The CW is continuing to embrace the wrestling business.
On Tuesday, the network announced an expansion of its current deal with WWE that will see 20 NXT Premium Live Events (PLEs) to The CW over the next several years. NXT is WWE’s developmental circuit, which The CW began broadcasting in October 2024 under a five-year agreement.
Prior reports indicated that Netflix was seen as the front-runner to land these events.
Per the announcement, the first NXT PLE to air on The CW will be The Great American Bash later this summer. The deal will also include Stand and Deliver, Deadline, and Vengeance Day.
Prior to Tuesday’s deal, NXT PLEs streamed live on YouTube. Before that, the events were exclusive to Peacock as part of WWE’s previous media rights deal with the streamer.
“WWE NXT has energized our Tuesday nights by consistently delivering a loyal and passionate fanbase to The CW every week,” The CW president Brad Schwartz said in the announcement. “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.”
“The CW has played an integral role in raising the profile of our up-and-coming Superstars, and we are excited to bring NXT’s Premium Live Events to broadcast television for the first time ever,” WWE senior vice president of talent development Shawn Michaels added.
WWE NXT has proven one of The CW’s most successful forays into live sports and entertainment programming since the network began experimenting with the genre by airing LIV Golf in 2023. Since then, The CW has added ACC and Pac-12 football, NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, PBA, and more.
For smaller leagues, The CW can be a perfect fit to reach a broader audience through the wide accessibility of broadcast television. A developmental league like NXT fits the bill, and both sides are clearly eager to keep the good times rolling.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.