Summary

Shawn Michaels opened NXT Stand & Deliver on April 4 at The Factory in St. Louis, Missouri, and he brought hometown guest Sexyy Red with him to kick off the main show.

Michaels welcomed the crowd before inviting Sexyy Red to the ring. She hyped up the audience, then the two closed the appearance with a DX-style sendoff for anyone not down with Stand & Deliver.

The appearance continued a WWE weekend connection for Sexyy Red in St. Louis after she also turned up on SmackDown before NXT Stand & Deliver.

Shawn Michaels sets the tone for Stand & Deliver

Having Michaels open the show gave Stand & Deliver an immediate big-event feel, and bringing out a St. Louis native alongside him was a straightforward way to get the live crowd engaged from the start. For NXT, that kind of opening reinforces Stand & Deliver as one of the brand's signature nights, especially when Michaels is used as the face welcoming fans into the broadcast.

Sexyy Red's appearance also shows WWE still sees value in using crossover names during major weekend events when the fit is obvious. In this case, the hometown reaction added energy to the start of the card without taking focus away from the show itself.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.