WWE Reportedly Wants To Start Touring Before AEW, WWE NXT Live Events Returning Soon?

The WWE NXT brand may be returning to the road for ticketed touring soon.

The current plan is for NXT to go back to running live events late in the third quarter of 2021, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. There's no word yet on if they will go back to locally touring around the state of Florida, or if they will resume the NXT Road Trip live events in various parts of the country.

The last NXT live event took place in early March 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic shut things down.

On a related note, the Observer reports that WWE talents have been told that RAW and SmackDown may resume live event touring in August or possibly late July. It was also reportedly said that if AEW was to start touring in July, then WWE would move their return date up because they are open to doing everything they can to make sure AEW doesn't start touring first.

It was also said that WWE wants to be cautious and not misstep when it comes to touring, and they don't want to rush the return to ticketed events. They could start booking arenas in Florida and Texas tomorrow, indoors and with full houses, if they wanted to, but they have decided not to rush the process.

It was recently reported that the company may begin testing weekend live events soon. You can click here for that report, and click here for details on what WWE Chief Financial Officer Kristina Salen said durng the Q1 call about the future of touring vs. ThunderDome residencies.

WWE President & Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan noted in his Q1 call opening statement that investors should "stay tuned" for WWE's announcement showcasing their full-time return to live event touring with fans in the crowd. He did not give an idea of when that announcement will be made, but it should be around summer time, which lines up with this new report.

Stay tuned for more.