WWE Moves NXT to Wednesday Nights on USA Network

The decision to move NXT is seen as a way to battle AEW for the Wednesday night audience.

NXT is leaving the WWE Network and will begin airing on USA Network next month, WWE announced Tuesday morning. 

The show will be broadcast live for two hours every Wednesday, beginning Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. ET. While Raw and SmackDown are taped from different arenas around the country each week, NXT will continue to be filmed at Full Sail University in Florida every week. NXT will be available on WWE Network beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Thursdays, so cord cutters will still be able to watch the show. 

The company was expected make the announcement during Raw on Monday night, according to multiple reports, but SI.com’s Justin Barrasso reported before the show went on the air that the script did not include an announcement and no such announcement was made. 

The Wednesday air date is significant because upstart AEW is set to debut on Oct. 2 on TNT and become the staple Wednesday-night wrestling program for the network.

AEW also plans on crowning its first woman champion during its television debut.