It is expected that an announcement will be made imminently regarding NXT moving to the USA Network on Wednesday nights. It was reported by Dave Meltzer at the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that it would be made official today with the show set to air from 8-10 pm Eastern, head-to-head with All Elite Wrestling on TNT.
We have been able to confirm that the announcement is coming, and it’s expected to air from Full Sail University beginning Wednesday, September 18th. The launch date gives them a two-week jump before AEW debuts on TNT on October 2nd. We have not been able to confirm yet if the show will be live every week.
The fallout of this news is huge as it dramatically shifts the focus of what NXT was initially set out to be and turns it into a vehicle to combat their top competition. It is no longer a product about getting talent ready for the main roster because it essentially makes NXT a main roster show, with two-hours of prime-time television on a major cable network. We will be spending a lot of time discussing the ramifications on Rewind-A-Raw tonight.
It’s really hard to not be really pessimistic about this. The 1 hr weekly NXT show has been my favorite wrestling show for years and most weeks is the only wrestling I watched. It did a great job of balancing characters, in ring work, and fairly simple storylines.
They certainly have the roster for a 2 hour show. The fact that guys like Keith Lee aren’t on the show every week has been a shame. But with Vince more heavily involved all the simplicity, nuance and CONTINUITY that made NXT special will be gone.
I can’t imagine Vince understanding a character like Velveteen Dream. To combat AEW he will probably be fighting for the 24/7 championship on Wednesday’s.
2 hours could be good, though I wonder how things like ad breaks will effect things. Also if it changes to be more like the other main roster shows that for me is a big negative. So 2 hours of the current project doing more to build up more people on the roster is good. Almost everything else seems like it would be negative.
How do you even root for this brand now? It’s so tainted as being used as a weapon against AEW. Further, it’s no longer developmental. I’m sure within 6 months we’ll get main roster talent taking over
I feel bad for everyone down there. There is no way they will use certain talent on USA that were getting spots on NXT TV.
Also, hopefully they get renegotiated contracts because making developmental money to be on USA Network is a bad deal. Or do they turn WWEPC into a new developmental brand?
I can’t wait to see the NXT fan revolt against this. This may be one of the worst calculated decisions WWE has made. Using an organic, fan-favorite brand to combat another organic, fan-favorite promotion. This is the equivalent of forcing a star down our throat and we’ve seen how that worked. see Reigns, Roman
From a selfish standpoint, somebody tell me USA is paying for the content so I can make more when the WWE stock jumps on news of additional rights fees
That’s the thing - how can this be considered developmental now?
How long until Roman Reigns shows up to “pop” a rating?
NXT has been cold for a while now anyways. Nothing that happens on that show ever translates to the main roster. I just don’t see how they will deliver a hotter or more different show than AEW.
Call me crazy, but I’m not ready to jump on the RIP NXT bandwagon just yet. It could turn into something like WWECW, but I have a feeling they will try to keep it as close to the current NXT feel as possible. It will be best if they keep it as close to its original form and give it more of a workrate based feel to combat AEW.
Even before AEW, NXT has always been on Wednesday nights. AEW has provoked WWE several times on their shows. Let’s not forget Cody brought out the Sledgehammer at Double Or Nothing and openly challenged Triple H. AEW had to know some sort of counter punch was coming.
I like the competition and think this can be good for wrestling. I hope both shows do well.
Obviously, whether or not they execute a quality television show remains to be seen, but I think (without knowing the financials) that the move makes a ton of business sense. One of the major jabs I’ve seen plenty of folks take at AEW is that they’re only catering to the diehards. Well, WWE is going to counter by trying to cater to a broader audience, and they’re seemingly doing it without disrupting their main product (though again, the execution of both NXT and AEW remain to be seen). Worth a shot, especially when you’ve got your own network as a backup plan. Every set of eyeballs it takes off of AEW is a net gain.
All my concerns are from an execution standpoint. I don’t care they they are competing head to head against AEW. I’ll watch both on delay anyway so when they air is irrelevant. It just means that Thursday will have an abundance of Podcast content.
Lmao…y’all so ready to pounce on speculation and making predictions for whatever decision is allegedly made, but somehow…it’s blind hatred when others do the same for AEW…
Wait til that first 3 minutes match that gets cut short for commercial! Imagine Dunne v Strong from a few weeks ago cut for Live TV
Difference here is a history of WWE ruining something that is organic vs an unknown that has a short track record of overachieving…but you’re not wrong
Oh I fully expect Sami and Finn and Nakamura to be moved to NXT to boost “star power” under the cover of “former” NXT guys. It may actually save them. Hard to imagine it being more than another 205 live once it gets the Kevin Dunn / VKM treatment
I can see why they think it’s a good idea - but people are burned out on WWE product. Ratings stink, ticket sales are bad, interest is way down. So why add another two-hour show? Makes no sense.
But if they really want to stick it to AEW, just have Cesaro and Bryan work 60-minute ironman match in hour one on Oct. 2.
