WWE Rumors: NXT Possibly Moving To Fox To Compete Against AEW
The arrival of All Elite Wrestling’s upcoming weekly show in October has led many to believe that wrestling fans are about to see a modern day equivalent of the “Monday Night Wars,” as the company seeks to provide a mainstream alternative to WWE.
If you’re unfamiliar with this era in wrestling history, it basically saw World Championship Wrestling’s flagship show Monday Nitro go head-to-head with WWE’s Raw Is War in a battle for ratings supremacy. With AEW’s upcoming show heading to Nitro’s old network TNT, old memories have resurfaced.
However, the bold claim that another war could be in the cards might not be so far-fetched after all. According to the ever-reliable Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE might be toying with the idea of bringing NXT to FS1 to compete against AEW this fall.
“I think that’s the logical move, yes. I believe Vince will do that. I don’t know that he’s doing it, but thinking like Vince I believe that’s what he’ll do.”
While Meltzer was simply hazarding a guess about WWE’s plans in regards to letting AEW steal some of the limelight, it’s understandable why he holds such an opinion.
As reported by The Wrap, Vince McMahon and company have already tried to draw attention away from their new competitor by streaming an EVOLVE event on the WWE Network this Saturday, opposite AEW’s Fight for the Fallen pay-per-view. In case you didn’t know, EVOLVE is an independent promotion that’s strongly affiliated with WWE.
Samstagnacht (ab 2 Uhr) könnt Ihr LIVE auf @WWENetwork @WWNEVOLVE's 10th Anniversary Celebration erleben! Mit @SuperKingofBros vs. @DrewGulak, @AdamColePro vs. @TozawaAkira & mehr! ? #EVOLVE131 #WWE pic.twitter.com/FrHgJpTLPG
— WWE Deutschland (@WWEDeutschland) July 12, 2019
Of course, the idea of WWE’s development brand following SmackDown Live to Fox isn’t without merit. Per WrestleTalk, earlier this year Triple H confirmed that NXT jumping to another network is “absolutely” a possibility.
While there’s been no confirmation yet as to when AEW’s two-hour weekly show will air when it debuts later this year, it is expected to be on either a Tuesday or Wednesday night.
The only thing possibly preventing WWE from allowing NXT to move to Fox is the WWE Network. The weekly show and its Takeover events are currently exclusive to WWE’s streaming service and a large part of its appeal. Will the company risk losing subscribers because of AEW?
That said, if the money is right, then anything is possible in the world of professional wrestling. There’s no denying that NXT airing on a Fox channel will expose the product to millions of eyes each week, as opposed to hundreds of thousands.
