Nick Khan Explains Why WWE Is Targeting Holiday Weekends for Major Events

WWE isn’t just picking dates at random anymore—there’s a full strategy behind when Premium Live Events land on the calendar. And according to WWE President Nick Khan, holiday weekends are now part of the plan.

Speaking on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Khan explained that WWE has shifted its approach when it comes to scheduling, moving away from weekends packed with sports competition and instead locking in dates where fans are starved for live content.

“This is also our first one, at least in the last five years, that’s not on the Final Four weekend,” Khan said, pointing to WrestleMania 41 as a prime example. For years, WWE ran head-to-head with the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Now, they’re opting to avoid that kind of sports clash.

So what’s the new play? U.S. holidays—especially the ones with nothing else going on.

“We’re trying to figure out weekends that would be advantages for you guys. We’ve done the American only holiday weekends,” Khan said. “If you think about it, Fourth of July. There’s such a lack of sports on, that people, and it’s with no disrespect intended, will actually watch the Nathan Hot Dog Eating Contest, but why wouldn’t we do a WWE event on that weekend? So we do.”

He used similar logic when discussing Labor Day weekend, even with some college football competition: “And Labor Day weekend, even though there’s early college football, why wouldn’t we have a big [event]?”

Khan also responded to the idea that fans may not want to attend shows live during holiday periods. For him, the answer is simple—WWE is global, and people now watch however they want.

“If people like, oh, well, you can’t get butts in seats? Well, sure you can internationally. It’s obviously not a holiday there,” he said. “And now that everyone can watch on their phone, it doesn’t really matter what day it is, as long as it’s not a cluttered sports calendar.”