WWE was notorious in 2025 for attempting to counter-program various AEW events, including running its first premium live event on ESPN, Wrestlepalooza, against AEW All Out last September. So far in 2026, the company hadn't announced any events to run against AEW pay-per-views, until it announced on Tuesday that "WWE NXT" would present its first PLE on the CW Network, Great American Bash, on June 28.AEW will host its Forbidden Door event on the 28th, and TNA will also present Slammiversary the same day, making it a packed weekend for professional wrestling. According to Dave Meltzer on "Wrestling Observer Radio," the timing of the Great American Bash this year is no coincidence."We know why they're doing it and we also know that in a couple of days they'll claim, 'Oh, no, no, no, it was just a coincidence,'" Meltzer said. "It's never just a coincidence. They were doing this last year, and it's like, don't you learn? I mean last year, they were trying to hurt AEW's numbers. They were putting up show after show against AEW's. It never worked."According to Meltzer, the "NXT" event had been planned for "some time," but was obviously only announced in the last few days. It's not the first time WWE has used the show to counter-programming AEW, either. Last year, WWE presented a weekend packed full of shows, including Great American Bash, the Saturday Night's Main Event special featuring Goldberg's final match, and Evolution 2 to go up against AEW All In: Texas.If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
