AEW On TNT Start Date Announced! Has The New Wrestling War Begun ?

Ever since the rumblings of the formation of AEW began last year, many wondered if the promotion would have a weekly television show, and what network it would air on. Earlier this year, AEW Owner Tony Kahn confirmed that there would be weekly television and the show would air on TNT. Today, the company released a trailer and a press release announcing that AEW will air Wednesday nights, beginning on October 2nd.

July 24, 2019 – WarnerMedia announced today that the new professional wrestling league All Elite Wrestling (AEW) will begin airing its two-hour weekly matches on TNT on Wednesday, Oct. 2, from 8 p.m. ET to 10 p.m. ET. The highly-anticipated, action-packed matches will take place in different cities across the nation each week on Wednesdays, starting in Washington, D.C., at the famed Capital One Arena. Ticket pricing and on-sale date for the televised live event will be announced on Monday, July 29, at 12 p.m. ET via AEW’s social media platforms.

AEW features a world-class roster of diverse male and female wrestlers, giving fans a new wrestling experience for the first time in 20 years. Founded by President and CEO Tony Khan, AEW is headlined by Cody & Brandi Rhodes, The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson), Kenny Omega, Hangman Adam Page, Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley. The roster is also filled with incredibly skilled competitors including Nyla Rose, Awesome Kong, Dustin Rhodes, Jungle Boy, Dr. Britt Baker, MJF and SCU. In addition to being in-ring talent, Cody, The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega also serve as EVPs with Brandi Rhodes serving as Chief Brand Officer. Renowned commentator Jim Ross has also joined the league.

Focused on fast-paced, high-impact competitions, AEW offers fans more athleticism along with real sports analytics. Wrestlers are also given freedom to explore their characters and highlight their athletic abilities. Introducing statistics to wrestling for the first time ever, AEW will raise the stakes for its matches and deepen fan engagement by tracking each competitor’s wins and losses as wrestlers pursue championships. Their moves and damage to their opponents will also be analyzed on-air to provide insights into their winning streaks.

WarnerMedia has been offering fans exclusive access to AEW’s previous matches that kicked off in May. Their extremely popular events DOUBLE OR NOTHING, FYTER FEST and FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN were all streamed on B/R Live. The highly anticipated ALL OUT event in Chicago on Saturday, Aug. 31, will also stream on the platform. B/R Live’s high fan engagement provides an invaluable opportunity to build AEW’s audience and maximize its viewership.

Jason’s Take

It is a monumental moment for not only AEW, but wrestling in general. Regardless of how you feel about the promotion or its chances of surviving, it is the first real alternative (Sorry, TNA/ROH) to the WWE that wrestling fans have had since ECW and WCW closed in 2001. For the long time wrestling fan, we get a nostalgic feeling by having wrestling on a Turner network again. I for one am going to remain optimistic of AEW’s chances. While I don’t consider it competition to WWE, it is going to be fun to watch how things play out between both companies.