Former WWE writer Vince Russo believes that Shawn Michaels and Triple H's real-life bond with superstars affects their judgment.
Triple H played a key role in turning NXT into a standalone brand within the company. He has helped create several superstars alongside Shawn Michaels and other veterans. The stars have now moved to the main roster but are not enjoying the same success as they did on NXT.
Vince Russo discussed the topic on the latest edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's Legion of RAW and shared his thoughts. He believes that Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Road Dogg will fall in love with the talent at NXT, citing examples of Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, Bayley, and Dakota Kai.
Russo further argued that this bond pushes WWE higher-ups to book these talents similarly on the main roster, where they struggle to get over with fans. He explained the problem and said:
"I am going to tell what the problem is in a nutshell and this has led into bigger problems. Bro, you can back me up because we have Road Dogg on the show, and he said something one week. Here's the problem. All these wrestlers that come up with NXT, two things happen, bro. Shawn Michaels, whoever is down there, and Triple H fall in love with these people. They fall in love with the Graganos, they fall in love with Candice LeRae, they fall in love with Bayley, and they fall in love with these people. Then bro, there is this ego part of it where I trained this person for five years, and now we are going to put this person on the main stage." [37:00 - 38:10]
Vince Russo further explained that trainers should identify if their talent can make it big without letting their personal relationship dictate the call. He argued that Triple H and Shawn Michaels could love the superstars for working hard without moving to the main roster where they can't get over with the crowd. TheVeteran added:
"You should be training somebody in three months, and in three months, no, you know what I love this person, they may have a great attitude, they may show up on time they are a great worker, but in a grand scheme of things, they may never get over the crowd. Bro, Road Dogg told us about Dakota Kai. He was on the show when he said, 'Oh, Vince, she is a hell of a worker.' They are with these kids every single day. They are almost like proud parents. Then they put them out there, and these people are never going to get over, and you should be able to make that call in three months, bro." [38:11 - 39:13]
You can watch the full video below:
Vince Russo suggests Piper Niven should have been in a huge match at WWE Elimination Chamber
Piper Niven, who briefly played Duodrop on WWE RAW, has reverted to her old, brutal gimmick. Vince Russo believes she should have been added to the Women's Elimination Chamber match to determine the next challenger for the RAW Women's Championship at WrestleMania Hollywood.
Niven competed in the last Elimination Chamber qualifier on WWE RAW earlier this week. She locked horns with Candice LeRae, "Michin" Mia Yim, and Carmella for the final spot in the six-woman match at the Elimination Chamber. Despite dominating the match, Niven lost the opportunity to Carmella, who competed in her first WWE match this week after a long hiatus.
Russo thinks Niven could be in the same conversation as Royal Rumble winner Rhea Ripley, who will challenge Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania.