Shawn Michaels Shares Excitement For WWE NXT Booking The ECW Arena

With the 2024 Presidential Election set to take place on Tuesday, November 5, "WWE NXT" is looking to avoid the date by moving the next night. And they'll be doing so in a big way, holding a show live from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the old ECW Arena, the legendary site that once served as the home for, you guessed it, ECW during the 1990s. Naturally, "NXT's head honcho Shawn Michaels is pretty excited about all of it.

Speaking with "Busted Open Radio" on Tuesday, including former ECW stalwart Bully Ray, Michaels described "NXT" running the ECW arena as "huge." But not only that, it's imperative to Michaels that the show attempt to capture the original spirit of ECW's time in the arena, in a way that WWE perhaps attempted at times in the past, but didn't quite nail down.

"There's always been, I think, in the eyes of the WWE, and certainly in my eyes, how can we do that [ECW] again, and at least do our best to come close to capturing that moment," Michaels said. "And there are times, as you know, we tried with the WWE, and it was very, very good. But I think it has to be...it has to mimic something similar to what you all were doing. A bunch of young guys, again, just going out there and letting it fly. And I think 'NXT' kind of encapsulates all of that." 

Michaels further revealed that "NXT's" ECW Arena taping will be the first time he's ever stepped foot on the site, understandable given Michaels' WWE tenure overlapped with ECW's mid 90s glory days. That just adds another layer of excitement for "The Heartbreak Kid," though he's perhaps most looking forward to "NXT" talents making a connection with the local fanbase in the same way ECW wrestlers, like Bully Ray, did years ago.

"I'm genuinely very excited about going there, and I'm excited about being in front of that fanbase," Michaels said. "You know...come on, they were rabid. That's why you guys did everything you did for those people, because they brought it out of you. And that's what I'm hoping happens when 'NXT' goes there, because we've got...they're hungry, maybe in a different way than you guys were, but they are so hungry and excited about getting out on the road. Everybody understands the history of this building, and what you all built in there. And so, obviously, they want to try to build on that...and make a name for themselves there. So everybody here is very jacked, very excited about that one."

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