Bron Breakker and Apollo Crews vignettes leading to NXT Deadline took the WWE Universe to some unique locations, but that was by design.
Shawn Michaels spoke with the media on the NXT Deadline Post Media Call to discuss a wide variety of subjects. When asked if Bron Breakker’s segments outside of the ring heading into Deadline were done to help humanize him to the WWE Universe, Michaels said the idea was to help show Breakker in a different light.
“So first of all, it started when we brought in Apollo, and they’re both good guys. And I don’t know, so how is a way we can do this and do our best to try to make it different,” Shawn Michaels said. “And then, as you say, at the same time, we were also thinking about how can we show Bron in a different light. And it was one of those things because, on a side note, he and a couple other guys, they all fish, and we’re always talking about fishing, and when we’re flying back from Wrestlemania, I was showing fishing pictures and hunting pictures and stuff like that.
“So we were bonding over that stuff. So in the midst of this Apollo Bron feud, we just thought, why don’t we see if we can, again, do something different and just have these guys get along the entire time, and they both kind of invade each other in their environments. And again, just not do the never get angry, we’re friends, and then we push, and then we snarl and get angry at each other at the last minute.
“And also just seeing again, if we could do something different from a vignette standpoint, and do it outside of the building and see if we can just create a story that’s intriguing enough, between two good guys that people want to see and make it interesting and different. So honestly, that’s what it was.
“I always go back to I’m very thankful again, maybe unfairly, but the company sort of doesn’t sink or swim on the market share of NXT. So we get a real kick out of trying to do things different, challenging ourselves and seeing if we can make things a little bit different and having two guys going on a fishing trip or talking in a diner, and see if they can still have a heavyweight match.
“There are plenty of guys in UFC that talk to each other all the time, train with each other, and then they go out there and beat the tar out of one another. So this was just something we wanted to see if we could do differently. And so that’s what we did.”
READ MORE: Shawn Michaels On The Plan To Elevate Bron Breakker To The Main Roster
What do you make of Shawn Michaels’ comments? Do you think Breakker’s segments with Apollo Crews helped humanize him heading into NXT Deadline? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the NXT Deadline Post Show Media Call with a link back to this article for the transcription.
