WWE held their pre-NXT Takeover: Philadelphia conference call ahead of this Saturday’s live special on the WWE Network. Adam Hopkins opened the call and welcomed everyone and passed things over to Triple H who said that he is excited for the weekend ahead in Philadelphia, especially as the Philadelphia Eagles are going to the Super Bowl and said that should make it a crazier crowd than usual and they get to kick off that weekend with WWE NXT Takeover, which he said hopes to raise the bar for everyone that follows that event.

Triple H then discussed the four matches and said that the Extreme Rules match was not announced just because they are in Philadelphia or for the sake of Extreme Championship Wrestling and said that he did not want fans to embrace the past as much as embrace the future. HHH then put over their WWE Performance Center signings, noting that they have signed Ricochet, War Machine and Candice LeRae to deals and then said that before he goes any further, Kassius Ohno vs. The Velveteen Dream has been added to NXT Philadelphia, while there will be content filmed before the broadcast that will feature TM-61’s in-ring return and appearances from Nikki Cross and Roderick Strong, with that content to air as usual on Wednesday nights. HHH then passed it over for the Q&A session.

The first caller asked if there was any interest in Jessamyn Duke. Triple H said that he is aware of her and he has seen her training, noting that she has a gift for professional wrestling, but that he is not chasing down everyone with a mixed martial arts background. HHH said that he knows that she is serious about getting into the business, but that it is all about timing and that they are full in the WWE Performance Center and that process has become very demanding, noting that you have to be the best of the best to get in.

The next caller asked about Shayna Baszler and what excites him about her as a performer that led to her being in such a big match so soon this Saturday. HHH said that there is a certain aura to her as a performer and that she has a badass personality, almost a bully component to her, noting that it just works for her and said that the character was there to put things in place and that her work gives him an emotional attachement to Ember Moon as a defender, where as before, it was about Ember’s desire to achieve and get the title shot and that this now gave her a chance to be a defender against the bully in Baszler and achieve two things at once. HHH said that he felt that the storyline worked on all levels and is a great job of getting things where they needed it to go with the story in recent weeks.

The next caller asked about heavy metal becoming a popular musical theme for NXT. HHH said that when they formed NXT, he said that he wanted it to have a different image and feel, noting that WWE is more pop music, while NXT are a bit more niche and have an edge and that he wants people to feel that edge. HHH said that it is not about a certain genre of music, but how that music might make you feel and that it is not about urban hip hop or heavy metal, as much as it is about making you feel something about a certain story. HHH said that he thinks it cool to be a brand that breaks new talent and gets to expose new and upcoming bands and that some of them get a huge social rub working with NXT and it helps them, noting that he feels it helps that genre of music and helps the brand, plus he likes that music, so it is a win/win situation for everyone.

The next caller asked about the new WWE Performance Center signings and where they would pop up. HHH said that the way it usually works now is that everyone will go through NXT as it is unfair to send talents to the main roster before they know how the company produces television and that it does not matter who you are or where you worked, because without that comfort level it is intense and can be overwhelming. HHH said that he expects that they will be in NXT at least at first and said that he does not want to see anyone fail and does not want to jinx anyone, because he wants to make sure that everyone has all the tools to succeed before they are let out into the world, which at that point, is up to the talent and creative to make things happen.

The next caller asked Triple H about RAW 25, which ended up with a quick response. HHH said that he had a great time and that it is not often that you get to visit a place with all of your buddies together. The next caller asked about whether the WWE were open for business in terms of a sale. HHH said that it is obvious that Vince McMahon said that they are based off his previous comments, but that they are happy where they are, however if someone has an idea, then the comapny would be open to discuss that idea, even if it does not work out.

The next caller asked Triple H about discussions with former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey. HHH said that they have talked all sorts of scenarios and have had back and forth conversations, but that they are all busy and have not hammered any sort of deal out yet. HHH said that Ronda has a deep love for professional wrestling, as evidenced by her love for Roddy Piper and that connection and said that she has actually been training for professional wrestling on the side for the past 4 years. HHH said that Rousey loves the business and that he thinks it will be difficult for her to not be all-in, but she is very busy and their talks are not going to be the fastest process.

The final caller asked about the idea of NXT doing a Takeover event in Australia. Triple H said that he thinks that the opportunity to do things internationally is there, whether it is a Takeover or a television taping and said that such things are easier for NXT versus the main roster since RAW and SmackDown have to be live every week and said that they are open to the idea if the opportunity is right. HHH said that they did a tour there before with promoter Paul Dante and that it was successful and popular and would do it again, so they’d have to work on that, noting that it is time consuming to make it happen. The same caller asked about Billie Kay and Peyton Royce and how far they may be from being called up to the main roster. HHH said that he did not think the Iconic Duo are far off and said that there is a certain point in time that you get all of it, but then you need reps to prepare to be ready for the opportunity and said that they want to make sure that they have the reps and the time, so that they are prepared to take it to the next level when they step up to the main roster. HHH said that sometimes, there are little things that make you delay movements, because you have to move little pieces around, but when the time is right, they will smash their opportunity and that for years to come, they will be able to wow their fans in Australia when they go home.

HHH closed the call, thanking everyone for taking the time out of their day and apologized for the delay in him getting to the call.