Shawn Michaels is pampering NXT stars, WWE veteran claims (Exclusive)

Shawn Michaels became WWE's Senior Vice President of Talent Development in 2022. Vince Russo, the company's head writer in the late 1990s, believes The Heartbreak Kid is too soft on NXT talents.

Michaels is responsible for booking match outcomes and storylines for WWE's weekly NXT show. The two-time Hall of Famer often shares videos on social media of him interacting with wrestlers backstage.

Russo appeared on Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws alongside host Dr. Chris Featherstone and former WWE star EC3. The veteran writer criticized modern-day wrestling promos. He also argued that legends like Arn Anderson and Jake Roberts would give more honest critiques than Michaels.

"Bro, listen, you can see it a mile away with the hug and the hat with Shawn Michaels," Russo said. "Bro, they're being pampered. You can tell they're being pampered. Bro, if you're in a car with Jake Roberts or Arn Anderson, and you're asking them, 'How was my promo?' they're telling you how your promo was, bro. I guarantee you that does not go on at the [Performance] Center." [12:55 – 13:20]

Watch the video above to hear EC3 and Vince Russo discuss the major differences in WWE now compared to past generations.

---

Vince Russo explains how Shawn Michaels should deal with NXT talents

Before joining WCW in 1999, Vince Russo was WWE's co-head writer when RAW regularly drew the highest ratings in the show's history. Although he did not perform as a WWE on-screen character, the 64-year-old often gave wrestlers feedback on their promo skills.

More than two decades on, Russo thinks the WWE product would improve if Shawn Michaels took a tough approach with emerging talents:

"I guarantee you they're being pampered, they're told they are great, they're being put high up on a pedestal, and there's nobody saying, 'Man, that freaking s*cked, bro.' I know, like EC3, man, I could tell you, bro, the people I worked with, if I thought a promo was bad, they wanted me to tell them the promo was bad and why was it bad, and they never defended it. They never talked back. They knew if I was telling them that, it was just to make them better. But you can see with this young talent today. You can just see it, man." [13:21 – 14:01]

Several NXT talents recently received main roster call-ups, including Giulia, Roxanne Perez, and Stephanie Vaquer. On the June 10 episode of NXT, former AEW star Mariah May revealed her new WWE name after joining the Shawn Michaels-led brand.

---

Please credit Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.