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Welcome to PWInsider.com’s post-Takeover: Toronto media call with Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
Triple H thanked the assembled media for taking
They had the highest grossing NXT event in Canada with almost 13,800.
He felt the show was phenomenal across the board. He said that knowing where you are going at the end of the night, the pacing was different. You have to structure things so they can connect in a different way.
He praised the main event, saying it was reminiscent of the Three Stages of Hell match. They wanted to have something a little unique and different and make it something that was theirs and something that can be something more down the line. He likened the feud to an epic film trilogy and you needed a great final battle scene to set the tone for the end.
He was asked about the Toronto crowd. He said there were moments of ebb and flow but you want that. He felt the crowd was great. He said that when you know the last thing is going almost an hour and, on the monitors, they can see what’s happening in the arena and at no point, there wasn’t anyone standing in the arena. He felt they were spectacular and they gave the fans something spectacular.
William Regal went out after the match to shake Johnny Gargano’s hand. He said Regal did that on his own. When you put on that type of show that Gargano had, how do you not stand up and cheer for that, even if you booed him at the start of the match like the crowd did. He joked they were heels. Whether he remains or that was his swansong, we’ll see, there’s more shows this weekend.
He was asked about the Street Profits. He said that when you have that much raw athletic ability, what’s the limit? How do you put a ceiling on them? You just let them do what they do and the sky is the limit. There isn’t a limit to them. That’s why they are on Raw every week. They are entertaining. It’s scary to think how good Montez Ford will be.
I asked Triple H about the usage of barbed wire and the weapons in the main event just a few weeks after Vince McMahon said the company wouldn’t go towards “blood and guts” and saying WWE had "graduated" from that and how do you justify the two. He said that there was nothing used that isn’t usually used except the barbed wire which was teased but wasn’t actually used. He said there wasn't any blood and I noted it appeared there was blood on Cole's back after the match, which HHH said was due to scraping it on a table. He said that anyone complaining was “digging deep” and implied anyone who felt that way was wrong, but then noted he wasn't speaking about me personally, but in general. He said people needed to get off their "conspiracy theories" and made it clear there was no intentional blood and guts in the match. I clarified that I wasn’t speaking about the barbed wire weaponry itself but the tease of doing that sort of violence after McMahon's comments and wanted to know what sort of conversation happens in that regard after a statement like the one McMahon made. Triple H said that I broke up and he couldn’t hear me and moved on. He then joked I was probably apologizing.
Triple H asked about Austin Theory being in the crowd. He is with EVOLVE but they have an agreement with them.
They were asked about Matt Riddle calling out some WCW names online. He said Matt Riddle has an opinion and he can say what he wants. He’s an outspoken person and is a big boy.
He was about the rumors of NXT moving. He said there’s talk of people doing movies that never happen. They are on The Network every Wednesday and that’s where things stand until they change.
He was asked about the idea of doing an all-female show. Evolution and Mae Young Classic has proven they can do that but he feels the shows are best when you have everything all together on equal playing ground. It’s about the equality of that. He said that men and women all matter. You can go either way with it and it would be fine.
He was asked about Johnny Gargano. They wanted him to take time off to heal up. They held the reigns on him so he could hold up and have a great performance. They didn’t want him to have anything nagging holding him up.
They were asked about Velveteen Dream’s entrance. He said it was a combination of different ideas being put together. He said that brought them to where they were tonight. They were fortunate to have the Toronto Raptors involved and they were excited to be part of it. That just made it more special.
He was asked about Cris Cyborg potentially coming in He said they don’t promote MMA. If she’s interested in learning about what they do, they can have a conversation if she calls him. He used Ronda Rousey as an example of someone who could transfer in. He said they are interested in the person and if they find someone who has a passion for this and can make something happen, they want to see if they can help them live their dreams and they should get in touch.
Triple H said they’ll get to Latin America over time. He said they can only do so many things at time. He said there’s been a few opportunities where they’ve talked about it. They have to weigh the options and possibilities and decide where they want to go. It’s become the third global brand and there were people from Indonesia at a signing yesterday talking to him about it. It’s weird for him to think about the little thing that started in Florida is global. If you ask enough on social media, they will get there.
Triple H thanked everyone for taking part of the call and said, “Mike, love you man.”
He said everyone is passionate about the brand and he appreciates that passion from all sides.
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