As television ramps up for the Fall season, WWE typically experiences a slow period. While everyone is excited to watch NBA Basketball, NFL Football, NHL Hockey, or their favorite sitcoms and dramas, those audiences tend to divert away from WWE until WrestleMania season. Not this year.
For the first time in a very, very long time, professional wrestling will be relevant again in the Fall. Not only will All Elite Wrestling debut their television show Wednesday, October 2nd on TNT, but WWE NXT will be in a new two-hour slot moving to the USA Network on September 18th.
For the hardcore wrestling fan (at a minimum), this upgrade in content is a win. Competition for both of these promotions is arguably great for both parties. Both AEW and NXT will provide reasons for their audience to tune in every week. Here are 5 Reasons To Watch NXT On Wednesday Nights (And 5 To Watch AEW).
10 NXT: Women's Division
The resurgence in women's wrestling is no surprise to the typical wrestling fan. Ever since the Divas Revolution a few years ago women's wrestling has been on the upswing. While many fans certainly know names like Naomi, Ember Moon, Bayley, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks. While these women have gone through different phases of their careers, one main constant is they have all developed from NXT.
With NXT ascending to a national stage and an additional hour, there is going to be plenty of opportunity for new women to shine. Every week on the USA Network, we will get to see women like the NXT Womens Champion Shayna Baszler, Io Shirai, Candace LeRae, and recently debuting Rhea Ripley (among many other talented women) perform for a wider audience.
9 AEW: Women's Division
One of the great aspects of these two programs airing on Wednesday nights is the increase in competition. While WWE has phenomenally talented women on all brands, AEW has their own brand of talented women as well. At Double or Nothing, Fyter Fest, and Fight For The Fallen, we have seen impressive performances from women including (but not limited to) Kylie Rae, Nyla Rose, Riho, Awesome Kong, and Dr. Britt Baker.
Throwing the AEW Womens Championship into the mix will only heighten the intensity these women will bring week in and week out.
8 NXT: 205 Live(?)
For quite some time there have been rumblings of NXT and 205 Live merging brands. As NXT will be adding an extra hour to their programming, there will be a need to bring some depth to their roster. Recent rumors have mentioned the cancellation of 205 Live. Surely there will be a need for these Superstars to perform somewhere.
205 Live has been a springboard to the main roster for Buddy Murphy, Ali, Cedric Alexander and former WWE 24/7 Champions Mike and Maria Kanellis. Many die hard fans of the product will tell anyone listening that 205 Live has the best pure wrestling of any of WWEs brands week in and week out. will Nothing has been made official yet, but the time may be coming soon for members of the WWE Universe beyond subscribers to the WWE Network to see talents the likes of Oney Lorcan, Drew Gulak, Tony Nese, and Akira Tozawa.
7 AEW: Data Analytics
Data analytics is a relatively new concept in the world of professional sports. Many front offices in MLB, NBA, NFL and the NHL are beginning to adopt the concept for their teams. AEW President and CEO Tony Khan has already enacted the concept in NFL and the Premier League during his roles with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham FC, respectively.
Data analytics is going to be the "driving force" behind AEW and will be used to "maximize the performance of the product." You would be hard pressed to find a wrestling promotion who has a culture of data analytics ingrained in its system from the start, which should make AEW something interesting to new and returning consumers of pro wrestling.
6 NXT: Velveteen Dream
The current NXT North American Champion has been looking for a platform like this for quite some time. As evidenced by his choice of ring gear at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 wearing tights saying "Call Me Up Vince," Velveteen Dream wants the opportunity to shine on the big stage.
While it will not be on Raw or Smackdown, Dream's current brand moving to network television will provide him an opportunity (and one would infer a bigger paycheck with television money in the mix) to be one of the major staples of the yellow brand. While suscribers to the WWE Network know Dream has had memorable matches (let alone entrances) with the likes of Tyler Breeze, Matt Riddle, and Aleister Black, we get to see the 24 year old's star shine brightly in what is currently a very exciting time for sports entertainment/professional wrestling.
5 AEW: "Hangman" Adam Page
What Velveteen Dream can be to NXT, "Hangman" Adam Page can be to AEW on TNT. Yes, Chris Jericho beat Page for the AEW World Championship at the All Out pay-per-view. That being said, Page is in position to be the prime babyface during weekly television on TNT. If played out correctly, seeing Page trying to chase Jericho for a rematch will have the audience invested in his story. When he inevitably becomes AEW World Champion down the line, the payoff could be memorable.
4 NXT: Nostalgia
Although NXT has taken off in a very short period of time, many Superstars have come and gone. Many superstars such as Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, Big E, Finn Balor, and Kevin Owens are household names. For every one of those names however, there are names that are falling below expectations or not used on the main roster how the NXT Universe imagined.
EC3, Bo Dallas, The Ascension, and a veteran presence in Curtis Axel are just a handful of names that could stand a change of scenery on this new incarnation of NXT. It will be interesting to see who (if any) follows the model put into place by Tyler Breeze to return to NXT to attempt to reinvigorate their career.
3 AEW: Tag Team Wrestling
One has to look no further than the All Out pay-per-view to see that AEW is providing a serious focus on tag team wrestling. The AAA Tag Team Championship ladder match between The Young Bucks and The Lucha Brothers is garnering very positive reviews. Additionally, we saw the debut of Santana and Ortiz (formerly known as LAX).
AEW is using the first few episodes of its TNT debut to highlight the AEW Tag Team Championship tournament. If the tag team wrestling from AEW shows to date are any indication, the tag team division is in for a huge push come this Fall.
2 NXT: Triple H Staying In Charge
As news of NXT moving to the USA Network was made public, speculation has run rampant about Vince McMahon's future involvement (or possible lack thereof) with the yellow brand. In an interview with talkSPORT's Alex McCarthy, Triple H addressed this saying "If you're asking in a simple terms of answers, he's not involved. At this point, he's just said go and make this thing a success."
Potential involvement of Vince McMahon with NXT has (and will continue to be) a very hot topic. As long as the return on investment in the product remains what everyone thinks it can be, there will be no need for Vince McMahon to get in the mix.
1 AEW: Chris Jericho
The inaugural AEW World Champion is a big part of why we will all be watching wrestling so intently starting in October. Even in his late 40's, Jericho is still finding a way to reinvent himself throughout numerous stages of his career. Inevitably he will still find ways to do so while working in AEW. Giving Jericho the victory vs Hangman Page was the smart booking decision as fans will no doubt be flocking to TNT due to the name recognition he brings.