WWE and AEW’s Wednesday Night War started in October 2019 as AEW Dynamite and NXT went head-to-head every week in order to see who would come out the better show. AEW Dynamite would win in the ratings war for the majority of the time. The Wars finally came to an end in April after NXT moved to Tuesday nights. People like Jim Ross believed it was cop out.

For 76 weeks, the war between the two brands raged on and only on one occasion did AEW lose in the key 18-49 demographic rating against NXT. This was seen as a shock to many but AEW bounced back.

It is now a known fact that NXT Superstars and producers would watch AEW Dynamite backstage during the Wednesday Night Wars.

While speaking to David Penzer on Sitting Ringside, AEW President Tony Khan talked about how AEW focused on itself and didn’t pay attention to NXT during the Wednesday Night Wars. He added that it blows his mind NXT Superstars used to watch AEW Dynamite backstage.

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We just do our shows and keep AEW as strong as possible. The competition is going to change and there will be different competition on different nights and it will always be a battle as long as we’re healthy because they are going to be around for a long time. Whether it was the launch of Dynamite or Rampage, we have to focus on ourselves and put our best foot forward for fans rather than think about what other people are doing.

I’ve heard that when we were on head-to-head on Wednesday nights, our competition was watching our show in Gorilla. They had a monitor with it on. That blows my mind. I have never once, this is the 100th episode of Dynamite this week, in 99 episodes, I have never once had another wrestling show on in Gorilla or thought about what anyone else is doing. We have so much going on with our own show, I can’t be thinking about counterprogramming. We have to put on our best program.”

Triple H was blamed for losing the Wednesday Night Wars to AEW and now with NXT set to undergo a complete overhaul this month, it remains to be seen how fans will react to the new product.

What’s your take on this story? Sound off in the comments!

h/t to Fightful for the quotes.

Tags: Tony Khan
Subhojeet Mukherjee

Subhojeet is a professional wrestling fan for over 22 years. He got captivated by the sport during the Monday Night Wars and has a passion for it ever since. He also enjoys TV shows, movies, anime, novels and music, which broadens his perspective and appreciation for wrestling. He is a knowledgeable and respected voice in the industry.

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