Triple H Talks Divas Headlining WrestleMania in Exclusive Conference Call

Triple H fielded questions from the media during a Wednesday morning conference call ahead of the historic NXT TakeOver show in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday. Among intriguing topics such as Divas main-eventing WrestleMania and the impending debut of Apollo Crews, the general theme of the interview centered on the undeniable growth of NXT.

What was once a pet project for The Game is quickly growing into a full-fledged franchise. Both NXT and the WWE Performance Center continue to evolve into viable business models for WWE.

Triple H exclusively announced an upcoming WWE Performance Center All Access event to take place on September 28, where fans will be treated to a WWE Performance Center experience that includes a private NXT show.

As NXT continues its growth, Triple H made it clear that he wants the brand to stand on its own as an alternative distinguishable from Raw or SmackDown.

NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn will seem like the apex of WWE's red-hot product. According to Triple H, however, it's only going to get bigger.

Triple H on Recruiting Talent: 'I Don't Care Where [Talent] Comes From'

Credit: Twitter (@TripleH)

Much of NXT's success has come on the backs of big-name prospects with an extensive pedigree on the independent and international wrestling circuit.

Triple H addressed this pattern, insisting he is indifferent to where talent comes from and cares more about how they can adapt to WWE.

"I don't care where somebody comes from, and I don't care how I get them," he said. "If they worked the indies, great, if they come from the NFL and the guy's got charisma and can pick this up and do great, awesome. Kurt Angle was a great performer and I don't remember him toiling on the indies. Talent comes from where they come from, and great talent is great talent bar none."

While many of the top stars in NXT came from the so-called indies, Triple H's sentiments are valid. Current NXT standout Baron Corbin has an NFL background, and many popular acts on the NXT roster such as Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady are homegrown talents who quickly learned the WWE system. 

Injuries to veterans such as Sami Zayn and Hideo Itami may be worth monitoring, which could encourage WWE to continue to recruit outside of the physical independent wrestling circuit.

Triple H on Losing NXT Talent: 'I Think That's a Strength and Not a Weakness'

NXT has proved itself as a viable touring brand. The upcoming NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn show on Saturday will draw more than 13,000 fans, easily the biggest NXT crowd in history.

But NXT functions as a feeder system to prepare talents for the WWE main roster, and its top stars will not be around forever.

The balancing act can have a cannibalizing effect on NXT as WWE continues to absorb its biggest names. Triple H sees this as a challenge, saying it highlights the strength of NXT rather than a weakness.

"[NXT talents getting called up] opens up new opportunities for me to create new talent, for us to be fresh, for us not to get stagnant with the same talent sitting there," he said. "I think that's a strength and not a weakness. It will keep the brand fresh, and it will keep the brand new and exciting." 

NXT has remained popular despite injuries to top stars and losing others to the main roster. With an intimate, engaging platform and continued signings of new talent, there is clearly a system in place to prevent the product becoming a shell of itself due to continued talent drains.

Triple H on NXT's Model: 'I Don't Think Anything, Per Se, Is a Model'

Credit: WWE.com

Initially, NXT stars were called up directly to the main roster to mixed results. NXT alumni such as Adam Rose and Emma quickly sank, while stars like Paige and Neville are seeing more positive results.

Recently, NXT call-ups have remained in NXT while still making appearances on Raw and SmackDown. This has been the case with Kevin Owens as well as NXT Divas Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch.

This model of slowly assimilating NXT talents to the main roster seems to be more effective, as fans who are unfamiliar with these talents can still tune in to NXT to watch them. This creates more of a connection in addition to exposure for WWE's alternative brand.

But Triple H doesn't see this pattern as a model, as anybody can get called up or even down for varying periods of time.

"I don't think anything, per se, is a model," he said. "You might see some guys come up for a few months and then go back down. You might see talent come up from a long period of time and invest back in [NXT]."

Triple H went on to use Tyson Kidd and Cesaro as examples of guys who were lost in the shuffle, only to find success in NXT before returning to the main roster. But while Triple H doesn't see the recent pattern as a model, it is certainly a common thread among a string of recent NXT talents who were called up.

If it isn't a model, it should be. Keeping talents in NXT while also competing on the main roster will make for a smoother transition to WWE. Stars can continue to work out the kinks in NXT after getting a taste of the main roster—before permanently moving on up.

Triple H on Apollo Crews: 'I've Had My Eye on Him for a Long Time'

NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn will feature the long-awaited debut of Apollo Crews. The independent standout will look to further the momentum of NXT, and Triple H sounds confident that he can do just that.

"I think [Apollo Crews] is awesome, if I didn't think he was awesome, I wouldn't have him working for me," The Game said. "He's impressive. He does amazing stuff, and he's had incredible success around the world, and I've had my eye on him for a long time.

"It's about running a WWE playbook and how we see the business. If you work for us, it's getting you on our playbook and running our style."

For all the talk of the WWE playbook, the company seems more interested in polishing wrestling styles than erasing a wrestler's identity. Neville has a similar style to Crews, and he is every bit as electrifying as he was on the independent circuit.

WWE's emphasis on psychology and building to high spots makes Neville's performances even more entertaining to a broad audience.

Expect to see similar stunts from Crews at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn as he slowly rolls out a unique arsenal of moves.

Triple H on NXT Divas: 'Their Goal Is to Main-Event WrestleMania'

A Divas main event at WrestleMania may never happen. It will take years of fans getting used to the Divas main-eventing Raw, SmackDown and pay-per-views before any talk of a WrestleMania main event.

NXT Divas have yet to even go on last at an NXT TakeOver show.

I can see a scenario where WWE books a Divas match near the top of a WrestleMania card and uses revisionist history to remember it as a "WrestleMania main event."

This would be similar to WWE claiming that The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin main-evented three WrestleManias, when in reality they closed the show at only two WrestleManias before being slotted in the middle at WrestleMania XIX.

WWE's current efforts to highlight its Divas are certainly admirable. Growing pains include fans chanting "we want Lesnar" during the climactic moments of a match between Sasha Banks and Nikki Bella on Raw. But it's all part of a process that Triple H is buying into.

"If you ask Charlotte or Sasha right now, they will tell you their goal is to main-event WrestleMania," he said. "Point blank, no thought about it like it's not possible. We've instilled it in them, it's what they believe, it's what they want to do, and I think that's step one of making it happen. Knowing them, and knowing their drive and their passion for this, I don't doubt that it will happen at all."

All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Alfred Konuwa is a featured columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @ThisIsNasty and subscribe to his weekly wrestling podcast.