WWE Planning To Run PLE Against Upcoming AEW PPV

Wrestling fans will likely have to choose between a WWE PLE and an AEW PPV when they could be going head-to-head in September.

The AEW-NJPW PPV called Forbidden Door will take place on Sunday, August 24th in London, England, with a 6 p.m. start time locally, which means it’s a 1 p.m. ET start in the Eastern Time Zone in the US and Canada. On the same day, WWE will run the NXT Heatwave PLE.

Since Heatwave will be in the evening in the US, it won’t be head-to-head with Forbidden Door. However, it’s something WWE has done in the past, and they plan to do it again.

According to PostWrestling, there is a yet-to-be-announced WWE PLE (premium live event) that will take place on Saturday, September 20, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

What makes this particularly interesting is that the AEW PPV, All Out, has been scheduled for September 20th in Toronto, with the announcement made over three months ago in May. That means WWE could have picked another date for their September PLE, but they have decided to put it on the same day as All Out.

During AEW’s existence and in WWE over the last few years, the companies have avoided running Sunday PLE dates from September through December to avoid NFL games on Sundays. Tony Khan’s father owns the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, which is why the All Elite PPV shows typically don’t take place on Sunday in the fall months.

AEW’s Tony Khan Responded To Questions About WWE Counter-Programming

There are many examples of WWE putting shows on to counter AEW, including most recently when All In Texas took place on July 12th. The show aired in the afternoon, competing against NXT Great American Bash and Saturday Night’s Main Event at night. The final hour of All In Texas went against the first hour of Saturday Night’s Main Event. There was also the WWE women-only Evolution PLE on July 13th.

Before All In Texas, AEW Owner, GM, and Head of Creative Tony Khan was asked about WWE counter-programming. Rather than mention WWE by name, Khan chose to put over his company’s product as usual.

“I think we’re going to put on a great event, and we have to focus on putting on the best event we can with the best wrestlers in the world. So that’s a lot of fun. So we’re going to have a great show next Saturday afternoon, and we’re very focused on what AEW is doing, and AEW fans, and I think that’s served us really well.”

In other AEW news, the company has locked up TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher to a long-term “big money” contract that should keep the talented Australian with the company for many more years to come.