Triple H on Why the WWE Draft Is Being Held, WWE’s Three Brands Being Different, WWE NXT and the Draft, More

As noted, Triple H spoke with the media earlier today to promote Wednesday’s WWE NXT premiere on the USA Network.

Triple H was also asked about NXT Superstars possibly being a part of the upcoming WWE Draft planned for mid-October, and if there will be more Takeovers and NXT dates added to the schedule. He did confirm that there would be some NXT schedule changes, but said the WWE Draft will be mainly to establish the separate rosters for RAW and SmackDown.

“You’ll see some different scheduling opportunities in the upcoming 2020 calendar that are really scheduling changes,” he said. “I think it gives the opportunity… I keep using that word, but it really is. The talent that are in the UK, the talent that are here, the 205 Live talent, however you want to look at it or cruiserweight talent, to have them have as many eye balls on them as often as possible, so whether that’s on any of those three shows. I think if you look at all that as sitting under a NXT banner, and then RAW having its own and SmackDown having its own, then in this year as we move into a Draft period, with SmackDown moving to Fox broadcast, I think as that Draft hits, then that’s going to be more focused on RAW and SmackDown, and where those brands lay out, but going forward, who knows?

“I think this is a work in progress and as NXT continues to do what it has done for the last 5 years, and grow by leaps and bounds, my intent is to create and I think it’s there and we’ll see as we move forward, but where there are three very distinct brands – RAW, SmackDown and NXT, and they all have a different feel and a different flavor to them, but they’re all WWE products and they all represent something slightly different, and all have their own meaning, and everything, and there’s no ‘Up, Down’, it’s all lateral movements.”

Triple H was asked again about NXT and the WWE Draft, and if there will be some NXT involvement. He talked more about why WWE is holding the Draft.

“I think everybody’s going to have to wait and see,” he said. “I don’t foresee that being something. Right now I think the main focus of the Draft itself, is RAW and SmackDown. As October 4 comes along and moves forward with Fox broadcast taking SmackDown and us staying with our partners on USA and NBCU, those become two very competitive landscapes. I’m of the opinion that the NXT brand will continue to grow and I think that down the line you will see… as much as I will say right now, NXT has grown to where it shouldn’t be referred to as a developmental brand, even though we tend to debut newer stars, especially over the years.

“I think people lose perspective of the amount of stars that are absolutely homegrown and have never stepped in the ring before, that walked into the Performance Center, made their mark in NXT and then moved up the line, and are now on RAW and SmackDown, and everything else. I still think it needs more time to be considered in that same breath, and I think that over the next few months we’re going to get there, quickly, as this show does well. But I think the Draft is much more about creating the brand split, that having two distinct rosters between RAW and SmackDown. You’re going to see that happening and I think that’s what this Draft is about.”