WWE announces NXT will move to USA Network

After a long run on the WWE Network, it was announced on Tuesday that the NXT brand is headed to television.

With the pending AEW debut in October, WWE has made a huge announcement. On Tuesday morning, it was revealed that NXT will be making the move to the USA Network.

The target debut date is September 18, which puts them on TV roughly two weeks ahead of AEW. It’s a smart move for WWE, getting a jump on the competition. It gives them a couple of weeks to get a grip for how NXT will be received, and how to make it succeed away from the WWE Network.

The plan is run it on a 24-hour tape delay, as it relates to the WWE Network. It will air on USA on Wednesdays, and then on the Network Thursdays at 8 PM Eastern. Once it airs on the Network, it will be available on-demand from that point.

The announcement comes as no surprise, given that All Elite Wrestling is headed to TNT in October. But there will be a few details that should make things interesting. For starters, NXT will be a live two-hour broadcast, and Vince McMahon will be more involved with the brand. While NXT is still Triple H’s baby, the final rule on everything knocks on the boss’ door at the end of the day. Though Ryan Satin at Pro Wrestling Sheet does note that there will be few changes to the NXT show that fans have been used to.

NXT is widely known as the future of WWE, as both Monday Night Raw and SmackDown are stocked full of talent that have been through NXT on their way to the main roster. From Ember Moon, to Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, to Becky Lynch, 80 percent of the WWE’s main roster has stopped through NXT, per WWE. And now the current batch of stars will get more exposure, with the move to the USA Network.

It will give fans a glimpse of what many of us grew up with, with the original WWF and WCW Monday Night Wars. This time it’ll be on Wednesday nights, and will be a chance to see who can emerge victorious in this latest competition between companies.