The second round of NXT’s Great American Bash event going head-to-head with AEW’s Fyter Fest takes place this Wednesday night, as WWE‘s Black and Gold Brand attempts to rake in a higher viewership for the third week in a row. Ahead of the show Triple H sat down with Sports Illustrated to discuss the event and talked about counter-programming against All Elite Wrestling. The Jacksonville-based promotion announced Fyter Fest back on June 3, and NXT didn’t unveil their plans to revive the Great American Bash branding until the week before the first night.
“It absolutely is part of healthy of competition,” Triple H said. “Anyone that thinks it isn’t, to a degree, is being naive to the situation. You saw that back in the day when Clash of Champions was counter-programming [to WrestleMania IV in 1988]. At the same point, it can’t drive your booking decisions.
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“Obviously there are counter-programming decisions, but I can tell you exactly how this came about,” he added. “Almost all of these storylines were headed where they are now. There was a gap, timing wise, between In Your House and what will become the SummerSlam TakeOver, and you need a halfway point and a build. This is that halfway point. So it doesn’t change our decision-making process. I don’t counter-book, I book what’s right for NXT.”
NXT’s next TakeOver event will take place on Aug. 22. The show was originally booked to take place in Boston, but the latest reports have pointed towards it being held inside Full Sail Live due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, AEW will keep rolling with its themed shows heading into next week, as the July 15 episode has been dubbed Fight for the Fallen. The show will be headlined by the AEW World Championship Match between Jon Moxley and Brian Cage.
Which show will you be watching tonight? Let us know down in the comments!
Here’s what’s on the docket for Great American Bash:
- NXT Championship and NXT North American Championship: Adam Cole vs. Keith Lee
- Street Fight: Mia Yim vs. Candice LeRae
- Drake Maverick, Fandango and Tyler Breeze vs. El Legado del Fantasma
- Johnny Gargano vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
And here’s what AEW has planned fo Fyter Fest:
- AEW World Tag Team Championships: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page
- Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy
- Colt Cabana, Brodie Lee and Stu Grayson vs. SCU
- Nyla Rose vs. TBD
- Lance Archer vs. Joey Janela
- FTR & The Young Bucks vs. The Butcher and The Blade and The Lucha Brothers.
