All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is deliberately avoiding direct competition with WWE. On Saturday, December 13th, both AEW’s weekly show Collision and John Cena’s final WWE match are scheduled, prompting Warner Bros. Discovery to move the Collision broadcast to an earlier time. According to the announced schedule, Collision will air at 4:30pm ET instead of its usual 8pm ET slot, preventing overlap with WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event.
This change makes sense as many viewers will be tuning in to watch Cena’s final bout, a significant moment in wrestling history. Cena, who has had a major impact on the industry, will face an opponent yet to be revealed in an ongoing tournament at Capital One Arena, Washington, DC. His next upcoming match is against Dominik Mysterio on November 29th for the WWE Intercontinental Championship, a title Cena recently won from Mysterio on the November 10 episode of WWE Raw.
AEW and WWE have engaged in counter-programming before. For instance, on November 22nd, while AEW hosted the Full Gear pay-per-view, WWE streamed the Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide event, Alianzas, for free on YouTube, starting midway through Full Gear. Highlights included Samoa Joe winning the AEW World Championship, FTR securing their third tag team title, and Kenny Omega reuniting with the Young Bucks, while WWE’s AAA event featured Apollo Crews’ return and successful title defenses.
WWE has often scheduled NXT premium live events (PLE) during AEW shows, and AEW’s CEO Tony Khan has adjusted All Out Toronto’s pay-per-view timing to avoid clashing with WWE’s main roster Wrestlepalooza, their first PLE streaming on ESPN—a milestone. Had these events overlapped, Wrestlepalooza would have been the first main roster show to face off directly with AEW’s PPV.
Fan Take: This strategic scheduling reveals a new era of respect and smart competition between AEW and WWE, allowing fans to enjoy historic moments from both promotions without missing out. For WWE fans, it means greater access to must-see events and signals growth in pro wrestling’s mainstream appeal, benefiting the sport as a whole.
