NXT‘s PLEs, fka PPVs, are headed to The CW, fka The WB; more acronyms and ALL-CAPS TK (“to come” in journalism parlance).
WWE and The CW announced this morning NXT’s premium live events will now air exclusively on The CW, which already has the WWE minor leagues’ weekly episodic show each Tuesday. The CW was in pole position for the PLEs.
Starting with The Great American Bash this summer, the multiyear deal will mark the first time NXT’s PLEs, formerly referred to as pay-per-views due to their one-off rental revenue model, will air on broadcast television. Under the terms of the deal, The CW exclusively gets 20 PLEs live on both coasts “over the next several years,” the press release stated; events will also include Stand and Deliver,Deadline, and Vengeance Day. WWE NXT airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW, which is now the developmental league’s exclusive home.
Prior to today’s announcement, NXT PLEs had been a Peacock property, which required a subscription. After that deal ended last month, a one-off event streamed for free on NXT’s YouTube channel.
“WWE NXT has energized our Tuesday nights by consistently delivering a loyal and passionate fanbase to The CW every week,” Brad Schwartz, the president of The CW, said in a statement. “Adding WWE NXT Premium Live Events to our schedule is a natural fit, providing one broadcast destination for audiences to watch all their favorite Superstars, storylines and championship matches.”
Schwartz’s network entered a five-year deal with WWE in October 2024 to bring NXT to broadcast television for the first time in the show’s history. WWE NXT performs disproportionately well on the low-rated over-the-air channel.
“The CW has played an integral role in raising the profile of our up-and-coming Superstars, and we are excited to bring NXT Premium Live Events to broadcast television for the first time ever,” said Shawn Michaels, WWE senior vice president of talent development creative (and the WWE’s GOAT, imo, to keep the theme going here).
The current NXT Champion is Tony D’Angelo and the NXT Women’s Champion is Lola Vice. NXT has launched the careers of many of the main rosters top stars today, including Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Oba Femi, Rhea Rhipley, Finn Bálor, Liv Morgan and like anyone else under 40 in WWE.
The CW is ostensibly free for anyone willing to throw an antenna on their roof. Frankly, you may not even need to climb up there anymore. (Technology, amirite?)
Not so long ago, Peacock housed all of WWE’s content, and it was one hell of a bargain for fans. These days, ESPN has WWE’s PLEs in the U.S. and Netflix has them abroad. Netflix also carries flagship series Monday Night Raw; WWE’s SmackDown, a Friday series, is on USA Network.