Notes from the NXT Great American Bash conference call: No Mercy returning, more

This afternoon, Shawn Michaels and NXT hosted a media conference call ahead of this weekend’s Great American Bash event. Here are some highlights from the call.

Michaels opened by confirming the rumors that the “No Mercy” name would be coming back, as NXT will run the event this September 30th in Bakersfield, California.

Michaels commented on Roxanne Perez and reminded everyone just how young she is, like much of the women’s roster, and is learning who she is without a championship around her waist. Later, a caller asked if there were plans for a secondary or midcard women’s championship. Michaels said he’s always open to options, but is proud of what they’ve accomplished with multiple women’s stories that don’t hinge on championships, including the Weapons Wild match between Perez and Blair Davenport.

Michaels called out Chase U as a genuine success story in NXT that has exceeded expectation and continues to have a fun dynamic. Another caller asked about Thea Hail and again, he mentioned just how young she is (19). He used the line that she could win the championship this Sunday and not be able to celebrate with a beer. He mentioned Hail is extremely excited all the time and insinuated we’re simply seeing an exaggerated version of her.

A caller asked about Wendy Choo’s progress. He said some positive things about rehabbing going well but acknowledged that it’s not going to be soon.

Michaels talked about Dominik Mysterio and what he’s gaining from his stay in NXT, and what NXT’s gaining from him. He said Dom was thrown into the deep end and is benefitting from a looser structure, and has the ability to find out who he is separate from his father during his time in NXT.

A caller asked about how Michaels is liking the Tony D’Angelo storyline, and Michaels cracked that if he doesn’t like it, it doesn’t make air, eliciting a laugh from his head writer just offscreen. He said he loves what D’Angelo is doing and said after this, he can act in mafia movies at the very least.

While he didn’t cite specifics, when asked whether Vince McMahon, Paul Levesque and others were receptive to Carmelo Hayes during his appearances on the main roster. He said as far as he knows, everyone is very high on him, and it’s not a question of whether he can do it but a question of timing.

A caller asked about Gable Steveson, mentioning what felt like an abrupt insert into the fold to him, but shied away from a meatier Steveson question. Michaels said he knew he wanted to use him if he was able, but because of the situation with Steveson already being something of a household name, he wasn’t sure if he was allowed or if there were other plans for him. He inserted him as soon as he learned he could.

A caller who had recently talked to Von Wagner’s manager Mr. Stone said that Stone mentioned he’s the longest tenured member of NXT right now. The caller asked about what Michaels thought of him and what he thinks of the state of wrestling managers in general. Michaels called out Paul Levesque and himself as both being big fans of Mr. Stone and he appreciates how he can do light and silly things but can also get serious in promoting a match.

When asked about what led them down the path to making the Perez-Davenport match a Weapons Wild match, and he said it’s simply where the women and the storyline took him.

Michaels had extremely glowing words for Ilja Dragunov. He said he knew he always wanted him in the fold, and learned quickly that there’s nothing he can’t do. He said that the Dragunov you see on screen is the Dragunov that really exists. He called Dragunov out as a stellar example for the locker room with the amount of work he puts in as well as his mental approach. He acknowledged that there are times he wants to pull Dragunov back from going so hard in lesser matches, but Dragunov simply isn’t wired that way and can’t be held back. Though he wishes he could pull him back sometimes, he said he totally understands and appreciates Dragunov’s approach.

Michaels said Dragon Lee came in with some name value and could have come in with an attitude if he wanted, but he wanted every challenge and no special treatment. He hinted that “big, exciting things” are on the way for Lee as far as creative.

Michaels once more promoted the No Mercy show in September and said, in a seemingly specific way, that exciting things are coming down the pipe for all of WWE. He thanked us in the media and signed off.