WWE Announces Pair Of Arena Shows To Kick Off The CW Era Of NXT

"WWE NXT" will begin a new era this October, as the brand will move to The CW after five years of airing on USA Network. WWE agreed a deal in late 2023 to have "NXT" air on The CW for the next five years, meaning that "NXT" will be the only WWE brand on broadcast television, as "WWE SmackDown" moves from FOX to USA in September 2024, and "WWE Raw" moves to Netflix in 2025. In order to make "NXT's" first pair of shows on network TV feel as special as possible, WWE have announced two events that will see "NXT" go back on the road, at least for a few weeks.

In an official press release, WWE confirmed that both the October 1 and October 8 episodes of "NXT" will be arena shows, with the first taking place at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois, while the latter will air live from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. To make the shows feel even bigger, two of WWE's top main roster stars will be stopping by in their respective hometowns each week, with CM Punk showing up in Chicago, and Randy Orton showing up in St. Louis. Tickets for both events will go on sale Thursday, August 15, with an exclusive pre-sale opportunity taking place on Wednesday, August 14. 

These two shows will be part of a very busy period for WWE, as both "Raw" and "SmackDown" will be airing on USA until the end of 2024, while the Bad Blood PLE will be sandwiched between the two "NXT" events on October 5. Coincidentally, the October 8 episode will also be going head-to-head with the "Title Tuesday" edition of "AEW Dynamite" for the third year in a row, as that show will be pre-empted by the MLB playoffs.