There have been rumors for weeks now that some kind of big change is coming to NXT TV. Since AEW announced that their TV show will run on Wednesday nights at 8pm, which is also NXT’s start time, there has seemed to be a push within WWE to make NXT into a bigger deal to compete with it. The first rumor was that NXT was moving to FS1. Along with moving to cable, the stories said that it would change from pre-recorded to live and from one hour long to two, and also inevitably attract more involvement from Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn. Then the rumor evolved, and the story became that NXT would instead move to USA, the home of Raw, and the home of Smackdown until it moves to Fox in October. Now we have confirmation of exactly what’s happening.
According to a press release WWE sent out this morning, NXT will indeed move to USA, and will premiere live on September 18. It will also become a two-hour show, as previously reported. We don’t know how much Vince and company will mess with the formula, or if the live schedule will even allow for the brand’s distinctive storytelling, but time will tell.
Here’s the full press release:
NXT® MOVES TO USA NETWORK
NEW YORK and STAMFORD, Conn., August 20, 2019 –WWE® (NYSE: WWE) and USA Network today announced an agreement in principle to air WWE’s weekly Wednesday night show, NXT, live on USA Network at 8/7c starting September 18.
Following NXT’s growth in popularity, the new two-hour weekly show will expand its reach on USA Network, the leader in cable entertainment, while staying in its Wednesday night timeslot that it has held since 2015.
“The move to USA Network provides an opportunity to deepen our relationship with NBCUniversal and further build the NXTbrand,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO. “Over the long term our goal is to develop a following that can be monetized to the same level as our flagship programs, Raw®and SmackDown®.”
“USA Network and WWE have one of the longest and most successful partnerships in television history,” said Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks – USA and SYFY. “As the #1 cable entertainment network, we’re excited to add NXT to our weekly lineup alongside powerhouse flagship Raw, and to bring a new generation of Superstars to a wide audience.”
NXT launched in 2010 and has risen to become WWE’s third global brand alongside Raw and SmackDown, hosting nearly 200 live events around the world each year. Airing on Wednesday nights at 8 pm, NXT has been WWE Network’s #1 weekly series.
NXT offers a unique blend of authentic in-ring action with exciting and entertaining storylines that feature WWE’s hottest up-and-coming Superstars including Adam Cole™, Velveteen Dream™, Shayna Baszler™, Johnny Gargano®, Matt Riddle™, Bianca Belair™, Io Shirai™, Candice LeRae™, Tommaso Ciampa™, Kyle O’Reilly™ and Bobby Fish™. The brand’s diverse roster consists of elite athletes from the NFL, collegiate and amateur sports, MMA and international sports such as rugby, kushti and kabaddi. It is also the birthplace to 80 percent of the current Raw and SmackDownrosters including Becky Lynch®, Seth Rollins®, Roman Reigns®, Charlotte Flair®, Bayley®, Sasha Banks®, Alexa Bliss®, Bray Wyatt® and Baron Corbin®.
The series will continue to emanate from Full Sail University in Orlando as part of WWE’s production partnership with the preeminent entertainment, media, arts and technology institution.
