He whupped Ric Flair. WWE great Shawn Michaels brings NXT wrestling to Charlotte.
Shawn Michaels, whose “super-kick” to the chin sent Ric Flair into WWE retirement, will bring NXT male and female superstar wrestlers to Charlotte on Saturday, Feb. 4.
Michaels, a WWE Hall of Famer, serves as WWE senior vice president of talent development creative., which includes expanding the NXT brand.
Tickets to NXT Vengeance Day in Charlotte went on sale Friday on Ticketmaster.
The Spectrum Center event will feature such wrestlers as NXT champion Bron Breakker; NXT women’s champion Roxanne Perez; North American champion Wes Lee; and NXT tag team champions Pretty Deadly, Carmelo Hayes, Andre Chase and Grayson Waller.
Charlotte’s “deep, rich history” of wrestling
Charlotte is the perfect spot to stage the first NXT premium live event outside of the league’s Florida home since the pandemic, Michaels told The Charlotte Observer on Thursday.
With Charlotte’s “deep, rich history” of WWE and other league wrestling, “we couldn’t think of a better place,” Michaels said.
“And we’re giving a show that everybody will remember,” he said.
The event also marks NXT’s first visit to North Carolina.
NXT is WWE’s developmental system and its third brand, alongside Raw and SmackDown.
NXT’s weekly show airs Tuesday nights on USA Network from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.
The league’s quarterly premium live events stream on Peacock in the U.S. and the WWE Network in 180 countries.
“A huge honor” to wrestle Flair
You kicked Ric Flair’s butt, err, chin in 2008, and you’re coming to the city where Flair made his name? the Observer asked Michaels.
Flair is a 16-time former world heavyweight champion who credited Charlotte promoter Jim Crockett and his Jim Crockett Promotions with building his budding career in the 1970s.
As a boy, Michaels idolized Flair, and the pair became good friends over the years, he said.
Being the last guy in a WWE ring with Flair “was a huge honor, to perform with him at WrestleMania 24,” Michaels said. “And he knows how much he meant to me.”
Watch the 2008 match against Flair “and you see me doing something regrettable,” Michaels said, while quickly adding, “It was sweet chin music.”
NXT Vengeance Day
What: Live premium wrestling event featuring top NXT wrestlers.
When: Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023.
Where: Spectrum Center, uptown Charlotte.
Tickets: Ticketmaster.com. $23.50 to $153.