EXCLUSIVE - Triple H On NXT At Download, "Mixing Fanbases" And Black Sabbath

HHH NXT — HHH is hoping he can catch Sabbath at Donington (IMAGE: WWE.COM)

WWE’s Triple H has exclaimed his excitement about NXT’s upcoming shows at Download Festival in June, as well as revealing that he’s working to make sure he can get to Donington himself to catch some metal legends.

The Executive Vice President of WWE - who founded NXT as a developmental division for the company - revealed to Hammer last year that we could see the brand make its way to UK festivals, and with its appearance at Download officially confirmed, the 14-time world champion says that the NXT superstars are as excited as he is.

“Our NXT guys are excited to be able to go and watch some of the bands,” he laughs. “[When we did Aftershock Festival in the States] it was great to see the crossover, because the bands would get done playing, and the first thing they’d want to do would be to go over and see the NXT matches.”

Triple H also feels that NXT’s showing at Download could help further strengthen the bond between two fanbases that have a long history together.

“If there are some fans of NXT that are like, ‘I used to listen to Iron Maiden when I was a kid, now I’m gonna go see this NXT show at Download!’, they’re connecting there. While they’re there, they’re gonna see Sabbath and think, ‘That was amazing!’, or they’re gonna see some younger bands. That’s a huge connection point on both sides. There’s also a lot of people that watch the [NXT TV] show, and if they see us playing Sleeping With Sirens or whatever, and they like the song, and that turns them onto that genre of music, then that’s awesome, and vice versa. I think it’s a great opportunity for both sides. To be able to mix fanbases and turn other people onto what you do, that’s a great, great partnership.”

But the question remains…will Trips himself make it to Donington this summer?

“Yeah, so I’m hoping!” he replies. “I’m trying to rearrange my schedule – I’ve got a tight schedule that weekend, and I’m trying to make it in. I will make it in for one of the days, I’m 99% sure. They’re doing some stuff for Lemmy that I’d really like to be a part of, but I’m trying to coordinate all of it. For me - and maybe [WWE] doesn’t feel quite this way - but for me personally, I put seeing Sabbath on the top of my list of things to do that weekend!”

Watch NXT superstars including Bayley, American Alpha, Asuka and more at Download Festival from June 10-12. NXT also hits the following UK dates this June:

Monday, 13 June: 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland.

Tuesday, 14 June: SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Wednesday, 15 June: Echo Arena, Liverpool.

Thursday, 16 June: Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth.

Friday, 17 June: Plymouth Pavilion, Plymouth

Hear from from our interview with Triple H soon.

Merlin was promoted to Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has written for Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.