"I miss them" - Shawn Michaels on recent WWE NXT departures
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels has commented on the departures of several NXT Superstars such as Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly. Michaels revealed that he misses having them in the company.
The Heartbreak Kid works behind the scenes in NXT alongside several WWE veterans, including William Regal and Triple H. In the past few months, several of the brand's top stars have parted ways with the company. While some, such as Bobby Fish, were let go by WWE, others such as Johnny Gargano, Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly chose to leave on their own accord.
During a recent interaction with Denise Salcedo on Instinct Culture, Shawn Michaels stated that he still keeps in contact with the NXT almuni. He added that they're the reason he decided to to return to the industry.
“We still keep in contact, but yeah it is bittersweet, those young men were a big part of my life, they were a lot of the reason that I sort of got back into this line of work. I was happily retired. When it came to Johnny, Tommaso, Adam, those guys, even way back, the Revival Boys, Shawn Spears who was Tye Dellinger at the time, all those young men sitting in a room with them; their passion, their excitement, their desire to be better was just hard not to love," said Shawn Michaels.
"They are the reason that I came back, and fell back in love with Sports Entertainment, with this line of work. As you’ve heard and everyone has numerous times, in NXT at the Performance Center, is where it’s still pure, it’s still all the reasons we get into it before it becomes business, and money and negotiations and things of that nature. To fast forward your question, I miss them. One of the things I always try to instill on all of them is ‘Your happiness, your contempt, your peace, is the most important thing to me," he added. (H/T WrestlingNews.co)
Johnny Gargano and Kyle O'Reilly saying their goodbyes with Shawn Michaels
#WWENXT https://t.co/hVoFqBfaXP
Shawn Michaels says he wants Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano and other former NXT stars to be happy
Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano and Kyle O’Reilly were all top stars in NXT. Cole and KOR were a part of the Undisputed Era while Gargano had an incredible feud with Tomasso Ciampa and is an NXT Triple Crown Champion.
Michaels said he misses them, but he wants them to be happy.
"I miss them, but I am very happy for them. Somethings gotta be real life, Hunter and I, we love this stuff, the same thing our real lives take precedence over everything else and it’s the same whether its Johnny, Adam, Kyle and whoever else, he’s now Malakai but Aleister, all of those guys I want them to be happy. Do I miss them? Yes. Would I prefer they be with us? Absolutely," said Shawn Michaels.
The game has changed @AEW https://t.co/i3nCFk0dXv
Kyle O’Reilly recently made his AEW debut and reunited with Adam Cole and Bobby Fish. Johnny Gargano is expected to sign with AEW soon.
What do you think of Shawn Michaels' comments regarding the departed NXT talent? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.