WWE NXT 2300 Arena Report Debunked Ahead of AEW Residency

WWE’s rumored plan to crash AEW’s upcoming 2300 Arena residency in Philadelphia may be completely fake—at least according to someone who would definitely know.

On May 29, WrestleVotes claimed that WWE NXT would tape a TV episode at the 2300 Arena on Tuesday, August 19, just days before AEW kicks off its seven-show run at the historic venue. The report immediately stirred up talk of a renewed turf war between WWE and AEW, with both companies allegedly trying to lay claim to the building once considered the heart of ECW.

But Blue Meanie isn’t buying it. The ECW legend addressed the story directly on his Mind of the Meanie YouTube channel and made it clear that he checked in with the 2300 Arena staff himself—and got a blunt answer. Providing full context and reading directly from the WrestleVotes post, Meanie set the record straight:

“There’s something that came out yesterday I have to address. There’s a Twitter page called WrestleVotes and it says: ‘We’re told WWE has an interesting location lined up for an upcoming NXT TV show. Tuesday, August 19 at the 2300 Arena. That comes just one week before AEW kicks off its seven-show residency at the same venue.’”

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Then, Meanie broke it all down:

“WWE NXT is not running the 2300 Arena that date. They’re not, you know, running the arena August 19th at 2300 Arena. It’s not true. When I heard about it, I was interested in it and I reached out to the arena. Just, ‘Hey, is that true? NXT’s running the arena?’ And I just got a simple reply of: ‘Nope.’”

Meanie’s blunt confirmation casts serious doubt on WrestleVotes’ claim, especially as AEW gears up for their confirmed residency beginning August 27. The seven-show run includes AEW Dynamite, AEW Collision, ROH’s Death Before Dishonor, and a potential Dean Rasmussen tribute night—stretching through September 11.

The false WWE report had already fueled talk of counterprogramming, especially after AEW swooped in to block WWE’s rumored return to the Hammerstein Ballroom this December, reserving it instead for ROH Final Battle and AEW Collision on December 20 and 21.

But now that Blue Meanie’s thrown cold water on WWE’s supposed 2300 Arena booking, it looks like AEW has the building all to themselves—unless WWE has another surprise up their sleeve.

Is WWE actually staying away from the 2300 Arena, or are they just keeping plans under wraps? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.