This past weekend, WWE held Worlds Collide just outside Chicago, featuring AAA talent as well as hometown hero CM Punk and a variety of other performers. At the same time and in the same area, AEW held its annual All Out pay-per-view. WWE did not stream Worlds Collide live on Saturday, with recent reports indicating the company plans to broadcast it on YouTube this Wednesday, directly against “AEW Dynamite” but starting one hour earlier. Speaking on “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Dave Meltzer explained the motivation behind the move.
“Ultimately, the goal is that they don’t get renewed, and the way to not get renewed is to hurt their TV ratings,” Meltzer noted. He also stated that he doesn’t think Tony Khan is effectively hurt by the move, and suggests he might just be annoyed. “I mean, will it hurt? Miniscule. But that’s why they’re doing it, in the idea of: ‘We’ll get the one hour jump on them.'”
One thing that may throw a wrinkle in plans to stream Worlds Collide is the shocking death of Benjamin Satterly (AKA Pac and Neville) over the weekend. While AEW has yet to make an official announcement regarding Wednesday’s show, the company has historically held special memorial episodes of their flagship program “Dynamite” to honor current or former members of the roster who pass away. If Wednesday’s “Dynamite” is in tribute to Satterly, it remains to be seen if WWE moves forward with its plan to stream Worlds Collide against the episode.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the “Wrestling Observer Radio,” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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