AEW Dynamite and WWE SmackDown won’t be going head-to-head on January 1 after all, despite earlier information suggesting the two shows were headed for a Friday night ratings battle.
During the October 31 edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer clarified AEW’s television schedule for New Year’s Day 2027, revealing that Dynamite will air much earlier than initially believed. That means AEW and WWE won’t be competing directly against each other that night. Meltzer acknowledged that his original information about the scheduling conflict was incorrect and explained that he had since learned the actual plans for Dynamite.
“When I first got the news, I actually had a mistake there.”
Instead of going up against SmackDown in its usual Friday night time slot, AEW Dynamite will air following a college football game. That gives the company a potentially valuable television audience without having to compete directly against WWE.
“I’ve since found out that the Dynamite show on January 1st, Friday now is going to be after the football game.”
And Meltzer provided a clearer picture of when fans can expect the show to air. According to his latest information, Dynamite is scheduled to begin sometime between 3:30 PM and 4 PM Eastern, meaning the entire broadcast should wrap up before SmackDown gets underway.
“It’s going to start from — be around between 3:30 and 4 Eastern, and it’ll be over before SmackDown starts.”
That changes the situation considerably for AEW. Instead of trying to pull viewers away from WWE on Friday night, Dynamite will have the opportunity to attract fans who were already watching college football. Meltzer pointed out that the football lead-in could give AEW a chance to reach viewers who don’t normally tune into professional wrestling. However, he also noted that the company will need to make an immediate impression if it wants those viewers to stick around.
“They have 15, 30 minutes to really deliver something in front of an audience that normally will not be watching the show.”
Meltzer also admitted that his original understanding of the schedule would’ve put AEW in a much tougher position. Going directly against SmackDown could have created a difficult ratings situation, especially with Dynamite airing outside its regular Wednesday night slot.
“I thought they were going head to head with SmackDown, which would have been really bad.”
The clarification is important because AEW moving Dynamite to Friday had initially raised questions about whether Tony Khan’s company was preparing to challenge WWE directly. Now, that won’t be the case. Instead, AEW will have a college football lead-in and a separate afternoon window to draw viewers before WWE takes over Friday night with SmackDown.
Do you think AEW Dynamite will benefit from airing after college football instead of competing directly with WWE SmackDown? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
