WWE
Not so fast, NXT. The WWE minor-league brand is (kinda-sorta) delaying its move from WWE Network to USA — or at least, the show’s second hour is.
The Wednesday, Sept. 18 and Sept. 25 episodes of “NXT” will still start live on USA Network at 8/7c as originally planned, but will now move to WWE’s SVOD service at 9/8c, where the second hour will stream live for subscribers. At the conclusion of both of those episodes, the respective second hours will immediately be made on-demand on WWE Network.
Confused? Perhaps WWE’s own art, posted above, can best summarize the new schedule.
The final two episodes of “Suits” will occupy USA’s 9 p.m. hour on Sept. 18 and 25.
Also Read: Inside WWE's 'SmackDown' and 'Raw' Creative Team Shakeup (Exclusive)
Beginning on Oct. 2, “NXT” will air live for two hours on USA, something that was previously announced as starting two weeks earlier. If that early October date rings a bell, it is the very same night that upstart competitor All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is set to debut its new weekly wrestling series on TNT, USA Network’s key competitor.
Yes, it is (almost) time for the Wednesday Night Wars.
Already announced for the Sept. 18 “NXT” episode is an NXT North American Title bout between champion Velveteen Dream and challenger Roderick Strong, as well as a Triple Threat Match featuring Bianca Belair, Io Shirai and Mia Yim to determine the next challenger to NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler.
Also Read: Steve Austin on His New USA Show and the 'Rocket Scientists' That Canceled 'Broken Skull Challenge'
Current NXT Superstars also include Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, Matt Riddle, Candice LeRae, Tommaso Ciampa, Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish.
“NXT” launched in 2010 with its primary purpose being to serve as a platform for talent to get exposure in front of a televised audience and ultimately (hopefully) make their way onto the bigger WWE brands “Raw” and “SmackDown.” According to WWE, 80% of its current main-roster talent came through NXT.
The minor-league promotion’s jump to cable comes ahead of Fox’s October debut of “WWE’s SmackDown Live,” which previously aired on USA and, as TheWrap exclusively reported, was acquired by the broadcast network in May 2018 to launch in the 2019-2020 season.
WWE’s “Raw” will continue to air on USA, which is also the home to much of the top professional wrestling league’s reality and ancillary programming.
