Looking back at the 2016 event, there is absolutely no doubt that WWE NXT was one of the biggest success stories at Download Festival. For years both Wrestling and the Rock/Metal community have been joined in a natural bond and with the ever increasing exposure to live events being held here in the UK now, the opportunity to get a big Wrestling promotion on to a festival bill seemed to be a no-brainer. Last year WWE NXT brought three absolutely packed days of action which proved to be a hugely popular extra-curricular activity away from the music all weekend. The expansion of Download Festival in recent years has allowed for ideas like this to thankfully come to fruition leading to what looks like a potential long-term arrangement.
The reason we are speculating that is of course because after the success of last year, Download Festival 2017 and WWE NXT will come together once again to bring three more days of action packed events.
Commenting on the addition of NXT to the festival, Download promoter Dave Bradley stated "Having WWE NXT at Download is like seeing what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object - you just know sparks are gonna fly! Wrestling and rock music go hand in hand and if last year is anything to go by, this exclusive festival experience is only going to be bigger & better for round two! This is not to be missed."
Current NXT champion Bobby Roode (NXT debutant at last year's Download Festival) echoed Dave's excitement, "Download was my very first show in NXT. The combination of NXT Superstars and massive musical acts, entertaining tens of thousands of passionate fans makes Download a unique experience. Returning to Download as NXT Champion will make this an extra special moment for me as a performer."
It should be stressed that with the nature of the business, talent appearances are subject to change, but as it stands we can expect the following at Download this year:
Bobby Roode
Aleister Black
Tye Dillinger
Kassius Ohno
Eric Young
Alexander Wolfe
Killian Dain
Nikki Cross
*NOW ANNOUNCED - Shinsuke Nakamura (21/03/17)
Ticket packages for Download Festival are on sale NOW. Head over to http://downloadfestival.co.uk/tickets