WWE’s attempt to counter AEW All In: London 2026 reportedly left some NXT talent frustrated with how the event was structured.
The company went head-to-head with AEW’s major Wembley Stadium event by combining an AAA card with NXT: Heatwave in Edinburgh. While the AAA portion of the show reportedly drew a strong reaction from the crowd, the atmosphere changed considerably once the Lucha Libre portion concluded, with estimates suggesting that roughly one-third of the audience departed afterward.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE NXT talent privately expressed frustration about having to work several hours into the event in front of a crowd that had primarily turned out to see AAA.
The scheduling appeared to be designed, at least in part, to place NXT against the heart of AEW’s All In broadcast. However, the strategy apparently did not have the intended impact on AEW’s audience. Dave Meltzer reported that WWE’s counter-programming did not negatively affect AEW’s buys or the consistency of its audience.
The timing may also have limited WWE’s ability to influence potential AEW purchases. Those who intended to order All In 2026 had largely made that decision earlier in the day, meaning that the later counter-programming did not appear to create a meaningful obstacle for AEW.
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