AEW opened their doors with the promise of a pro wrestling alternative. It didnt take WWE long to get NXT off their Network and onto Wednesday nights in direct competition with Tony Khans company. That was a wild time in pro wrestling and Nicholas Jackson misses it.
When AEW Dynamite first premiered in October 2019, it went head-to-head with WWE NXT, which had started airing on the USA Network a month earlier. However, this weekly competition between the two shows ended in April 2021 when NXT moved to Tuesday nights. It was later revealed that some NXT talent were actually rooting for AEW during that time.
While the competition didnt receive the same level of attention as the Monday Night War between WWE Raw and WCW Nitro, it still pushed both companies to improve their performances. In an interview with Justin Barrasso for his Undisputed Substack, Jackson reflected on that period, expressing how much he enjoyed the competition and how it motivated performers.
NXT and AEW will briefly face off again on October 8, as AEW airs Title Tuesday for one week. On that night, NXT will feature Randy Orton competing against JeVon Evans and Oba Femi will defend the NXT North American Title against Tony DAngelo. Tickets to that NXT Saint Louis show went fast, but there are a few still open on the TicketMaster site.
The Young Bucks are set to defend their AEW World Tag Team Championships against Kyle Fletcher and Will Ospreay at AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam. Tickets for Grand Slams Dynamite and Collision taping are still available on TicketMaster.
We will have to see if AEW and WWE ever go head-to-head again. It certainly brought some interesting headlines as we waited patiently for those precious Wednesday pro wrestling ratings. In the end, NXT decided to move to Tuesdays, which worked out in the end.
Whats your take on the AEW and NXT war? Do you miss seeing it on a weekly basis with two television sets going at the same time? Let us know what you think in the comments section!
