Triple H Praises Lars Sullivan, Talks Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan Not Losing, Shayna Baszler, More
Triple H spoke with Cathy Kelley after last night's WWE NXT "Takeover: Chicago II" event at the Allstate Arena. Below are highlights from the interview along with full video:
* He said it's hard not to smile on a night where you're the #1 worldwide trend, despite Jay-Z and Beyonce dropping an album on the same night. He gave props to the Chicago crowd and the NXT roster, saying the brand is on fire
* Regarding NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era retaining over Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan, he said Burch and Lorcan brought the fight and have nothing to be ashamed of because they pushed one of the best tag teams on the planet about as hard as they have been pushed before and it was awesome. He also said he sees a bright future for Burch and Lorcan, and wouldn't consider this a loss for them
* He said Ricochet and The Velveteen Dream are two of the most amazing pure athletes he's ever seen in the ring. He said they both left it all in the ring at Takeover and Ricochet may have beat Dream but maybe Dream beat Dream, and maybe he's the only guy that can
* Cathy asked if anyone on the current roster can dethrone NXT Women's Champion Shayna Baszler following her win over Nikki Cross and he said the funny thing about the NXT women's roster right now is that there may not be as many known names but he doesn't know if the talent roster has been this deep and with the second Mae Young Classic right around the corner it's only going to get deeper. He said it's amazing how far Baszler has come and gave her props for her transition from MMA to pro wrestling
* Regarding Lars Sullivan losing to NXT Champion Aleister Black, Triple H pointed to how long he's been doing this and said that is the unknown factor of how good Lars can become. He said there were a lot of people who said Lars didn't belong in a NXT Title with Black but there really wasn't a moment in the match where he didn't look like he belonged, and that is the ultimate victory for Lars – that he was able to go toe-to-toe with Black. Triple H said you have to think Lars earned Black's respect, you have to think he has set a template for everything else to come, that he could be the most dangerous person in NXT. Triple H believes the loss might actually be a blessing for Lars. He also said the drive & determination Lars will get coming out of this might make him more dangerous than he already is, if possible. Triple H went on with the praise for Lars and said he's a guy that can do anything. Triple H believes Lars will be unstoppable once he's been doing this for some time and isn't making rookie mistakes
* Cathy asked about the final chapter in the rivalry between Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano and Triple H called it a war, and he doesn't believe there's a drop of fight left in either guy. He talked more about the feud and said as a fan, which he always considers himself, he loves the battles Gargano & Ciampa have had
* Triple H said they had an unbelievable night and he thanked the fans in Chicago again, giving them props for the energy level. He commented on Mauro Ranallo being away for Showtime Boxing work and how there were "Mamma Mia!" chants at Takeover. He said the NXT crowd did not fail at bringing it and hopefully NXT will never fail to deliver. Cathy talked about how the touring schedule of NXT is a lot busier now and Triple H said NXT truly is a global brand now.