WWE has confirmed a new date and location for NXT Battleground.
The event was originally scheduled for May 26 in Savannah, Georgia, the same night as AEW Double or Nothing. In a press release sent out on Monday, WWE has confirmed the show has been moved to Sunday, June 9, and will now take place at the TKO-owned UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The 130,000-square-foot venue was opened in 2019 to give UFC a location to run events out of during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was renovated in 2022 to allow up to 1000 spectators.
“We are always exploring new frontiers to showcase NXT and we are excited to bring Battlegroundto this world-class event and production facility in partnership with UFC,” said WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels.
The state-of-the-art UFC Apex has been home to so many incredible events… and for the first time ever, on June 9, @WWE becomes part of that. Huge thanks to @ufc and @danawhite for their partnership in bringing #NXTBattleground to Vegas. https://t.co/SVeNZyxIyN
The last UFC event to air from the venue was UFC Fight Night 240 on April 6. The show featured Brendan Allen defeating Chris Curtis via split decision in the main event.
WWE is advertising that limited priority passes and fan hospitality packages for NXT Battleground will be available shortly. Pre-sale signups are available here.
NXT Battleground will reportedly be pushed back to June.
The event was originally scheduled for Savannah, Georgia on Sunday, May 26, the same date as AEW Double or Nothing.
The show will be pushed back to Sunday, June 9, according to reports by WrestleVotes and PWInsider. WrestleVotes is also reporting that the UFC Apex in Las Vegas will be the new venue for the show.
With the date being pushed back, it means NXT will have less than a month between NXT Battleground and NXT Heatwave on Sunday, July 7, 2024 in Toronto as part of Money in the Bank weekend.
AEW Double or Nothing and NXT Battleground went head-to-head against each other last year on May 28, 2023.
In last week’s edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, our own Dave Meltzer reported that 1,957 tickets had been distributed to this year’s NXT Battleground event. It was scheduled for the Enmarket Arena. Raw is scheduled for the same venue the following night.
WWE is bringing an NXT premium live event to Savannah, Georgia this May.
It was announced today that NXT Battleground 2024 will take place from Enmarket Arena in Savannah on Sunday, May 26. The show will air live on Peacock/WWE Network.
NXT Battleground is the first of back-to-back nights at Enmarket Arena for WWE. The Monday, May 27 episode of Raw is also being held at the venue.
Combo tickets for Battleground and Raw are going on sale at 10 a.m. Eastern time on Friday, February 2. WWE noted that details for individual event tickets will be revealed at a later date.
NXT Battleground will feature the biggest Superstars from NXT in action, including NXT Champion [Ilja] Dragunov, NXT Women’s Champion Lyra Valkyria, NXT North American Champion Oba Femi, NXT Tag Team Champions Tony D’Angelo and Channing ‘Stacks’ Lorenzo, and more. Additional ticket details will be announced at a later date.
This will be NXT’s third PLE of 2024. The first, Vengeance Day, is being held in Clarksville, Tennessee on Sunday, February 4. NXT Stand & Deliver will then take place from Philadelphia during WrestleMania weekend on the afternoon of Saturday, April 6.
The Bryan & Vinny Show is back with our weekly look at AEW Dynamite and NXT! Punk is back, fallout from Double or Nothing, NXT fallout from Battleground, some low-level ACTING, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including Double or Nothing business, Alexa and Carmella having babies, Battleground thoughts, WWE and MLW lawsuit update, the Brand Split Is Stupid, ratings, AEW Dynamite and NXT TV reports, Rampage spoilers and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: Fallout from Double or Nothing
7:31: Alexa Bliss pregnant, Carmella having a boy
9:16: NXT Battleground notes, Cody advertised for SmackDown Friday
22:05: MLW/WWE lawsuit update
24:09: Ratings, KSW
40:41: AEW Dynamite report
1:02:47: NXT report
1:20:22: AEW Rampage spoilers, thoughts on Brian Dixon
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including our live first-person account of AEW Double or Nothing 2023, all the matches and angles and notes from the show, NXT Battleground results, New Japan Dominion and BOSJ, the death of Brian Dixon and more. A packed show as always so check it out~!
Tiffany Stratton has won the first championship of her professional wrestling career.
Sunday night’s Battleground event saw Stratton defeat Lyra Valkyria to be crowned the new NXT Women’s Champion. The match was the finals of a tournament to decide the new title holder.
Valkyria entered Battleground with a storyline knee injury following a kendo stick attack by Cora Jade on NXT last Tuesday. Valkyria’s knee caused her issues throughout the match.
To win the championship, Stratton connected with her Prettiest Moonsault Ever and pinned Valkyria.
Valkyria had been able to avoid the Prettiest Moonsault Ever the first time Stratton went for it. Valkyria then hit a roundhouse kick and appeared to have the match won, but Stratton managed to get her foot on the bottom rope.
The NXT Women’s Championship was vacated by Indi Hartwell earlier this month. Hartwell is now a member of the Raw roster after being called up in the WWE Draft.
In the tournament, Stratton defeated Gigi Dolin in the first round and Roxanne Perez in the semifinals. Valkyria defeated Kiana James and Jade in her first and second round matches.
NXT celebrates Memorial Day weekend with its Battleground special taking place in Lowell, Massachusetts tonight.
In his home state, Carmelo Hayes puts the NXT Championship on the line against Bron Breakker. It’s a rematch from Stand & Deliver, but things are a bit different this time around. Breakker turned heel after losing the NXT Championship to Hayes and has his sights set on winning the title back.
A new NXT Women’s Champion will be crowned tonight as Tiffany Stratton faces Lyra Valkyria in the finals of a tournament. The title was vacated by Indi Hartwell earlier this month.
Three other title matches are part of the Battleground card. Wes Lee defends the North American Championship in a triple threat match against Joe Gacy and Tyler Bate. The Creed Brothers challenge Gallus for the NXT Tag Team titles. And Noam Dar puts his Heritage Cup trophy up for grabs against Dragon Lee.
Plus, Ilja Dragunov battles Dijak in a Last Man Standing match.
Tonight’s show streams live on Peacock starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time. There will also be a 30-minute pre-show.
The pre-show is a canned 30-minute preview hosted by Megan Morant, Matt Camp and Sam Roberts. Done in a studio with the co-hosts standing behind a desk, it begins like a glorified control center segment.
Morant throws it to McKenzie Mitchell, who is in Lowell, MA at the Tsongas Center. She pitches to a video package hyping Ilja Dragunov against Dijak in a grudge match that involves assault and kidnapping. Back in the studio, the pundits discuss.
The finals of the NXT Women’s Championship tournament gets some hype, ahead of Tiffany Stratton facing Lyra Valkyria to decide the next women’s champ. Both Stratton and Valkyria get hype videos.
A great video package breaks down the rules for the Heritage Cup title bout tonight as Noam Dar defends against Dragon Lee. This is the first defense of the Heritage Cup on United States soil.
In a backstage skit, Dar tries to recruit Oro Mensah as Dar’s second to be in his corner. Mensah says he will think about, and a fretting Dar cradled his trophy, clearly worried about losing his Heritage Cup.
Some hype for the triple threat match for the NXT North American Championship, and the pre-show concludes with a video package hyping the main event for the NXT Championship.
NXT Battleground goes live on the air with a retrospective looking back at highlights from past shows from the 1990s. The idea is Lowell embraced the “New Generation” and continues to do so as the clips shown transitions into NXT.
Booker T and Vic Joseph are at ringside at the announce desk for live commentary.
Opening the show is a triple threat title match.
NXT North American Champion Wes Lee defeated Joe Gacy (with Ava) and Tyler Bate in a triple threat match to retain the title
Lee pinned Gacy in a really good opener with a lot of action. The story going into the match is Gacy causing a rift between Lee and Bate, which strained their friendship ahead of tonight’s title match. The rift continues as Bate and Lee engage in fisticuffs early in the match, allowing Gacy to strike with a dive through the ropes.
The pace quickens and the action intensifies with a flurry of spots. Bate does an impressive spot where he gives Lee a giant swing while simultaneously giving Gacy an airplane spin. Moments later, Gacy executes a slop drop on Bate while at the same time giving Lee an uranage slam.
Gacy at separate times catches both Bate and Lee in a crossface, but the hold is broken up both times. Lee fires up to deliver a double Cardiac Kick, and he gets a close near fall on Bate. Great sequence starts with Lee applying a sleeper on Gacy.
Gacy counters the sleeper by ramming Lee into the turnbuckles. Gacy goes for a cover, but Bate breaks it up with a corkscrew swanton. Bate then delivers a Tyler Driver ’97, but Lee breaks up the pin with a gets a near fall that was broken up by Gacy. Great sequence.
A contrived spot had Gacy perched on the top rope, and Gacy apparently avoids Lee’s attack. Lee then sails outside for a flip dive that wipes out Bate. Back in the ring, Gacy executes an uranage slam and sets up for his finisher. Lee counters by executing his own finisher. Cardiac Kick by Lee, and he covers Gacy to win the match and retain his North American title.
Noam Dar (with Oro Mensah) defeated Dragon Lee (with Nathan Frazier) to retain the NXT Heritage Cup
Dar pinned Dragon Lee after outside interference by Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend. The match itself was under Heritage Cup rules, meaning five rounds that are three minutes apiece.
Round 1 was mostly grappling on the mat. Dar powders, and he flees the ring as the round is winding down. Lee is going for a dive when the rounds ends, halting his momentum.
Mensah comes running down to ringside during the rest period, much to the surprise of Dar. Mensah was recruited to be a second in a skit on the pre-show.
Dragon Lee was gaining momentum when he gets rolled up by Dar for a pinfall with about one minute and 30 seconds left in the Round 2.
Dragon Lee was making rally late in the Round 3, but he ran out of time. Just as the round ends, Dar hits Dragon Lee with a cheap shot. Dar ambushes Lee with a back elbow, and Dragon Lee is in peril.
Dar works over Dragon Lee as Round 4 is underway. Dragon Lee fights back, and he applies a Texas cloverleaf. Mensah cheats at ringside by helping Dar get a rope break. Frazier comes to aid Lee, and Mensah sends Frazier crashing into the ring steps.
Dragon Lee ties the score as he does a tilt-a-whirl plancha, and Lee covers Dar for a pinfall. The score is even, and the corner men are also looking to get even. Frazier jumps Mensah and they brawl. The referee then ejects both seconds. Mensah and Frazier are sent packing, and they fight their way to the back.
One-on-one for Round 5, with no seconds in the corner. Dragon Lee takes an ugly bump off the apron taking a botched powerbomb. Dragon Lee somehow recovers, and he executes a Last Ride Liger bomb for his last near fall of the match. They go home after a run-in.
Jakara Jackson suddenly runs into the ring to distract the referee. Lash Legends then hops the barricade, and Legend clobbers Dragon Lee with a spit bucket brought out earlier by one of the seconds. Dar delivers his finisher, and he covers Dragon Lee to underhandedly win the match.
Ilja Dragunov defeated Dijak in a last man standing match
Dragunov is the last man standing in a brutal match that left Dragunov with nasty whelps on his arm. He was beaten to a pulp, but David managed to slay Goliath.
The match begins with them brawling around ringside. The ring steps are quickly utilized as a prop, which is a callback to an angle that set up this match. Dijak also drags a table from underneath the ring, and Dragunov hurls himself through the table in order to knock down Dijak.
Dragunov is also hurled onto the ring steps, but he counters Dijak by giving him a DDT on the steps. Dragunov picks up the steps and uses them as a weapon. Dragunov goes coast-to-coast with a Van Terminator that sandwiches Dijak with the steps.
They trade chops like they are Ric Flair and Wahoo McDaniel. Dijak takes a German suplex on his head and neck, but he rises like an angry monster. Dijak bellows with a primal yell, and he guzzles Dragunov. Dijak gives Dragunov a chokeslam on the apron, which look like it hurt like hell. Dragunov barely breaks the ten count.
Feast Your Eyes by Dijak, and Dragunov is on rubber legs. Dragunov falls into the corner, and the middle rope keeps Dragunov from falling down. Another primal scream by Dijak, and he retrieves a kendo stick. Dijak punishes Dragunov as he wacks Dragunov with the kendo stick.
Dijak wants Dragunov to stay down, but Dragunov will not go down. Dijak splinters the kendo stick with repeated strikes on Dragunov. Dijak then grabs a metal folding chair. Dragunov fights back, but Dijaks hits him with the chair. Dragunov still fights back.
Comeback by Dragunov, and he climbs atop the ring steps that are in the ring. Dragunov leaps off the steps with a flying forearm and lands on Dijak, sandwiching Dijak into a chair. Dijak could not answer the ten count, and Dragunov is the last man standing.
McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with Noam Dar, Lash Legend, Jakara Jackson and Ore Mensah. They are celebrating Dar retaining his trophy. Seems like a stable or faction is forming among with the four.
Announced for July 30 is NXT Great American Nash in Cedar Park, TX (outside Austin). Tickets go on sale June 9. Pre-sale registration opens a few days prior.
NXT Tag Team Champions Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang with Joe Coffey) defeated The Creed Brothers (Brutus & Julius Creed with Ivy Nile) to retain the titles
Mark Coffey pinned Julius Creed, after Ava interfered by attacking Ivy Nile at ringside. Good match that is only hampered by a WWE finish.
Heat on Brutus early on, as Gallus works him over. Julius cleans house after a hot tag. He gets a near fall with a standing shooting star. The Creeds go for a Doomsday Device, but Mark Coffey counters. Double-team by Gallus as they team up on Julius. Brutus makes the save with a flying cannonball.
The Creeds rally as they psych each other up. Joe Coffey tries to interfere, but he is tripped up by Ivy Nile. Joe Coffey is then clotheslines out of the ring. Ava suddenly comes down to ringside and assaults Nile. Ava sends Nile crashing into a ring post.
Julius is distracted by Nile being ambushed at ringside, and he falls prey to Gallus. Tandem finisher by Gallus, and Mark Coffey covers Julius Creed for a pinfall. Gallus retain the titles, thanks in part to an ambush by Ava.
Tiffany Stratton defeated Lyra Valkyria in a tournament final to win the NXT Women’s Championship
Stratton pinned Valkyria to win the NXT Women’s title. Part of the story involves an attack last Tuesday by Cora Jade, where Jade injured Valkyria’s knee. That plays heavily into the story of this match.
They grapple at the start, but the tide turns when Stratton targets the injured leg. She works on Valkyria’s left knee. Stratton goes on to pull off Valkyria’s knee brace, and Stratton keeps working the knee, which is wrapped in tape. Stratton applies a Muta Lock, further targeting the injured knee.
Valkyria makes a comeback, and she leaps off the top rope into a missile dropkick. Valkyria is mounting a comeback, yet she continues to sell the knee. Some awkward spots in the closing minutes, but they get through it.
High cross by Valkyria, but Stratton rolls through and lifts Valkyria off the mat. Valkyria sort of counters for a crucifix bomb and a near fall. Valkyria is tripped up, and Stratton springboards into a corkscrew splash.
They trade near falls down the home stretch. Valkyria blocks they handspring back elbow, and she gives suplexes Stratton. Valkyria tries to follow up with her finisher, which is a roundhouse kick. Her injured knee gives way, and Valkyria buckles.
Stratton tries to capitalize with her finishing sequence, but no water in the pool on the moonsault. Valkyria connects with her roundhouse kick finisher, but Stratton gets her foot on the rope to break a subsequent pinning attempt.
They fight on the turnbuckles. Stratton blocks a sunset bomb, and she sort of gives Valkyria a hurricanrana. Valkyria sells it regardless, and Stratton follows up with a rolling fireman’s carry slam that sets up the “Prettiest Moonsault Ever.” Stratton then covers Valkyria for a three count to become the new NXT Women’s Champion.
This was probably by far the weakest match on the show, but it was not bad. They were in a tough spot, though, having to follow the previous bouts on the card.
NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes (with Trick Wiliams) defeated Bron Breakker to retain his title
Hayes pinned Breakker to retain the title as a hometown hero. Really good match to finish the show in a strong note.
Trick Williams introduces Carmelo Hayes for a special ring entrance that plays on Hayes being from the area. Hayes gets the hometown treatment. Breakker has his own special entrance beforehand, where he came out wearing a wolf mask.
Hayes explodes as the bell sounds to start the match, and Hayes overwhelms Breakker with a flurry of offense. Hayes almost spiked himself doing a dive over the ropes to the floor, but Breakker luckily caught him. Breakker eventually cuts off Hayes, and Breakker begins to work over Hayes.
Hayes fights back, and Hayes delivers the Fade Away legdrop. Hayes works a leg as he targets Breakker’s knee, which is something we saw in the previous match. Notwithstanding, Breakker soon cuts off Hayes again.
Breakker punishes Hayes with a series of suplexes. Breakker pauses at one point to taunt Hayes by doing push-ups. Super Frankensteiner by Breakker for a near fall. Hayes fights back as they trade strikes, but Breakker dumps Hayes with another suplex.
Hayes counters Breakker before Breakker can apply a Steiner Recliner. Breakker goes for a vertical suplex, but that too is countered by Hayes, and Hayes spikes Breakker with a DDT.
They trade punches, and Hayes goes in a flurry of offense that leads to him springboarding into a Tito Santana forearm smash. Breakker will not stay down as he taunts Hayes.
Trading punches again, and Breakker goes for a guzzle. Breakker instead takes a codebreaker, and Hayes climbs the turnbuckles. Hayes rolls through when Breakker moves out of harm’s way. Breakker then posts himself. Hayes attempts his springboard forearm again, and Breakker spears him in mid-air for the best near fall of the match.
Breakker pulls down the straps on his singlet, and he tosses Hayes around. Hayes counters Breakker’s military press into a small package for a close two count. Hayes with a trifecta of superkicks, and Hayes springboards into a DDT. Hayes follows up with the Nothing But Net flying legdrop, and Hayes covers Breakker for a clean pinfall. Hayes retains in front of a hometown crowd.
Overall, this was a really good card. The wrestling matches carried the show, and most all of those delivered. To me this is the first NXT supercard of this era that is on the same level as the golden age of NXT Takeovers from years past.
Shawn Michaels addressed the media on a conference call to promote NXT Battleground.
Here are notes from the call:
Regarding Bron Breakker not getting drafted to the main roster: Michaels said there are still some “really great matches” left for Bron Breakker in NXT. He’s under the impression that Breakker will still be part of the brand for a while.
When asked about Blair Davenport, Michaels said they are interested in having her back in NXT but the ball is in her court. Davenport hasn’t wrestled anywhere since the Worlds Collide special on September 4, 2022. Earlier this year, it was rumored that she was dealing with visa issues.
Michaels mentioned Wes Lee as a standout performer on the current roster. Also mentioned Gallus has done great since coming over from NXT UK.
Regarding the Dyad (Rip Fowler & Jagger Reid), he said there are no hard feelings regarding them requesting their release but while they are here he wants to put them in a prominent role. Says there is too much talent to waste there.
There were plans for Indi Hartwell as champion before she got injured and then drafted to Raw. He loved the story of her winning the title.
To the best of his knowledge, NXT will not be going head-to-head with AEW pay-per-views again but said those decisions are not made by him. The timing of NXT Battleground was to take advantage of the holiday weekend and also with Night of Champions the day before.
There is nothing to update on the status of NXT Europe.
Regarding Ilja Dragunov not being on the main roster, Michaels said he doesn’t make the decisions regarding who gets called up but he’s very excited about Dijak vs. Dragunov on Sunday. Also mentioned that Dragunov hasn’t really been in NXT that long and there are still several interesting matches for him here.
He feels that it’s only a matter of time before Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre have to return in order to defend the NXT tag titles.
Michaels was asked about his history in the city of Lowell. Michaels famously “lost his smile” in the city and also once dropped the European title to Triple H in a rather controversial fashion there as well. He responded that he may have lost his smile in Lowell but he’ll find it again in Lowell too.
Michaels said he had a pretty decent idea of who he was going to lose in the draft. He continued to say losing 15 wrestlers from their roster is an adjustment but he feels very comfortable with it.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including the latest on CM Punk and AEW, Bryan’s prediction for tonight, line-ups for all the big shows this weekend, the NXT TV report, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Two title matches have been added to NXT Battleground.
Tuesday’s NXT show confirmed that Wes Lee will defend the North American title in a three-way against Joe Gacy and Tyler Bate on May 28. Meanwhile, Noam Dar will defend the NXT Heritage Cup trophy against Dragon Lee.
Gacy and Ava attacked Wes Lee and Tyler Bate backstage on Tuesday, injuring Bate’s arm in the process. Later in the show, Lee came out and called out Gacy. He and Ava appeared on a nearby perch, with Gacy accusing Bate of deceiving Lee, while making it clear he wanted a North American title match. Bate came out and denied he was deceiving Lee, but did say that he too wanted a title match. Lee said he would take on both men at Battleground.
Dar agreed to defend the Heritage Cup trophy during events that took place during an episode of Supernova Sessions. Dar belittled Lee, pretending that he didn’t know Lee spoke English. Nathan Frazer came out and said that Lee should get a match for the trophy, and that he should get a match against Dar as well for next week. Dar eventually agreed to both matches.
On NXT Tuesday, The Creed Brothers also issued a challenge to Gallus for the NXT Tag Team titles. However, that match was not confirmed.
Here is the updated lineup for NXT Battleground:
NXT Championship: Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Bron Breakker
NXT Women’s Championship finals: Tiffany Stratton or Roxanne Perez vs. Lyra Valkyria or Cora Jade
NXT Heritage Cup: Noam Dar (c) vs. Dragon Lee
NXT North American Championship: Wes Lee (c) vs. Tyler Bate vs. Joe Gacy
The NXT Championship match for Battleground on May 28 is official.
Bron Breakker accepted Carmelo Hayes’ challenge on NXT Tuesday. Trick Williams came out and said that as a result of Breakker attacking Hayes last week, Hayes was in the hospital. Williams asked Breakker to come out and accept the challenge. Breakker accepted, saying he wanted to do it so he could embarrass Hayes in his own hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts in front of his friends and family.
Breakker attempted to leave, but Williams then challenged Breakker to a match right then and now. Breakker acted like he was going to accept, but then backed down and said he would do the match next week.
After Hayes defeated Breakker for the NXT Championship at Stand and Deliver, Hayes called out Breakker to put him over. That was when Breakker turned on Hayes, attacking him and Williams. On last week’s NXT, Hayes called out Breakker for a match at Battleground on May 28. Breakker responded by attacking Hayes and Williams again, this time spearing Hayes through a wall outside of the ring. Hayes was stretchered out as a result of the attack.
Carmelo Hayes has challenged Bron Breakker to a match at next month’s Battleground premium live event.
After Hayes defeated Grayson Waller on Tuesday’s Spring Breakin’, Hayes issued the challenge for May 28 in Lowell, Massachusetts, saying that Breakker might not be interested but he was. Hayes demanded Breakker come out to respond. Breakker’s music hit, but ended up attacking both Hayes and Trick Williams from behind. He put Williams in the recliner, then exited the ring and speared Hayes into a wall on the outside of the ring. After the break, footage was shown of Waller being stretchered out.
Hayes defeated Breakker at Stand & Deliver earlier this month to become the new NXT Champion. After Hayes called out Breakker to acknowledge his run as champion on the Tuesday after Stand & Deliver, Breakker instead turned on Hayes, laying both Hayes and Williams out.
The following week, Breakker laid out Andre Chase and said he wasn’t interested in the NXT Championship. At Spring Breakin’, he defeated Chase in a singles match.
Shawn Michaels says booking NXT Battleground for Memorial Day weekend had nothing to do with AEW Double or Nothing.
WWE announced yesterday that the next NXT premium live event following Stand & Deliver will take place May 28 in Lowell, MA. No start time was listed for the event. NXT Battleground will take place on the same day as AEW’s annual May pay-per-view and one day after the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments from Saudi Arabia.
Michaels was asked by Ariel Helwani if the date was chosen to go up against AEW’s pay-per-view.
Michaels responded:
No, no, look, I’ll say this, from a holiday standpoint, that’s the thing. In the past, we’ve done well on the holidays. So, it’s my understanding that’s why we did that. It’s no different then, you know, we used to do stuff back in the day on Christmas and on Thanksgiving. Holidays were always big days, so, that’s what this is for us.
It’s just that was the date that was available. Obviously, the holiday does really well for us.
The key is that the show is probably going head-to-head with AEW’s Double or Nothing show in Las Vegas. One could say it was a coincidence, but if you follow history it indicates that wouldn’t be the case, that WWE arranged a Shawn Michaels press conference on 3/30 head-to-head at the exact same time as AEW’s press conference with Tony Khan.
He also commented on WWE not announcing a start time for the NXT event.
Meltzer continued:
Actually NXT could do an afternoon show or an evening show as when they sent out the press release, for the first time I can ever recall, they never listed a start time for the event, which sounds like head games. When asking WWE, they said they aren’t sure a start time has been locked in.
WWE NXT’s next premium live event after Stand & Deliver has been announced.
Shawn Michaels revealed today that NXT Battleground will take place Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Lowell, MA. AEW Double or Nothing is scheduled for the same date in Las Vegas. WWE will present the King and Queen of the Ring event the day before from Saudi Arabia on May 27.
The event will be held in the Tsongas Center at the University of Massachusetts.
“We look forward to returning NXT to the road and delivering an incredible night of action to the passionate fans of Massachusetts and those watching at home,” said WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels.
Tickets for the show will go on sale this Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern time.
This marks the first time that an NXT premium live event has taken place in Massachusetts and the second time since February 2020 that a stand-alone NXT premium live event has taken place outside of the state of Florida. NXT Vengeance Day emanated from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte this past February.
The Tsongas Center has hosted several wrestling events previously including ROH Death Before Dishonor last summer. ROH is believed to have drawn more than 3000 fans to the show.
The last time WWE held an from the venue was a house show in 2016.
