Real Reason WWE Is Counter-Programming AEW All Out 2026 With Worlds Collide (WWE News)
WWE wants to do more than just undermine AEW by running head to head with All In.
Self Made Pro is reporting that WWE has bigger plans for AAA than merely cutting into AEW's business when running Worlds Collide opposite All Out on 26 September in Chicago.
Namely, WWE/TKO wants AAA to become a viable competitor to Tony Khan's operation, "because that’s part of the strategy". Being able to brag about strong numbers for a AAA show going up against a major All Elite pay-per-view would also, in theory, help the Mexican promotion snag a TV deal in the future - that's also part of the plan.
At time of writing, All Elite has shifted approx 8,400 tickets for All Out. They've set up the building (Now Arena) for around 10,000 people, so things are close to selling out. In response, WWE/AAA has counter programmed with Worlds Collide at the Allstate Arena, and they've even put CM Punk on the card as a hometown hero.
"They want to be able to show networks like, ‘Yo, this money that you may be sitting on. Look, look at what AAA does against the top competition in wrestling. We can outdraw them. We can limit them. We can hurt them. We can do bigger crowds’ blah, blah, blah", Self Made continued.
It was also noted in the report that WWE did something similar with NXT a few years ago. They put it up against AEW, then leveraged strong success to engineer a TV deal on The CW.
Currently, Khan must be pleased with his ticket sales for All Out. Going up against WWE (even as AAA) and CM Punk in the Chicago market is nothing to sniff at.