AEW is gearing up to compete head on with WWE’s SummerSlam 2024 this coming Saturday, even though they had originally hoped to sidestep any clash of timings.
The broadcast time for AEW Collision has been moved up to 7:00 PM EST on TNT, with pre-production and taping done on Thursday night at the Esports Stadium located in Arlington, Texas.
As a countermeasure, WWE made the announcement during a RAW segment that SummerSlam 2024 will come with a three-hour warm-up show beginning at 4:00 PM EST, which will then segue into the main lineup at 7:00 PM EST.
Dave Meltzer, the seasoned wrestling correspondent on Wrestling Observer Radio, revealed that AEW had first intended to broadcast its show on Friday night to evade clashing directly with WWE’s SummerSlam 2024, but it seems those plans have taken a different turn. He revealed,
“The decision to move Collision was to avoid a head-to-head faceoff, hence it’s scheduled at 5 in the evening. Initially, I believed they would run Collision on Friday night, which was the plan at one point. That’s why they’re conducting the taping this Thursday. Regardless of the reason, Collision’s ratings are likely to take a hit. It’s going to be a ruthless face-off between SummerSlam and the Olympics. Undoubtedly, Collision is expected to face a tough challenge this week.”
In a panoramic view of historical data, AEW’s viewership shows a consistent dip when squared against WWE shows, regardless of whether it’s a straight head-to-head battle or even after a daytime WWE event.