NXT: TakeOver Stand & Deliver Media Call, TakeOver Pre-Show Panelists, Triple H Held Meeting with Talent

Apr 3, 2021

NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Media Call

Triple H held a NXT TakeOver media call on Friday discussing a variety of WWE and NXT related topics ahead of next week’s two-night NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver event.

Notable highlights from the media call:

Triple H stated that each night of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver will feature a one-hour pre-show.
On the topic of The Undertaker’s recent comments about WWE’s current product being “too soft”, Triple H stated that everyone has opinions about the business and he respects Undertaker’s opinion and looks forward to working with him in the future to help improve WWE’s product. He also stated that in the end, it all comes down to what the masses like for their wrestling.
Triple H stated that he did not know beforehand that Chris Jericho was going to be the guest on the upcoming episode of Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions. He also stated that WWE is always open to doing business with other promotions.
On the topic of the airing of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, Triple H stated that Night 1 will feature commercial breaks on USA Network but not on Peacock. He stated that the company is currently working with USA Network and NBC on figuring out how it will work logistically.
Triple H also stated that AJ Styles did contact him about the idea of a match between the two at a future WrestleMania. He stated that while he is open to the idea, he would need a much lighter work schedule in order to make that possible.
On the topic of NXT’s move to Tuesdays, Triple H stated that he feels the brand’s time on Wednesdays was successful and they have established an audience where they feel they can change nights and now benefit from RAW acting as a lead-in show.

Sources: PWInsider.com, F4WOnline.com

Pre-Show Panelists Announced for NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver

WWE recently announced that Sam Roberts, Mickie James, former MMA fighter Jimmy Smith, and sports writer Arash Markazi will be the panelists for both pre-show nights of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, which takes place on April 7th and 8th.

It was also announced that the pre-show for both nights will be one hour in length and will air live starting at 7PM EST on NBC’s Peacock, WWE Network, and WWE’s social media accounts.

Triple H Reportedly Held Meeting with NXT Talent Over NXT’s Move to Tuesdays

Triple H reportedly held a backstage meeting with NXT talent this past Wednesday, according to the Wrestling Observer Radio and Fightful Select.

The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reported that this meeting was mostly about Triple H praising the brand’s growth over the past six years and the upcoming move to Tuesdays being very beneficial to NXT. Triple H reportedly said that everything was going to change for the better now that they will have RAW acting as a lead-in for NXT and having a night all to themselves.

Meltzer initially reported that one of his sources stated that Triple H had also mentioned how Wednesdays were always NXT’s night and that they were being “bullied” off the night by their competition. Meltzer issued a correction afterwards on Twitter stating that other sources spoken to stated that the “bully” line was never used by Triple H but the description of the meeting was largely the same as initially reported. Fightful Select collaborated with their own sources that the bully line was never used by Triple H during the meeting.