While Raw and SmackDown takes place on major arenas and venues on a weekly basis, NXT continues to showcase its talent in an intimate setting at Full Sail University, just one of the stark contrasts Triple H wanted to implement in NXT.
With NXT joining Raw as weekly television programs on the USA Network, Triple H is doing everything he can to make sure NXT continues to have that same underground look and approach to distant itself to its red and blue brand counterparts. One of those differences include the music and the inclusion of rock, punk rock and metal music into the show.
In an interview with Loudwire, Triple H spoke about the importance of music and how it is used in NXT to give the brand and its wrestlers its own identity within the confines of WWE.
“RAW and Smackdown are pop music. They’re the most popular, the most commonplace, the casual fan is gonna come listen to it and see it. I knew that to be the alternative, we needed to be something different. To create that aggression and that intensity, you need to create something that has that same vibe, and that’s where the music came in. Immediately, the music connection, to me, was to go down the harder and heavier road. We had the idea of taking young, up-and-coming bands — just like up-and-coming wrestlers — and giving them this platform that didn’t necessarily exist. They weren’t getting on the Tonight Show or these other platforms … I feel like there’s this massive resurgence of rock and metal and whatever you want to call it. Obviously, [Motorhead's] Lem [Kilmister] was a big fan, so it’s just rock ’n’ roll, right? But I love it," Triple H said.
One example of NXT using music to differentiate itself from Raw and SmackDown that Triple H mentioned was back at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III when Code Orange and Incendiary played Aleister Black's theme song live on the show.
“When [Aleister] did that live with [Code Orange] playing and that energy they brought to it, it puts him on a whole ‘nother level of stardom. As much as it helped them, they helped put him over the top as a performer," Triple H said.
NXT is on the USA Network every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. Fightful will have live coverage of NXT.
