Reason for the NXT cuts

Dave Meltzer says Triple H and Shawn Michaels did not pick the NXT cuts. Vince McMahon, Bruce Prichard and John Laurinaitis did. NXT lost the war to AEW and they’re going to change, back toward an older style of development. Big guys, young guys.

Dave says there are divisive opinions about wrestling among the people in WWE and this is who has Vince’s ear this week. They’re going back to pre-fighting AEW, pre-“Let’s out indie the indies” NXT, Dave says the Curtis Axel era of NXT.

Dave was given exact wording, doesn’t say from who but seems like a company source or memo. Reads it off. “No more midgets. No one starting in their 30s. They want people who can be box office attractions and main characters.”

There will always be exceptions to the rule, like how WWE still wants to keep Adam Cole, who is in fact not tall.

Dave: “Kind of the line has been ‘When they get to NXT we have to teach them not to do indie style, and then when they come to the main roster we have to teach them not to work NXT style”.