The worst kept secret in pro wrestling is no longer a secret at all.
As expected, Warner Bros. Discovery used part of its 2023 Upfront presentation in New York City to officially introduce “AEW: Collision,” which will air live every Saturday night from 8-10 p.m. ET on TNT.
“We’re doubling-down on wrestling with ‘AEW: Collision,’ which gives fans two more hours every week,” Jason Sarlanis, President, Turner Networks, ID and HLN, linear and streaming, said in a press release. “AEW’s roster of talent has expanded so quickly that we felt it needed another night to bring our audience the epic rivalries, unforgettable matches and stars they love to watch.”
Indeed, a common criticism of AEW during its first few years of existence is that it sometimes felt like it had too much top level talent to showcase properly during AEW Dynamite. AEW Rampage has also been in the mix for some time, but at only an hour and rarely live, it has always felt like a ‘B’ show.
That shouldn’t be the case for Collision, though an additional element of intrigue surrounds the show with reports that AEW will execute a hard brand split for the new series, except for some champions and a handful of other exceptions. It certainly seemed that way from the WBD press release, which made specific mention of certain AEW wrestlers (including Thunder Rosa and Andrade El Idolo, who have been out injured for some time).
AEW: Collision will debut on Saturday, June 17. We’ll have more news and details on the new series as they start to circulate.