Shawn Michaels has made it clear that he wants WWE NXT to have its own identity rather than becoming a smaller version of Raw or SmackDown.

The WWE Hall of Famer has been one of the driving forces behind NXT in recent years, helping develop the next generation of WWE talent while overseeing the creative direction of the brand.

During a recent appearance on Busted Open, Michaels explained that keeping NXT different from WWE's main roster shows is an important part of his vision.

“I don’t want NXT to be a SmackDown or a Raw lite. We have those. I want it to be a totally different show. It needs to be a brand that also stands on its own, and it is. It’s totally different. It’s unlike any other brand out there in the world, if you ask me, because nobody has the model that we have.

“Nobody builds people up just to lose them. Everybody builds people up to build around those guys. We’re unlike any other beast out there,” Michaels added.

For Michaels, one of the things that makes NXT unique is its developmental nature. While the show still needs to entertain viewers each week, it also has the responsibility of preparing wrestlers for potentially bigger opportunities elsewhere in WWE.

That means NXT regularly develops stars knowing that some of its biggest names will eventually leave the brand and move to Raw or SmackDown.

Michaels has played a major role in shaping that system since taking control of NXT creative following Triple H stepping away from the position in 2021.

In 2022, Michaels was officially named WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative, putting him in charge of both the creative and developmental sides of NXT.

Rather than trying to make NXT resemble WWE's established flagship programmes, Michaels appears determined to continue giving the Tuesday night show its own personality.

Do you think Shawn Michaels has succeeded in making NXT feel different from Raw and SmackDown? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.