AEW on TNT debuts October 2 live from Washington, DC

AEW has finally revealed the date, time, and location of their first live weekly episode of AEW on TNT.

AEW has been setting the wrestling world ablaze since the company was announced at the beginning of 2019, but we’ve finally reached an announcement that fans have been clamoring for. The biggest question AEW has yet to answer is whether or not they can produce quality live television on a weekly basis.

We’re now one step closer to knowing the answer. Warnermedia announced today that AEW on TNT will debut on October 2nd, 2019. It’s certainly no coincidence that SmackDown Live moves to FOX only two days later.

Starting that week, AEW on TNT will air live on Wednesdays from 8pm to 10pm ET. This will also put the show head to head with NXT, and give us a war between potentially two of the best weekly products in wrestling today.

The move to be head to head with NXT also comes on the heels of reports that there have been discussions between WWE and Fox to move NXT to FS1 on a weekly basis and include main roster stars on the show. The move is still early in the discussion phase but could give us a real Wednesday night war.

Perhaps the boldest news about AEW on TNT isn’t the time or date, but the location. Their very first weekly televised show will emanate from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.

More from All Elite Wrestling

• It’s time for Adam Cole and MJF to drop the ROH tag team titles
• Eddie Kingston stands to gain the most from the AEW Continental Classic
• WWE and AEW will put on a full court press for Kazuchika Okada in 2024
• 3 potential challengers for AEW Women’s Champ “Timeless” Toni Storm
• Three necessary changes for All Elite Wrestling to shun the “WWE-lite” tag

It certainly won’t be the first time wrestling has come to the Capital One Arena, as WWE ran that venue as recently as April 1 of this year for WWE Raw. I was unable to locate attendance numbers for that event, but attendance records do exist for the last two pay-per-views WWE held at the arena.

As far back as 2009, WWE held Capitol Punishment with a reported attendance of 9,850. More recently, WWE Battleground 2016 took place there with a reported attendance of 15,109.

It’s a stronger figure, especially considering Battleground was headlined by a WWE Championship Triple Threat Match pitting all three members of The Shield against each other. It’s interesting to note that Dean Ambrose both entered and exited that event as WWE Champion, and now he’s set to be a key part of AEW on TNT and will surely feature at their first televised event.

The Capital One Arena has a capacity of 20,656, and AEW definitely has the potential to sell it out. AEW’s largest events have sold out in record time, and the importance of their first weekly TV show will not be lost on wrestling fans. They could make a huge statement with the attendance for this event.

However, continuing to run arenas of that capacity on a weekly basis could be a stretch. The two most recent AEW events, Fyter Fest and Fight for the Fallen, were not sellouts and each had an approximate attendance of 5,000. This might be a more realistic goal for weekly television, but anything could happen.

AEW has shattered expectations before, so it’s not a stretch to think they might do it again. They’ve got a lot to prove, but AEW has done a lot of things right so far, and this is another step towards being true direct competition for WWE.