In a savvy move that would make any wrestling promoter proud, AEW Collision will dodge the heavyweight showdown with WWE’s Survivor Series: WarGames later this month. Instead of locking horns with one of WWE’s biggest events, Collision will air in a safe afternoon slot, thanks to a timely preemption.
According to PWInsider, Collision will air from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET on TNT, sidestepping the Survivor Series, which kicks off at 5:30 p.m. ET. Collision was shunted out of its usual time slot for some unexpected “tag team partners”—college basketball and NHL hockey. So while fans will still get their fix of AEW action, it’ll come earlier in the day, with the episode being taped earlier in the week from Chicago.
This isn’t the first time AEW and WWE have crossed paths. Recently, AEW Dynamite faced off with WWE NXT on a Wednesday night thanks to election coverage on The CW. The ratings spoke for themselves: NXT scored a victory with 619,000 viewers compared to Dynamite’s 523,000. And it was a night to remember: NXT packed the card with a 10-woman tag team showdown featuring new signees, while Dynamite countered with an action-packed tag team match starring Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita, and Powerhouse Hobbs.
The last time Collision had to fight WWE for attention was in September, clashing with WWE SmackDown due to AEW’s All Out pay-per-view the following day. Let’s just say the night was a tough one—Collision notched a historic low with only 157,000 viewers. So, with college hoops and NHL games now stepping in to clear a path, AEW’s making sure the only opponent this time is the clock.