Published: 3 minutes ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 16 hours ago by Dave Adamson
Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.
WWE/AEW
It’s a special night for AEW as Grand Slam: France brings a rare moment, while WWE NXT continues in its usual slot.
AEW Grand Slam: France sees the company make its Paris debut, with its weekly show taking place on a Tuesday night.
For NXT, this is business as usual, although the episode will be live from its usual home of the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
While much is made of counterprogramming, it has now become a common, albeit relatively rare, feature that AEW and WWE programs may occasionally happen on the same day, but what are both companies offering:
AEW Grand Slam: France
Introduced in 2021, AEW Grand Slam first went global last year with shows in Australia and Mexico as a fixture in the calendar. For the first time, Grand Slam takes place in France, with Paris seeing a debut for the promotion.
Matches announced for the Paris debut include:
Will Ospreay vs. Kazuchika Okada for the AEW World Championship
Mercedes Mone vs. Queen Aminata for the Women’s World Championship
Darby Allin vs. Kyle Fletcher for the TNT Championship
Bandido vs. Kofi for the ROH World Championship
Samoa Joe vs. Jungle Jack Perry, with the winner qualifying for Clockwork Carnage at WrestleDream
The action doesn’t end there, with Tony Khan also announcing that Jon Moxley & Gabe Kidd would team up to take on Davis & Doyle.
WWE NXT
WWE NXT sees the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic continue with Sean Legacy & Dorian Von Dux taking on the Tokyo Bad Boys, and Hank & Tank facing Shido Ash & Viktor Zanov. Shiloh Hill will also be in action as he takes on Naraku.
The focus of the show will likely be the NXT Women’s Championship No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal, which sees stars from the brand compete against members of the main roster, AAA, Evolve and TNA Wrestling.
Confirmed to be in the Battle Royal are Arianna Grace, Layla Diggs, Indi Hartwell, Xia Brookside, M by Elegance, Heather by Elegance, Ivy Nile, Kiana James, Adelicious, Lady Shani, Lizzy Rain, Thea Hail, Skylar Rae, Zaria, Izzi Dame, Kali Armstrong, Reina Volcan, Nikkita Lyons, Chantel Monroe, and La Catalina.
So, what’s the deal with counterprogramming?
AEW All Out and WWE Worlds Collide both took place on September 26, 2026, not only on the same night but in the same region of Chicago. While All Out broadcast live, Worlds Collide would stream the following Wednesday, opposite the episode of Dynamite that paid tribute to the late PAC, who passed away on September 27.
Speaking at the All Out post-show media event, Will Ospreay warned WWE in very clear terms, saying “don’t step up to us.”
With Grand Slam: France and NXT, neither is a pay-per-view (or PLE, in WWE’s case), but both are very much going head-to-head with a start time of 8ET/7CT. For AEW, it’s a special night, replacing Dynamite on a Wednesday.
WWE are likely to be unfazed by anyone saying they shouldn’t counterprogram AEW, with some questioning the decision to stream Worlds Collide against the aforementioned Dynamite episode, yet it is something that is bound to happen again.
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