NXT is currently owning its ever first UK tour, so we got NXT founder and WWE Executive Vice President/general legend Triple H to talk Motörhead, heavy metal and whether NXT will hit UK festivals next year.
The hugely popular brand - which is the developmental branch of WWE itself, will head through a number of UK cities over the next week, culimating in a sold-out NXT Takeover Special from London’s Wembley Arena on Wednesday December 16 that will be broadcast live on the WWE Network.
Triple H, fielding questions during a special press conference call, responded to Hammer’s enquiries about the ongoing and developing relationship between NXT and heavy music, highlighted by the likes of Bring Me The Horizon, Motionless In White and Motörhead soundtracking big NXT shows and the brand putting on some special showcases at a couple of US festivals this past summer.
“It just has a different vibe and a different feel to it,” says Trips of NXT’s appeal. “To me, music’s all about vibe and feel, and I go with what feels right for what we’re doing. We’ve started this NXT Loud brand and started to connect with these bands. They give the right tone and emotion to what we do, and more and more have started reaching out to us, wanting to be a part of it.”
Triple H also recalled the moment he asked Lemmy to use Motörhead classic Ace Of Spades as an official theme for the London show, noting: “You’re going to the UK, and you need something that just screams ‘UK’! That was one of the cooler things in my life, being able to pick up the phone and call Lem and go, ‘Hey, can I borrow a song?’ and have him go, ‘Sure!’ To have Motörhead allow us to use Ace Of Spades is just beyond words for me, and I think it sets the tone for what we do there.”
There was also a tantalising tease that the success NXT enjoyed at US festivals this year could be replicated on these shores in the not-too-distant future.
“The fanbase is very much the same, and that was never more evident to me than when we were at Aftershock and Louder Than Life this year in the US,” he adds. “We had an amazing response and were large parts of the festivals. Coming to the UK, I think, opens us up to the music festival scene there, which is huge. We’re definitely having conversations about our involvement in that in 2016. We’re talking about coming back to the UK for festivals, we’re talking about coming back to the UK period. We’re talking about going to a lot of other places around the globe, and hopefully they all pan out. But the music stuff, it’s great to me. It opens us up to, maybe, people that watched years ago. It opens the door for them to come back in.”
“So the music is very important – and it always is!” he concludes. “In NXT, in WWE, the music sets the tone for who the character is, it sets the tone for what the promotion is. It’s a big part of what we do, and my thanks go to all of those bands for wanting to work with us. I look forward to all the stuff that we’re gonna get to do in the future, because it’s bright on every level, and that music part of it is a high spot.”
NXT is currently touring the UK on the following dates:
December 10: Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle
December 11: The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
December 12: Sheffield Arena, Sheffield
December 13: Empress Ballroom, Blackpool
December 14: Capital FM Arena, Nottingham
December 15: Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
December 16: The SSE Wembley Arena, London
Tickets are on sale now through www.livenation.co.uk.
