WWE will go head-to-head against AEW’s biggest show of the year

Last August, All Elite Wrestling announced that its first-ever stadium show in the United States, AEW All In: Texas, will take place at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on July 12, 2025.

But as it turns out, AEW’s biggest show of the year — and arguably the biggest in the promotion’s history — might not even be the biggest pro wrestling show of the night.

As first reported by PWInsider.com, Peacock has already listed upcoming dates for WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event, the NBC franchise that the pro wrestling giant recently revived as a part of its new media rights deal. And after airing episodes on Jan. 25 and May 24, Saturday Night’s Main Event‘s third installment of 2025 will be broadcast on July 12 — the same date as AEW’s All In: Texas.

What a coincidence.

While it’s always possible that scheduling logistics made July 12 the most attractive date for WWE regardless of AEW’s previous plans — especially when factoring in TKO sister company UFC’s summer obligations — the reality is that this nothing new. Dating back to Vince McMahon’s systematic dismantling of the territories system in the 1980s, WWE has shown a propensity for running toward the competition rather than shying away from it.

Although that practice has most commonly been associated with McMahon, it’s also one that’s outlived WWE’s disgraced founder and ex-chairman, especially with regard to AEW. As recently as last month, WWE opted to run a house show in Orlando on the very same night that AEW was hosting its Worlds End pay-per-view event in a venue in the same city 16 miles away.

Still, there’s a big difference between running a non-televised house show in the same city that your rival promotion is hosting a pay-per-view and challenging the company’s biggest show of the year with a high profile event on broadcast television. Undoubtedly, the presence of Saturday Night’s Main Event will at least put a dent in All In‘s pay-per-view buy rate and it’s also worth noting that WWE has yet to announce where its July 12 show will take place.

While some may accuse of WWE of engaging in anticompetitive practices, the reality is that none of its efforts have prevented AEW from becoming the second-most profitable company in pro wrestling history. But if anybody expected AEW’s new media rights deal to bring an end to the modern day wrestling war, that clearly isn’t the case, as WWE only appears to be ramping up its efforts and willingness to challenge the competition head on.