Shawn Michaels Reacts To Former NXT Stars Getting To Be Part Of WWE WrestleMania 40

The WrestleMania 40 card is set to feature many established WWE names, such as Randy Orton and Becky Lynch, but it will also spotlight some fresh faces as well. In a recent interview with "Busted Open Radio," WWE's Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels pointed out that this year will mark the first WrestleMania appearance for several former "WWE NXT" talents, including Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, and Grayson Waller.

"[WrestleMania] is just the most exciting week ever, and there's so much going on," Michaels said. "We have guys [like] Tommaso and Johnny, Waller, a number of guys from NXT that are going to have the opportunity to take part in their first WrestleMania. I want to be there to see that. This is what so many of them worked for. So look, this is not just a big weekend for WWE as a company, but it's big for a number of WWE superstars and NXT superstars because this is their first WrestleMania. And again, for somebody like Cody [Rhodes], and [CM] Punk, who has come back, this is a really big weekend. We're going to have a lot of unique and different things going on, a lot of firsts for people."

In addition to Gargano, Ciampa, and Waller, WrestleMania 40 will also boast first-time matches for Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate, who recently reunited on the "WWE SmackDown" brand. Despite having different backgrounds, all five of these men will make their WrestleMania debuts as they compete in a six-pack ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships. While the pairings of New Catch Republic (Bate and Dunne) and DIY (Gargano and Ciampa) team up with each other, Waller will enter this title match alongside former United States Champion Austin Theory.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.