Tony Khan Takes Victory Lap As AEW Dynamite Prepares To Surpass WCW Nitro Total Episodes (AEW News)

AEW Dynamite is on the verge of passing WCW Nitro's total episode count - and it appears Tony Khan is in a celebratory mood.

The AEW founder and CEO posted a buoyant tweet on Sunday, pointing out that Dynamite will soon become the longest-running wrestling show to air on a Warner Bros. Discovery channel:

Thank you all who watch AEW! After a big March Madness Slam Dunk #AEWCollision weekend, we’re looking forward to Wednesday and a stacked lineup on what will soon be the longest running weekly prime time pro wrestling show ever on TBS/TNT, don’t miss #AEWDynamite Wednesday Night!

Of course, the other notable wrestling show to air on TNT was WCW Nitro, which ran from 4 September 1995 until 26 March 2001, when WWE ended the Monday Night Wars by buying WCW and effectively closing it down.

Nitro ran for a total of 288 episodes in this window. This week's AEW Dynamite in St. Paul, Minnesota will be the Wednesday night flagship's 286th episode. Khan's promotion will tie with Nitro for total episodes on 9 April, then surpass it outright with its 289th broadcast on 16 April.

In a move unlikely to be coincidental, AEW has announced that Dynamite's 16 April episode will be a branded special, 'Spring Break Thru.' WCW has used similar titling conventions in the past, most notably for a 'Spring Break' episode of Nitro in March 1998, and 'Spring Break-Out' on 27 March 2000.

Former WCW executive and creative lead Eric Bischoff, amongst AEW's most notable and vocal critics since 2021, recently announced his retirement from wrestling work.

AEW Dynamite has aired on either TBS or TNT since its first episode, 2 October 2019. In 2024, AEW signed a new multi-year contract with Warner Bros. Discovery adding a MAX simulcast for live Dynamite and Collision shows, worth an estimated $185 million annually. The deal helps make Khan's company the most financially viable number two wrestling promotion in history.