Triple H Discusses NXT Takeovers No Longer Running On WWE PPV Weekends, Worlds Collide

WWE has a lot on its upcoming slate with NXT premiering on USA Network this week and Hell in a Cell just weeks away. But they are also looking ahead to 2020 and the next Worlds Collide event taking place in January.

Triple H discussed that event and the future of NXT TakeOvers on Monday morning's conference call.

"The TakeOvers will continue but there's a schedule shift going on. That is an opportunity to better serve our Network subscribers to give them more live content on a more regular basis. So NXT TakeOvers will continue? but there are opportunities to do other content," said Hunter.

"Having a Worlds Collide event, where you have under the same brand but separate branding?and have them compete each other and have these one-off events, these are very meaningful events. We did some of them last year at Axxess where you saw the UK talent vs. the NXT talent or the cruiserweights from 205 Live vs. UK or NXT or even Raw and SmackDown vs. NXT. That's really where those events are headed.

"They are fun and spectacular events which don't necessarily impact the brands themselves from their own individual storylines. It's an opportunity to cross combine and make some interesting content without having to take away from what they're doing individually."

Triple H was then asked about the structure of the TakeOvers and if they will become longer to fit more people onto the shows.

"To say that there are more programs and they all have to pay off at a TakeOver isn't necessarily the way I would look at it. I think the biggest storylines take place at TakeOver. There is period of time between TakeOvers so some of those storylines will ebb and flow throughout the show, just as they always have," Triple H said before adding that he doesn't want to play off every TV story on every PPV as they don't all have to be on one.

"The thing I like about the TakeOvers in the manner that they are is that they are fresher and can go straight through. They don't get too long. Also for a talent standpoint, I like not putting everything on those TakeOvers. I like talent being hungry and trying to get to their spot on a TakeOver."

With Raw being three hours and SmackDown being two hours, WWE could have gone with either length or even one hour for their NXT show on USA. But they settled on two hours and Triple H explained why.

"Just me personally, I wouldn't want to go three hours. Every hour you add gets exponentially harder," revealed Triple H. "Over the last couple of years one of the different things in the NXT brand is just bandwidth. We have a lot of talent and I'd like to get them on TV and I don't have the space. Within an hour show, the real estate of where you can put people?every episode we would do I was like, 'Man, I'd really like to get this person on the show but I just don't have the space for it.' So the two hours for me is not about speeding up anything, it's about having the opportunity to debut more and have more talent shine."

The two hours gives talent more opportunity and Hunter said those opportunities then create more competition among the talent.

Staying on the topic of show length, Triple H was then asked if the TakeOver specials will become longer.

"We'll look at that as we move forward. But it's not about length of time or amount of content that you're putting out there. I want there to be enough but also not too much. I'm a guy who if I'm looking at my watch during a movie then maybe they should have cut a scene or two out," said Triple H.

"So I don't want to get into that space. For me, the TakeOvers are more of the build to epic stories. They are the build to the shows and the shows have to be spectacular themselves?It's really trying to build to these epic storylines and give you these big moments and keep the weekly shows as entertaining and meaningful as possible while always building towards the crescendo event.

"It's about the content and the build and if you build it right, then it's not about the length of time and hopefully you're not even considering it when the show is over. You're just like, 'Man, that was good!'

NXT makes it's debut on USA this Wednesday at 8/7 pm CST. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Triple H's full NXT media call aired as part of today's episode of our WINCLY podcast. It can be heard via the embedded audio player at the bottom of this post.

You can check out past episodes of the WINCLY here. Subscribe to Wrestling Inc. Audio on iTunes or Google Play. Listen to the show via Spotify here or through TuneIn here.