questions sent in the first day – keep ’em coming! Email SEScoops@gmail.com with the subject line “Mailbag” and you might see your question answered here next week. Here we go:

Jon E asks… Who do you consider to be the most successful British wrestler of all time? I have always considered it to be Davey Boy Smith for his impact yet others (such as Regal and Barrett) have arguably won more titles and held them for longer.

David Bixenspan: It’s hard to say, even if you’re going by international stardom. Davey Boy Smith was probably the biggest British star in an international promotion, yes. He was a huge part of WWE packing Wembley Stadium for SummerSlam ’92, was a legitimate draw as tag champ in the mid-‘80s, and had been a big star in Japan. That’s not even factoring in his ’93-’97 work.

Billy Robinson was very successful as a headliner in Japan, Canada, and the United States. He was a big enough deal in Japan to be in demand to switch promotions when it was rare, and he was, at times, the top full-time (Verne Gagne and Da Crusher were part-time) babyface in the AWA during its ‘70s heyday.

It’s probably between the two of them. William Regal is/was a magnificent performer in every facet and was on his way to a big run on top in Japan…when his addictions got the better of him. He never really had that big run, though he also found himself a nice gig as a trainer and talent scout in WWE. Wade Barrett just doesn’t have the success yet. Someone like Dynamite Kid has an argument, but he was never a headline level star in Japan and his best North American singles runs were in smaller territories. If you want to factor in Brits who mostly stuck to Europe and countries where British talent was booked, like India and South Africa, it’s tricky due to lack of records.

Everett W asks… Do you guys ever see an African American as a wwe champion in this lifetime? And who

Brad Davis: I will take it that you’re wondering if we will see ANOTHER African American WWE Champion in this lifetime, since The Rock already accomplished that feat back in 1998. Yes, I certainly do think we will see an African American WWE Champion ‘in this lifetime.’ I venture to say that NXT star Apollo Crews will hold the WWE Championship in the next 5 years. He has the look, he’s incredibly athletic and he’s been getting rave reviews for his work in NXT.

Another African American talent that could very well be WWE Champion one day is Jason Jordan. He and Chad Gable have been burning up the tag team scene in NXT and the idea of them going their separate ways any time soon is something I want to stop thinking about immediately. However, he’s proving month after month that he could be a ‘total package.’ If he can stay healthy and continue to improve at the rate we’ve seen from him so far, its only a matter of time before he’s making a name for himself on the main roster.

Brave asks… Which wrestlers do you guys think aren’t used to their full potential? And you’d like to see used more or in a better way?

A Realist: Well, aside from the obvious candidates such as Bray Wyatt, Stardust/Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, and Cesaro, I have three. Three acts that WWE tragically underutilizes:

1) Adam Rose: This is a big one for me. He has proven time and time again that he can make a turd into gold. He is a great hand, who is a proven remarkable actor. Look at the stark differences between Leo Kruger and Adam Rose, and this new “Party Pooper” Rose. Night and day. And the fact that they blew a giant opportunity with the Leo Kruger character confounds me.

2) The Lucha Dragons: The WWE is always looking for their next big Hispanic star. Their next Rey Mysterio. As much as I appreciate Albert The River (props if you get it) and his work, it’s not him. It rests on the shoulders of these two remarkable high-flyers. Specifically, Kallisto. The guy has “megastar” written all over him–if booked and built up properly. Not to mention the matches that these two can have with one another in the inevitable break up…

3) The Ascension: I know I’m going to catch flack for this one, but with their original Raven’s Flock Goth gimmick, they could have been something special. Lie to me and tell me that you didn’t get hyped with their original entrance. Not to mention, they really do remind me of an old school Demolition or LOD type team. They just needn’t be so blatant in their gimmick infringement.

NATEOB asks… Say between the years of 1999-2001 who do you think WWF dropped the ball with making a mid carder into a main eventer? Guys like Shamrock? Val Venis? X-pac. Guys like that.

A Realist: Easily, hands down D’Lo Brown. The guy carried himself like a superstar, had that amazing in ring prowess, the swagger to back up his mouth–guy had it all. He even made it a point to cut weight, and get into better shape. That shows dedication and commitment to the craft. So to reward him, WWE put a turban on his head, and gave him a horrible Middle Eastern gimmick with a former Headbanger.

Shawn J asks… Do you think Seth would work better as a Face? He’s too much of a coward and he doesn’t look strong going into his PPV matches as of late. He puts on the best matches on PPV but I rather him look strong so he can look more believable. He said he’s the best WWE champion ever but  he gets pinned/submitted/DQ almost every week.

Brad Davis: Seth Rollins is going to make one hell of a babyface when the time comes and will be a bigger star as a babyface than he has been as a heel. Even though he plays the part well, WWE has taken the cowardly aspect of his character entirely too far and he does lose way too many matches. The Authority are sadly the true top heels in WWE, but Rollins has gotten himself over as a main eventer since WrestleMania is showing all the tell-tale signs of a Hall of Fame career.

Rollins is so good in the ring and his high-flying move set is better suited for a babyface. I know I wasn’t the only one who thought WWE was foreshadowing a babyface turn from Rollins when he started rocking his white ring gear at SummerSlam. Now that Rollins has been sidelined with a knee injury until mid 2016, he’s going to get a hero’s welcome return pop that will rival Triple H at MSG after his torn quad back in the day.

Ken B asks… If WWE could bring back Wargames, do you think they could pull it off?

David Bixenspan: They could, as it was WCW’s intellectual property and they own WCW’s intellectual property. it’s just that Vince McMahon is resistant to using a “WCW”/Dusty Rhodes idea. I have no doubt that WWE could put on an amazing Wargames with the talent they have, but that’s the big hurdle. Perhaps the best question is if those who have tried pitching it, like Triple H, have tried to feel out if he actually knows how the rules to the match work and if they could pitch a similar alternative. For example, if Triple H or whoever want pushed for a six man tag team Elimination Chamber match that was effectively War-games rules, could they get it past Vince? I honestly don’t know. Vince very rarely watched the opposition’s shows and it’s been a long time (18 years) since WCW’s last proper/original rules Wargames, so it’s entirely possible that it could get snuck past him.

Got a question you want answered here in the SEScoops Mailbag? Send it over to SEScoops@gmail.com.

After winning the #1 Contender’s Battle Royal earlier this month, Apollo Crews will challenge Finn Balor for the NXT Championship in the main event of week’s show.

WWE tapes the next several weeks of NXT TV tonight from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL – check back later tonight for spoiler results.

WWE is hyping the match match with a look at Crews’ journey to the top of NXT:

The following are spoiler results from the set of NXT television tapings held on Thursday, October 22, 2015 at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.

NXT TV Spoilers For 11/4

– Asuka def. Cameron via submission

– Bull Dempsey def. Angelo Dawkins

– Eva Marie def. Gionna Daddio, who is now using the name Marley.

– Apollo Crews def. Finn Balor ended in a DQ when Baron Corbin attacked both guys in what was a NXT title match, so the title didn’t change hands. After Corbin hit the ring, Samoa Joe came out and took out Corbin, but then shocked everyone by attacking Finn Balor for a surprising heel turn to close out that week’s show.

NXT TV Spoilers For 11/11

– Adrien Reese (aka Athena) def. Peyton Royce with a top-rope jump into a Stunner for the 1-2-3.

– Baron Corbin vs. Tye Dillinger never takes place as Apollo Crews takes out Corbin.

– Bayley, Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley def. Alexa Bliss, Blake & Murphy in a six-person inter-gender tag-team match. Bliss stole Bayley’s title and ran off with it during the match. Bayley hit a Belly-To-Bayley on one of the men and then ran after Bliss. Ryder hit the Rough Ryder to get the win for his team.

– Nia Jax def. Deonna Purrazzo in a squash match.

– The Mechanics def. The Vaudevillains via submission to become the new NXT Tag-Team Champions. Great crowd reactions for this match and for the title change.

– Samoa Joe came out for a promo segment. The fans boo him because he turned heel and attacked Finn Balor on “last week’s show.” Balor ends up coming out and confronts Joe. They get into it but referees end up holding them back. This segment ends the 11/11 edition of NXT TV.

NXT TV Spoilers For 11/18

– Nia Jax def. Carmella in a squash match.

– Chad Gable & Jason Jordan def. The Ascension in tag-team action when Gable and Jordan score the pin after hitting the assisted German suplex.

– Emma def. Mary Kate (aka Rosie Lottalove and Andrea) with the Emma-lock.

– The Mechanics def. Two local talents (believed to be Corey Hollis and John Skyler) to retain the NXT Tag-Team titles.

– Bayley def. Alexa Bliss via the Huggplex to retain the NXT Women’s Championship. Eva Marie ended up coming out to challenge Bayley to a future title match.

• WWE Looking To Book Ronda Rousey For Future Stone Cold Podcast! Full Story Here!

This week’s NXT television taping featured a number of newsworthy happenings. In addition to this noteworthy item, there was a big heel turn that took place during this week’s taping.

A match that featured NXT Champion Finn Balor defending his title against Apollo Crews took place at the NXT television taping on Thursday night in Winter Park, Florida, and featured a big heel turn from none other than Samoa Joe.

The Balor-Crews match ended in a disqualification as Baron Corbin hit the ring and attacked both Crews and Balor. This led to Samoa Joe coming out. Joe took out Corbin and then shocked everyone by attacking Balor. This was described by fans in attendance as a “real heel turn” with lots of heat from the crowd directed towards Joe.

The Balor-Crews title match and post-match Samoa Joe heel turn is scheduled to air as part of the November 4th episode of NXT TV.

Below are some photos of Samoa Joe’s post-match heel turn.

https://twitter.com/Manic_Pineapple/status/657336115800748032

https://twitter.com/Manic_Pineapple/status/657336217722318848

https://twitter.com/Manic_Pineapple/status/657336379798589441

• WWE Looking To Book Ronda Rousey For Future Stone Cold Podcast! Full Story Here!

– Apollo Crews won the Battle Royal on this week’s episode of NXT to become the #1 contender to Finn Balor’s NXT Championship. Crews was interviewed after his win and said he’s only been in NXT for 2 months and he’s already climbing his way to the top. He told everyone he came to NXT to be champion and now he has that opportunity. He said Apollo Crews vs. Finn Balor sounds like a good matchup and NXT gold is coming to the Apollo Nation.

– NXT tag team Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins might be on the outs soon. As seen in this video below, Fulton talks about being tired of losing and looking like a fool after their loss to Tag Team Champions The Vaudevillains on this week’s show:

Apollo Crews is the #1 contender to Finn Balor’s NXT Championship after winning a battle royal at Thursday’s TV tapings from Full Sail University. The final four in the battle royal were Crews, Samoa Joe, Baron Corbin and Tyler Breeze.

No word yet on when the match will take place, NXT Takeover: London on December 16th is still over 2 months away. Crews has looked great since making his NXT debut over the summer and looks to be on the fast track to the top.

New number one contender @ApolloCrews #NXT @ShakeThemRopes pic.twitter.com/h24fbLAAmI

— METSFAN (@WWEMETSFAN) October 8, 2015

Triple H held a conference call on Wednesday afternoon to promote tonight’s NXT Takeover: Respect event. Below are some of the highlights.

On if he sees Apollo Crews as NXT Champion one day:

He certainly has the potential to. I believe in @ApolloCrews. https://t.co/KWYc6oOUiZ

— Triple H (@TripleH) October 7, 2015

On Triple H possibly wrestling in NXT:

Ha…no! That would be inappropriate allocation of resources!!! https://t.co/0xR10xpDHr

— Triple H (@TripleH) October 7, 2015

On the next division he wants to revolutionize after the Divas:

Possibly cruiserweights, always something to look at. https://t.co/5EyPf1aUHV

— Triple H (@TripleH) October 7, 2015

On what they’re doing with women not translating to the main roster:

It will. There is a saying..Rome wasn't built in a day…these women won't be denied. #TakenNotGiven https://t.co/Zv6Z4KH3jr

— Triple H (@TripleH) October 7, 2015

On who to keep an eye out for heading into NXT Takeover: London in December:

Look for big things from @WWEAsuka. Looking forward to the debut of @NiaJaxWWE and also @ApolloCrews #TooManyTooList https://t.co/ovs6lBviOM

— Triple H (@TripleH) October 7, 2015

On a possible NXT Title match at WrestleMania:

You'll see one @WrestleMania weekend for sure. https://t.co/tJ6VLIvS6Q

— Triple H (@TripleH) October 7, 2015

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WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley took to social media recently after watching Apollo Crews (Uhaa Nation) in action on NXT television. Foley wrote the following on Facebook.

“DID I JUST SEE THAT? That’s what I kept asking myself while catching up on ?NXT? last night, and seeing Apollo Crews in action. While the road to stardom to ?WWE? can be paved with roadblocks – both physical and psychological – I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see this man playing a major role on WWE Raw, ??Smackdown? and PPV for years to come.”

Additionally, Foley also responded to fan feedback on Crews in the comments on the post. Below is what Foley added:

“I think the major consensus is this guy is a rising star, and if a few breaks fall in his favor, the sky seems to be the limit for him in WWE. As is usually the case, finding the right opponents, and creating memorable programs – as opposed to having a good series of random matches – is the key to really breaking through in sports entertainment.”

• VIDEO: Ronda Rousey’s AWKWARD Sexual Innuendo During Recent UFC Press Conference!

Apollo Crews (formerly Uhaa Nation) recently spoke with WWE.com about his time in NXT thus far. After impressing fans since making his in-ring debut at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, Crews says his goal is to become NXT’s most well-rounded talent.

“I often get told by many they’ve never seen a guy who can do what I do in the ring. I want to be to the complete package by having all angles and aspects covered. I don’t want to do all things well — I want everything I do to be great. Some people like to settle for less, I always have to strive and keep pushing for more.”

Crews also commented on using people’s high expectations of him as motivation.

“All I can do is go out there and give everything I have. My mom watched me at Takeover: Brooklyn and said she was amazed, and it was only the second time she’s seen me wrestle. My dad very frequently lets me know how proud he is, and extended family in Nigeria, that I don’t even know or have met, have also reached out and expressed how proud they are. My kid sister, who isn’t even a fan of wrestling, watched me. The NXT fans have shown me nothing but love, too. I appreciate all the support, and it makes me push that much harder.”

– Jushin Thunder Liger won his NXT debut, defeating Tyler Breeze in the opening match of the NXT Takeover: Brooklyn event on Saturday night at the Barclays Center. Liger picked up the win via pinfall after hitting Breeze with his “Liger Bomb” finisher.

– The Vaudevillains — Simon Gotch and Aiden English defeated Blake and Murphy, with the help of Blue Pants, to become the new NXT Tag-Team Champions at the NXT Takeover: Brooklyn special.

– Apollo Crews, the former Uhaa Nation, made his “Takeover” debut on Saturday night, defeating Tye Dillinger in a quick match at the NXT Takeover: Brooklyn event.

– Below is the cool intro that Triple H did at the NXT Takeover: Brooklyn live special from the Barclays Center on Saturday night.

• VIDEO: UFC Star JUMPS THE RAIL At GFW Taping, Goes After Chael Sonnen!

On Wednesday morning, WWE COO Triple H a media conference call to promote Saturday’s NXT Takeover: Brooklyn live special on the WWE Network. Below are highlights, courtesy of Tom M.:

– Triple H said it’s a historic week for NXT as far as being its own brand and filling its own niche. SummerSlam weekend is a huge opportunity for the brand and at first he wasn’t a big fan of the idea of running Barclays Center. They wanted to curtain it off at 6,000 seats at first but those sold out before tickets officially went on sale, so they went to 13,000 seats. They are very excited about Takeover in New York City. He said if you can make it in NYC, you can make it anywhere.

– He talked about the card and pushed Jushin “Thunder” Liger, Samoa Joe vs. Corbin and the “dual main events” of Bayley vs. Sasha Banks and Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor. He clarified his Twitter announcement and said all the matches revealed are not for the live WWE Network special. They will first film 90 minutes of NXT TV and then air the live two hour Takeover show.

– He announced the WWE Performance Center All-Access pass for September 28th. Tickets are on sale and the full details were posted earlier.

– They are looking at ideas in regards to doing NXT Takeover events before all major pay-per-views but he prefers when they piggyback NXT specials onto week-long WWE events to make the brand part of the entire experience.

– They’re proud of selling out the Barclays Center three nights in a row, noting he doesn’t know too many entertainment brands that can sell out NYC three straight nights. He says 2015 was to be the year they tried new things and NXT is unique. He doesn’t want it to be like RAW or SmackDown, it needs to have its own identity.

– He talked about Vince McMahon taking to which talents he wants to and that being a battle that will always have to be fought in NXT, in regards to talents coming to the main roster. He says he does not cherry-pick the indies, despite online rumors, and says he just wants talented new people, no matter where they come from – sports or the indies.

– He feels like a proud dad watching the “kids” going to the main roster and getting recognized. He talks about the Divas Revolution and is looking forward to them main eventing. He talks about Sasha Banks and Charlotte wanting to main event WrestleMania and doesn’t doubt it will happen.

– Regarding going up against ROH and a potential deal with EVOLVE to go after ROH, Triple H said it’s funny how people see things differently. He’s not trying to cause harm to ROH. He said other companies piggy-back off major WWE events and it makes sense for WWE to do the same thing. He says it’s part of the discovery process for the NXT brand. He says he was unaware of ROH running in Texas when they booked the Night of Champions weekend events. Regarding EVOLVE and Gabe Sapolsky, they are looking for quality events that can help support the business overall. He acknowledged that indies are important to the health of the business and doesn’t want to see anyone fail but he’s always going to do what’s right for WWE business. He says if that affects someone’s business plan, he can’t help that because WWE is priority for him.

– He talked about William Regal and others scouting and recruiting new talents all over the world, including Canada as the reporter asking the question was in Toronto. He mentioned talents get trained by right by people like Lance Storm and others in Canada, which leads to opportunities but not any additional opportunities.

– He talked about how there’s excitement all through NXT, talents are selling tickets and merchandise. They’re thinking about taking NXT international, to the UK. He’s always bragging on NXT to Vince McMahon and telling him to check stuff out. He says it’s more than just making sure WWE has future talents, that’s an important part of NXT but there’s a lot more.

– Regarding talents who get called up continuing to work NXT events, he says everyone wants to go to the main roster but NXT isn’t a bad spot to be in. He said they might move some talents who aren’t being used back down to NXT to revitalize them. He says there’s no rulebook for NXT, they can do anything with the brand.

– He had a lot of praise for Apollo Crews, the former Uhaa Nation. He’s looking forward to his debut at Takeover this weekend. He said Crews has the young, hungry fire and he’s looking forward to him being a huge star. He also said there will be other big debuts and fresh blood soon as others get called to the main roster.

Following this week’s edition of NXT TV, below is an updated look at the scheduled lineup for NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, which airs live on the WWE Network on Saturday, August 22nd.

NXT Championship
(Ladder Match)
– Finn Balor (c) vs. Kevin Owens

NXT Tag-Team Championship
– Blake & Murphy (c) vs. The Vaudevillians

NXT Women’s Championship
– Sasha Banks (c) vs. Bayley

– Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Tyler Breeze

– Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin

– Apollo Crews (formerly known as Uhaa Nation) will make his NXT debut

– Appearances by Hideo Itami and others are expected as well

• AMAZINGLY HOT Photos Of RONDA ROUSEY In A Tiny Bikini! (BRAND NEW)

Former independent wrestling sensation Uhaa Nation, who recently signed with NXT, will be making his official debut with the promotion later this month.

Uhaa Nation will now be known as “Apollo Crews” in NXT, and will debut at the Saturday, August 22nd NXT Takeover: Brooklyn event, which airs live on the WWE Network the night before WWE SummerSlam.

As of right now, there is no official word regarding who Crews’ opponent will be at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn.

• AMAZINGLY HOT Photos Of RONDA ROUSEY In A Tiny Bikini! (BRAND NEW)