AEW & WBD Reportedly Planning Ahead Regarding Sports Preemptions

"AEW Collision" has seen some of its biggest ratings ever in 2025, and that is in large part to Warner Brothers Discovery giving All Elite Wrestling some of the best possible spots on their schedule. The Grand Slam Australia event on February 15 aired immediately after the NBA All-Star Weekend coverage on TNT, resulting in AEW's first quarter hour to surpass one million viewers in nearly a year, and the two-part "Slam Dunk" episodes of "Collision" that aired on March 22 and 23 earned the highest average ratings for the show since December 2024.

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that experiments like what happened with the "Slam Dunk" shows could happen again in the near future. TNT will be airing both the NBA and NHL play-offs, meaning that "Collision" will either be preempted to a different night, or potentially be given the chance to air immediately after these sporting events to gain a strong lead-in. June 18 will see the NASCAR Quaker State 400 air in "Collision's" regular slot on TNT, giving AEW and WBD another chance to capitalize on viewership, but it's not yet confirmed if that will actually happen.

What will happen is AEW and WBD have got plans for things similar later on in the year as they both know that scheduling conflicts will occur as the year goes on with the NBA, NHL, NCAA, NASCAR, and various soccer competitions such as the FIFA Club World Cup. Meltzer noted that WBD have been very happy with the "Collision" ratings so far in 2025, and doing what's best for that show will influence their decisions, to the point where talks were reportedly had about potentially going head-to-head with WWE's Saturday Night's Main Event at some stage, but once again, that has not officially been confirmed.