Shawn Michaels pushed WWE to sign 19-year-old sensation, "I wasn't gonna get signed"

WWE has a bright future ahead of it with many young stars waiting for their time. RAW has Bron Breakker and Stephanie Vaquer, who already achieved championship gold. SmackDown's got stars like Carmelo Hayes, who seems to have finally found himself. They all got their WWE start in NXT, and one of the brand's hottest stars only got signed due to the intervention of The Heartbreak Kid.

Shawn Michaels has been heavily involved with NXT since 2018, first as a writer and producer, and then taking over the brand in 2021 following Triple H's cardiac episode. One of the brand's greatest success stories since HBK has taken over is Je'Von Evans. The Young OG debuted for NXT back in 2023 and has since taken a meteoric rise, even without championship gold around his waist. Randy Orton, The Undertaker, Michael Cole, CM Punk, and more have given the star the seal of approval, considering him a future world champion.

That almost wasn't the case, though. Je'Von Evans was a guest on the latest No-Contest Wrestling Podcast and said he wouldn't have been signed had The Showstopper not seen his potential.

"Gotta thank Shawn [Michaels], bro. I feel like he was the person who really looked out for me. Because, during my tryout, apparently, I wasn't gonna get signed, right? But Shawn saw something in me. They thought I was too young. I was smaller at the time, you know, so there were a lot of people who wanted me to kind of get older and bigger. Shawn was like, 'No. Just trust me.' Everybody trusted him, and now he's like one of my go-to people, you know what I mean? So yeah, you gotta thank Shawn for sure,' said Je'Von Evans [35:35-36:26]

Now, at 21, Evans is days away from major championship glory.

Je'Von Evans could be the next WWE star to win TNA gold this weekend

NXT and TNA Wrestling have had a strong public working relationship since January, with WWE stars showing up in TNA and vice versa. However, TNA's roster has been frustrated with NXT talent coming in and taking their titles, leading to tonight's NXT vs TNA ShoWdown event. Je'Von Evans will be a part of a Survivor Series team in the men's NXT vs TNA match.

It won't be the only time he clashes with TNA talent this week. TNA's epic Bound For Glory event takes place on Sunday, October 12. NXT's Trick Williams and Kelani Jordan will both attempt to defend their TNA World Titles, but Je'Von is in the title chase as well. He'll face Leon Slater, another 21-year-old high-flying sensation, for the X-Division Championship.

It's sure to be match of the night, something that Je'Von Evans has gotten used to in his time in WWE. Hopefully, it'll also earn him his first TNA Title.

Edited by Greg Bush