WWE Officially Announces NXT’s Move to USA Against AEW

Today via their social media channels the WWE announced that it will be moving their NXT weekly show to the USA Network. This will be in direct competition with AEW’s TNT show.

BREAKING: Starting Sept. 18, @WWENXT will air LIVE as a two-hour weekly show every Wednesday on @USA_Network! https://t.co/Jk2crhv0Nx

— WWE (@WWE) August 20, 2019

What also makes this move interesting is that they will begin to air NXT episodes on USA September 18th. A full 2 weeks before AEW starts on TNT October 2nd from the Capital One Center in Washington DC.

A bold move by WWE or a panic move by Vince McMahon. The question for WWE fans is, who will run the NXT show. In the past, the brand’s popularity has been credited to Triple H’s involvement and lack of Vince McMahon’s hands on the product. Now that the show is on national TV will that change?

This NXT move also has ramifications because where does this leave WWE’s other new TV partner Fox? According to a report from Dave Meltzer on Saturday night’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.  Fox executives are not happy with WWE because the move undermines their strategy for WWE programming. They wanted NXT on their networks like FS1.

Meltzer explains “Part of the deal was the idea that ‘the money that we’re going to spend on UFC we’re gonna spend on WWE. They had a shot, but the thing is that if nobody said anything then people would be like whatever, but they told their affiliates that we’re going to be getting NXT and they’re not.”

Chris Jericho recently said on Sirius XM’s Busted Open Radio that the move by WWE dilutes their product. Now WWE is on TV three nights a week. Is that too much for WWE fans? Not to mention 205 live and NXT UK.

Congrats to @WWENXT for making the big move to the @USA_Network! Runners always race faster when somebody is right behind them. Gonna be fun to see which team the world decides to join! #ChooseJericho @AEWrestling @AEWonTNT

— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) August 20, 2019

October will be an interesting time for pro wrestling fans. Let the Wednesday night rating war being.