10 Weird (But TRUE) Facts For WWE In 2025
5. Counterprogramming AEW
When the two biggest wrestling companies in North America are running PPVs and PLEs almost monthly – and if you count developmental brands, almost twice a month – it’s unavoidable that some shows are going to take place on the same weekend. The calendar just isn’t big enough to fully accommodate both juggernauts.
However, WWE took things to a new level in 2025, making counter-programming part of its business strategy in an increasingly aggressive manner.
No fewer than four AEW PPVs (nearly half of the company’s 2025 allotment) found themselves competing with a WWE or NXT show, or in some cases, multiple show the same weekend.
Beginning with Double or Nothing in May, WWE made sure to schedule an NXT PLE or a Saturday Night’s Main Event for the same weekend for five consecutive AEW PPVs.
Double or Nothing had SNME the night before and NXT Battleground the same day. All In competed with NXT The Great American Bash and SNME on the day of and Evolution the day after. Forbidden Door shared 24 August with NXT Heatwave. And All Out saw WWE launch Wrestlepalooza on the same day.
Booking one show the same weekend months in advance is one thing. But WWE almost delighted in pushing the envelope, announcing the trio of Great American Bash, Saturday Night’s Main Event and Evolution less than two months before AEW’s biggest show, All In. They then sprung Wrestlepalooza on the wrestling world just one month before it took place on the same day as All Out.
To be fair, AEW hit back by holding its version of WarGames, Blood & Guts, on free television less than two weeks before Survivor Series, leading to inevitable comparisons that cast AEW’s offerings in a much more positive light.