WWE is apparently making sure NXT doesn’t walk into its November 4 fight with AEW empty-handed. The show has already been told to load up for its head-to-head battle with Blood & Guts, and now it’s been revealed who allegedly made that call.
According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Nick Khan was the one who allegedly decided NXT needed to bring out some bigger attractions for the one-night move to Wednesday. That’s a pretty interesting development considering NXT will be stepping directly onto AEW’s night for one of Dynamite’s biggest shows of the year.
“NXT would have to load up given they are on an unfamiliar night. Nick Khan allegedly already made that call.”
The move to Wednesday itself wasn’t WWE picking a fight with AEW. Meltzer noted that The CW made the decision because election coverage on Tuesday, November 3 would have resulted in NXT getting bumped by too many affiliates.
“There is going to be another head-to-head competition with three WWE shows all at the same time on 11/4 if things don’t change. CW made the call to move NXT to Wednesday, because so many of their affiliates will be doing Election Night news coverage so NXT would be preempted in too many places.”
Still, once WWE knew where NXT was landing, apparently nobody wanted to just throw a normal episode out there. Meltzer expects a major angle at Halloween Havoc to help set up the Wednesday show, while AEW already has plenty planned with two Blood & Guts matches.
“Besides going head-to-head with AEW, it would also go head-to-head with Main Event and with Evolve. I’d expect a major angle at Halloween Havoc to build to that show, and also expect AEW to load up its show, although it’s already one of AEW’s biggest TV shows of the year with the two Blood & Guts matches.”
NXT could still have a tough night in the ratings regardless of what WWE throws at the show. Moving to an unfamiliar night is already a challenge, and going directly against Blood & Guts certainly isn’t going to make things easier.
“One would expect NXT to be hurt significantly from the unfamiliar night and competition, but it’s better than being pre-empted in many markets. AEW will be hurt by the competition.”
That adds some extra context to Bryan Alvarez’s earlier report that WWE had been told to make the November 4 episode something special. At the time, Alvarez confirmed the head-to-head battle and said NXT had been instructed to bring plenty to the table.
“Confirmed that November 4th NXT and AEW are going head-to-head. That’s the Blood and Guts show and NXT was told to load it up.”
WWE will actually have three shows running that night, with NXT, EVOLVE and Main Event all overlapping with AEW. That’s a lot of wrestling fighting for attention, but the real battle is obviously going to be NXT walking onto Wednesday night against Blood & Guts.
The move may have happened because of election coverage, but WWE clearly isn’t treating November 4 like some throwaway schedule change. Now the big question is just how far the company is willing to go when it comes time to actually load up NXT.
What do you think WWE should put on NXT for its head-to-head showdown with AEW Blood & Guts? Let us know in the comments below.
