Is WWE Finally Considering AEW as a Serious Threat After Edge’s Debut? Analyzing the Changes

Two of the biggest pro wrestling promotions, WWE and AEW are trying their utter best to make their fans enthralled. Their rivalry has ignited the wrestling world, ushering in a new era of competition. Especially after the entrance of Adam Copeland (formerly known as Edge) in AEW, tensions have been raised for WWE while competing with Tony Khan’s promotion. Speaking of competition, both promotions are going to collide yet again. How? Well, this Tuesday, the fans are going to witness an action-packed showdown since we have WWE’s NXT, taking on AEW’s Dynamite. And it seems that WWE is giving it all to compete with its rival promotion.

WWE has often downplayed its competition and in Triple H’s words seen them as a “secondary promotion”. But given the big names set to appear on NXT this Tuesday, is WWE wary of the threat AEW offers?

Why did AEW  Dynamite shift to Tuesday?

The battle between these two juggernauts has led to an exciting wrestling landscape. But looking at the current scenario, the battle is on the verge of getting even more intense. After a very long time, the fans will witness NXT and Dynamite colliding on the same day, which will be this Tuesday. Even both competitors announced a 30-minute commercial-free show. The reason for this renewed ratings war is the inclusion of baseball in the equation.

Well, this is happening because the Major League Baseball playoffs match would air on TBS on that Wednesday night, and as a result, Dynamite will air on Tuesday, clashing with WWE’s NXT. Indeed, due to this significant competition, both promotions will have to step up their game, which means fans will come out of it as the winners. So for AEW, this is a chance to prove that they are still a viable competitor to WWE and provide an excellent alternative. WWE perhaps wanting to send a message and win this battle has already loaded NXT’s next episode with names from the main roster. But, having Edge on their side does AEW have a chance?

WWE seems cautious ahead of the Tuesday Night battle

Months ago, Triple H revealed that Cody Rhodes never wanted to be a champion in the “secondary promotion”. In fact, he has wanted to be a WWE champion since his childhood days. But, looking at the recent turn of events, it seems that this so-called “secondary promotion” could be a reason to sweat for the WWE. It is crucial to note that the WWE has announced the presence of various bigwigs from its main roster for the NXT episode where they will go up against AEW’s prime show.

The likes of John Cena, Cody Rhodes, Paul Heyman, and Asuka are going to appear this week on NXT. Also in last week’s SmackDown, the promo that hyped the special episode of NXT ended up with a gong identical to that of The Undertaker hinting at his possible appearance.

Taking all this into consideration, it seems that the WWE is trying its level best to have its third brand stand in parallel with AEW’s premium brand to win this rating war.

Read More – WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Tuesday Night War Updated Match Card: Edge’s In-Ring Debut vs John Cena’s Appearance & More

With a plethora of huge stars against it, AEW Dynamite is going to showcase the hottest match advertised a week ago. Yes! It is the AEW wrestling debut of Adam Copeland, who will be taking on Luchasaurus on Dynamite. Moreover, two championship matches, one for the Women’s World title and the other for the International title have also been announced. Well, having seen WWE load its third brand with major names, it could be apparent that AEW has been a wake-up call for its rival promotion.

AEW set the ball rolling during the Wednesday Night Wars

The fact is not hidden: WWE faced a serious challenge from a rival promotion on a weekly basis. It was during the time of the Wednesday Night Wars that AEW’s Dynamite competed with WWE’s NXT in a battle for ratings each week. Lasting nearly a year and a half, this war proved why AEW put WWE in deep waters since the brainchild of Triple H was struggling to beat Dynamite in terms of rating.

AEW used to raise problems for its rival promotion almost every week, and it eventually won. Winning the rating in both total viewership and viewership from the key age group (18–49), AEW forced WWE to move NXT to Tuesday nights, ending the Wednesday Night Wars. Back in April 2021, WWE and USA Network announced a multi-year extension for NXT, which would shift the show to Tuesday night. This startling news was then revealed by  Frances Berwick, who was a Chairman, of Entertainment Networks, NBCU.

All in all, history surely suggests that AEW did well to come out on top against WWE during those rating war days. Could this be the reason why Triple H is going big for NXT this week? Who are you backing in this one-off ratings war on Tuesday?

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