WWE continues to move the needle this year with its product. They announced yesterday that they will move their NXT Battleground to the UFC Apex arena on June 9th. This is a very unique move for the company after its consistent success under the TKO company. Thanks to its extended resources and rising popularity since the merger, WWE has gained more leverage to be the top wrestling company.
WWE’s Decision To Have PLE At The UFC Apex Arena
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ESPN Writer Andreas Hale broke the news yesterday that WWE will move NXT Battleground to the UFC Apex arena in Las Vegas on June 9th. This will be the first time in the company’s history that a Premium Live Event (PLE) will be hosted in a UFC venue.
The UFC Apex arena is home to the UFC Fight Night Events, Dana White’s Contender Series, and other UFC-related events. WWE’s Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative, Shawn Michaels, told ESPN, “We are always exploring new frontiers to showcase NXT and we are excited to bring Battleground to this world-class production facility in partnership with UFC.”
This is a wonderful move by the company to further expand its relationship with UFC since its 2023 merger under the TKO company.
Where Was NXT Battleground Originally Going To Be At?
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NXT Battleground was originally going to be on May 26th at the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georiga. The reason for moving the Premium Live Event from the original date to June 9th wasn’t disclosed.
There could be assumptions that the WWE PLE was on Memorial Day Weekend and would’ve been in competition with All Elite Wrestling’s Double or Nothing PPV event.
The Enmarket Arena isn’t as known as the much more popular UFC Apex. The Apex hosts smaller crowds of under 500 people for its events. However, the Las Vegas Review Journal cited in 2022 that UFC applied with the Clark County Zoning Commission to have the ability to host up to 1,000 people.
The Rising Popularity of WWE’s NXT Brand
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For new wrestling fans or UFC fans wanting to learn more about NXT, it’s their developmental brand. Think of NXT like the NBA G-League. Wrestlers will get called up to the main roster, just as how G-league players get called up to the NBA for 10-day contracts and can go back and forth between the main roster and the NXT roster.
NXT’s Stand and Deliver, their version of Wrestlemania or the Super Bowl, did great numbers in Philadephia in April. Their main stars, Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes, appear at the hip-hop/wrestling Walemania event to promote their Premium Live Event. Stand And Deliver sold the most tickets and hosted its largest crowd at the Wells Fargo Arena in the brand’s history.
For now, the Premium Live Event will have its champions, such as Ilja Druganov, Roxanne Perez, and Oba Femi, present. They’ll also have their stars like Trick Willaims, Carmelo Hayels, Lyra Valkyria, and more on the show.
However, the WWE Draft takes place April 26th and these superstars could be called up to the main roster on SmackDown and Raw. It’s also possible that Raw and Smackdown stars could get called to the NXT brand. Past main roster stars like Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and Dominik Mysterio have had great success at NXT when they moved down to the developmental brand.
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About The Author
Justin is a writer and poet with nine years of professional experience covering sports, health topics, hip-hop events, and community matters. He’s a Richmond, Virginia native now based in Southern California. He has published two books under the pen name Jay Guevara and can be found on all social media @justinhisprime
