First two episodes of NXT on The CW this fall to be in major market arenas with two big name main roster guest stars

WWE announced today that when NXT moves from USA Network to The CW in October, the first two shows will emanate at the usual Tuesday night timeslot from arenas in Chicago, Ill. and St. Louis. They’re also advertising C.M. Punk appearing at the Chicago event as a special guest and Randy Orton appearing in St. Louis as a special guest.

Tickets go on sale on Aug. 15 at 10 a.m. ET.

NXT signed a five-year agreement to air on the broadcast network The CW late last year. The CW is a secondary broadcast network in the United States with viewership typically much lower than the primary four broadcast networks, ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. No cable or streaming subscription is needed to watch The CW as it’s available on any TV with an antennae and reached 100 percent of American households. The CW is also carried on many cable and streaming services. The CW also has an app that further expands the reach of its programming including live broadcasts and an on-demand library.

In today’s press release, WWE framed the NXT brand as follows:

Launched by WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, NXT has aired weekly since 2012 and features the brightest young talent in sports entertainment. Nearly 90 percent of the participants in last year’s WrestleMania were developed under the NXT banner. Led by WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, NXT is popular with younger audiences. Year to date, NXT’s average viewership is up 20 percent among adults 18-49. WWE Superstars, such as Roman Reigns, Seth “Freakin” Rollins, and Charlotte Flair have come up through NXT.

The CW is marketing itself as a home of sports programming which includes ACC football and basketball games, Pac-12 football, and LIV Golf along with “Inside the NFL” and the NASCAR Xfinity series beginning this fall. The network will soon offer more than 500 hours of sports programming year-round. Nexstar Media Group Inc. has 75 percent ownership of the network.

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