Between Triple H serving as WWE's Chief Content Officer, Shawn Michaels heading up the "WWE NXT" brand, and "Road Dogg" Jesse James overseeing live events, D-Generation X's fingerprints can be found all over WWE's current product. In a recent interview with "Sports Guys Talking Wrestling," Michaels reflected on how far he and his former stablemates had come — from their days as rebellious troublemakers to being the adults in the room.
Michaels acknowledged that while trading in their olive, black, and green apparel for suits was still unfathomable, he and the rest of his DX teammates always had a penchant for the creative aspect of the business, and, as such, made a rather seamless transition to their corporate roles. "Even as degenerates back in the day, we had such a love and a passion for this stuff," Michaels admitted. He added, "Granted yeah, sometimes when it [our rebellious side] was unleashed, it could have been a little wild, and arguably, I don't know, controversial. But at the same time, it really was a deep-seated love and admiration for this business — and a passion for it."
"And that's what it is now," Michaels continued. "We are now, thankfully, a lot more mature — and [have] grown up quite a bit. But I think there's still that little kid in us, that I know a lot of our athletes, a lot of our superstars, all appreciate because we make it fun. And we want it to be fun, especially here in 'NXT.' Granted, when you get to the main roster, it is serious business, as it should be — and it is here, too, but at the same time, I want this to be a fun experience," explained Michaels.
Michaels added that he wants "NXT" superstars to get the feeling of a "college experience" during their time in WWE's developmental brand. He elaborated stating, "We want them to learn what they're doing, but we also want them to fall in love with this and have fun with this job." "The Heartbreak Kid" feels that if these future WWE main roster superstars can accomplish this during their time in "NXT," that the future of WWE's business will be bright.