WWE Legend Shawn Michaels talks WWE popularity, NXT behind the scenes WWE legend Shawn Michaels became one of the company's biggest Superstars 30 years ago. Today, as its senior vice president and head of talent development and legend Shawn Michaels became one of the company’s biggest Superstars 30 years ago. Today, as its senior vice president and head of talent development and creative, he’s dedicated to building the next Michaels, a Hall of Famer, paid a visit to one of the Big Apple’s most iconic landmarks on March 30, the Empire State Building, ahead of NXT taking over Madison Square Garden Theater on March 31. Despite having performed in the historic arena during his iconic career, he had never attended the theater section until just a few years ago. “It’s one of the greatest buildings ever. My first time ever being in there with an NXT show, and I just love the venue. I really do. I like that venue so much for NXT. And I love the venue. I really do. I like that venue so much for NXT, and just getting to come up here to New York,” Michaels said. “Everybody understands this is the major capital in the entire world. And from a wrestling standpoint, anybody that gets into this line of work wants to say they wrestled at Madison Square Garden.”Known as “Mr. Wrestlemania,” “The Heartbreak Kid,” and “The Showstopper,” Michaels has entertained audiences all across the world in some of WWE’s greatest bouts. As NXT boss, he is continuing that rich history by helping produce the next generation of talent behind the scenes. While he says performing in front of a packed crowd is second to none, helping others reach an audience has become a passion of his. Known as Mr. Wrestlemania and the Showstopper, Michaels has entertained audiences all across the world in some of WWE’s greatest bouts.“I didn’t think there was anything more gratifying than going out there and having a fantastic match and tearing the house down at WrestleMania. But again, watching people like Roxanne Perez, Lash Legend, Stephanie Vaquer, Oba Femi, watching those individuals go out there and have success on the main roster, has been extremely fulfilling, and it’s a testament to everybody in the work they do in NXT,” Michaels said. “Nobody is looking to move up when they’re at NXT, everybody is there to build the future. And that’s why it works. It’s something that Hunter instilled when he first started NXT was this was about the most unselfish part of the business, when this stuff is still fun and pure.” Since Michaels’ former tag partner and on-and-off on-screen rival, Paul “Triple-H” Levesque, took over as head of creative several years ago, the company has seen a major spike in popularity, the likes of which had not been seen since the 1990s, leading to greater demand and even higher ticket prices. Looking back over his career, Michaels recalled that even the hardest times also produced some of the best, forcing the stars to work even harder to break through to new heights. “I’ve been doing this for 40 years, and I’ve seen a bunch of ups and downs. And so we get used to people talking about the skies falling and doom and gloom, and then we enjoy success. And then they say, How long can that last? And it lasts as long as it lasts, right? Goes where it goes, but the down times are hardly down. And so the WWE is something that is a part of, I think it’s just woven in the fabric of the world, to be perfectly honest,” Michaels said. “It’s something that isn’t going away, and it’s a big part of people’s lives, or at least people’s lives, at one time in their life. Everybody has, for the most part, a WWE wrestling experience in their lives. And I think that’s what makes it so cool.” WWE Raw is taking place at Madison Square Garden on Monday, with NXT underway the following day on Tuesday. “I’ve been doing this for 40 years, and I’ve seen a bunch of ups and downs. And so we get used to people talking about the skies falling and doom and gloom, and then we enjoy success. And then they say, How long can that last? And it lasts as long as it lasts, right? Goes where it goes, but down times are hardly down. And so the WWE is something that is a part of, I think it’s just woven in the fabric of the world, to be perfectly honest,” Michaels said.Dean Moses is the Police Bureau Chief at amNewYork and resident photographer. He leads coverage of the NYPD, crime, criminal justice, and breaking news.WONHO’s Syndrome: How a beloved K-pop idol maps the arc of love and kicks off a new era with his first English albumon Lower Manhattan air quality danger after 9/11 attack Union workers, Council members urge Mamdani to fully fund city’s labor watchdog agency as budget deficit fears growCould Giants reunite with Odell Beckham Jr?: ‘We’ll just have to see where it all goes’‘No War, No ICE, No Kings’: Hundreds Rally in the Bronx for No Kings DayLife imitates art: Man shot in Manhattan’s Flatiron District steps from set of TV show CIABrooklyn Paper