Big Show sees big things for #NewEra coming to WWE Live Manila

Standing 7 feet tall and spanning a career three times his height in years, the Big Show's career has seen multiple eras.

With Raw debuting a #NewEra of the company known for bringing sports entertainment to the Philippines and countless other countries, Big Show is confident that the franchise will only get better with this generation.

"It's funny. I've been through eras, invasions, brand splits and now this is the New Era. It's an exciting time for sports entertainment and the WWE," Big Show said at a media briefing for WWE Manila.

"I think this is one of the, probably since the late 90's, the best crop of new superstars that we've had."

Excluding Chris Jericho, John Cena, and Big Show himself, most of the wrestlers on the eight-match card in September honed their talents in NXT, the WWE's developmental territory, and the WWE's Performance Center.

The brainchild of the 14-time world champion and now Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative Triple H (Paul Levesque), NXT is reshaping how athletes train for the business.

"He's trying, what Paul's doing, he's trying to build an industry where the sports entertainment athlete is protected in all grounds," Big Show said.

"Our performance center in Orlando is the most ridiculously, wonderful, amazing thing ever. From learning how to compete, from learning how to cut promos, from learning how to wrestle in front of a crowd, learning to wrestle on a TV show, to rehabilitating sports injuries," he added.

From providing health insurance to health check-ups, the next generation of WWE superstars working under NXT are afforded the safety Big Show, Triple H, and his generation didn't have while training in the center.

"To see from where our business started, years ago when guys used to tape our own ankles. You get whacked in the head, your ears are ringing, you're just like, well I can't drive tonight, I got hit in the head," Big Show said.

"Now we get concussion testing, they offer financial advise classes, and they go out of their way to protect the athlete like never before. I think that's one thing the WWE really doesn't get the credit for that it should," he added.

Half of the wrestlers featured in September's card at Mall of Asia Arena, including Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Finn Bálor, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Neville, and Cesaro, are from this system.

More in store

Big Show, however, believes that NXT has more to give, especially in the Women's Division.

"There's a lot of talent in NXT that's coming up. The women's division is absolutely amazing in NXT. They'll be adding to- you look at what the women's division has already done in the WWE with Charlotte and Becky Lynch and Sasha and how they just really changed the entire women's division," he said.

"It's not the Divas anymore, it's the women's division and you better take it serious or Charlotte will put you in a Figure Four and make you tap. She probably could, she's pretty tough," Big Show continued.

Some of the NXT standouts the big friendly giant favors are Baron Corbin, whom he described as "a little green" but definitely on the way to being a star; Enzo and Big Cass, the tag team who recently cut a magnificent promo as John Cena's partner in WWE Battleground; and Neville, The Man That Gravity Forgot, whose beard has thrown Big Show off.

"Neville's back. He's out there - I don't know what the deal is with the beard. I liked him without the beard 'cause he was this handsome little babyface and now he's got a beard. Maybe - he's more mature now," Big Show joked.

But even talents fostered in the NXT system were once independent wrestlers who made their mark well before their turn in the WWE.

Recognizing this is Triple H, who began partnering with independent promotions to continue the development of unique, aspiring talents worldwide.

"There's a lot more talent now - 'cause we can't build all the talent. If we build all the talent in WWE, it's all gonna look like WWE talent. What makes our product amazing is we pull talent from the Philippines, from China, from Japan, from South Africa, from Europe. That brings you diversity, that makes your product better," Big Show began.

"If you're carbon-copying the same talent... it's cookie-cutter, it's the same. By Hunter developing relationships with these different independents all over the world, he's allowing fresh new blood to come in and reinvigorate (the business)," he continued.

Minor league system

Deals with independent promotions, as Big Show explained, will ultimately create "a broader spectrum of entertainment options" for fans and more opportunities for wrestlers to make it to the top.

"Hopefully, with what Triple H is trying to do with creating a, I don't wanna say farm club, but kind of a minor league, opportunities so that if you go through this particular area, you will be taken seriously, you will be scouted, you will be getting an opportunity," Big Show said.

These partnerships have already borne fruit in the form of the Cruiserweight Classic, the same tournament Filipino-American wrestler TJ Perkins qualified for by winning a match in the indy promotion and WWE partner EVOLVE.

"The Cruiserweight Championship tournament now - are you guys watching that? It's absolutely insane, right? And I come from the era of Rey Mysterio, and Eddie Guerrero, and Chavo, and all those guys that were - Billy Kidman - and all those guys that were just amazing 190-pound guys back then. So this Cruiserweight Tournament is fantastic," Big Show said.

Big Show will be part of the show at MOA Arena on September 9 along with Smackdown-draftee John Cena.

On the card are:

• Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins
• Finn Bálor vs Chris Jericho
• Cesaro vs Sheamus
• New Day (c) vs Gallows and Anderson for the WWE Tag Team Championship
• Sasha Banks (c) vs Charlotte for the WWE Women's Championship
• Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens
• Golden Truth vs The Shining Stars
• Neville vs Bo Dallas w/ Curtis Axel

—JST, GMA News