WWE and USA Network today announced an agreement in principle to air WWE’s weekly Wednesday night show, NXT, live on USA Network at 8/7 C starting Sept. 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 NXT brand,” 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 No. 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 Live, hosting nearly 200 live events around the world each year. Airing on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m., NXT has been WWE Network’s No. 1 weekly series.
The new two-hour NXT weekly show will also be available on-demand on WWE Network every Thursday night beginning at 8/7 C. ‘NXT TakeOver’ events will continue to stream live exclusively on WWE Network.
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, competitive bodybuilding and international sports such as rugby, kushti and kabaddi. It is also the birthplace to 80 percent of the current Raw and SmackDown rosters, 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.
Like rumours were stating, WWE NXT is set to premiere on the USA network on Wednesday, September 18 and to air for two hours each Wednesday night from 8-10pm ET (1-3 AM BST the next day). The good news emanating from this WWE announcement above is the fact NXT will remain a worldwide show despite airing on Thursday on WWE Network, so the day after. No word yet on if the weekly NXT UK show will be moved to Thursdays on the Network.
After @WWENXT's move to @USA_Network on Sept. 18, #WWENXT will also be available on-demand every Thursday night beginning at 8E/7C on @WWENetwork.#NXTTakeOver events will continue to stream live exclusively on #WWENetwork. https://t.co/zuU2yB2XrT
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) August 20, 2019
WWE also confirmed that the show will take place each week from Full Sail University, the place where everything has started for the show and the brand. Nevertheless, the next set of tapings has been cancelled and rescheduled. WWE are giving fans the opportunity to transfer their September 11 tickets to the debut live USA Network episode, on Wednesday, September 18. Fans with tickets for September 12 can transfer them to the September 25 USA episode. The weekly start time for the NXT events at Full Sail is now 7.30pm ET, indicating that there will be the weekly pre-show dark match.
https://twitter.com/mauroranallo/status/1163817129759522820
Mauro Ranallo confirmed that the WWE NXT announce team will stay the same when the show moves to the USA Network on Wednesday, September 18. He currently calls the show with Nigel McGuinness and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix. The only difference will be they will now comment it live.
On October 2, AEW will premiere its weekly show on TNT, at the same timeslot and day than NXT. Two days after, SmakDown Live will move to FOX. The channel aired a 30-second preview for SmackDown Live’s upcoming move to the FOX network that is scheduled for this October 4. The FOX premiere show will be SmackDown Live’s 20th-anniversary celebration.
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All pics and videos courtesy of WWE