Triple H Honored By Loudwire, Talks WWE NXT Loud Helping Bands, Still Keeping The Underground Feel

Loudwire and WWE announced today that WWE Hall of Famer Triple H has been announced as the rock magazine's Metal Ambassador of the 2010s. You can see the full Loudwire with The Game in the video above.

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Loudwire touted Triple H's work with WWE NXT and how his NXT Loud team has elevated up & coming metal acts more than any other mainstream outlet.

Triple H commented on the idea behind the music used for NXT, and called RAW and SmackDown the "pop music" version.

"RAW and Smackdown are pop music," Triple H said. "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."

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He continued, "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."

It was noted how NXT started choosing theme songs for the Takeover specials, just like they used to do with WWE pay-per-views. Loudwire said the NXT Loud team started giving heavy rotation to bands like Power Trip, Alien Weaponry, Motionless in White, Fever 333, and Cane Hill. Another band that received a lot of focus from WWE was one of Triple H's favorite young acts – Code Orange. Code Orange became the first band to perform during a live Takeover special when they opened the "Takeover: Brooklyn III" event in 2017, performing Aleister Black's theme as he went to the ring for his win over Hideo Itami.

Triple H credited the band with helping Black get over as a top performer.

"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," Triple H raved. "As much as it helped them, they helped put him over the top as a performer."

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Triple H also talked about how Poppy performed Io Shirai's entrance when the brand came to the USA Network last year.

"When they first sent me the Poppy thing, I think there was a little disclaimer on there: 'This one's a bit different, but it's crazy and cool.' I loved it. It's so unique and different," Triple h recalled. "The Poppy thing was perfect with the sweet, syrupy pop tune that blows up into this ultra aggressive, violent song."

Triple H also discussed the challenges of maintaining NXT's underground, subcultural feel now that it's officially WWE's third TV brand.

"How do you go from underground to, 'We just signed with a big label, we're the biggest act in the world and we're doing stadiums. How do we stay true to who we are?'" he wondered. "Keeping that youthful rebellion and 'don't tell me how to be' ? that's really what this is about. It's anti."

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