WWE has opened a new front in its ongoing war with AEW, purchasing advertisements on the HBO Max streaming service that run during AEW’s flagship show, Dynamite. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that this new strategy was evident during this week’s broadcast, which featured commercials promoting an upcoming episode of WWE RAW in Evansville, Indiana.
This marks a strategic shift in how the two companies compete for audience attention. While both promotions have previously bought local television ads to air during each other’s programming, this is the first reported instance of WWE targeting AEW’s audience directly on a major streaming platform.
The move is the latest in a series of aggressive tactics from WWE aimed at its primary competitor. As reported, WWE is planning to schedule Wrestlepalooza on Saturday, September 20, a date that will place it in direct head-to-head competition with AEW’s established All Out pay-per-view. This follows previous counter-programming strategies that were limited to the NXT brand.
Further reports from mid-August indicated that WWE may also be encouraging TNA Wrestling, its unofficial developmental territory, to move its weekly television show to Wednesday nights to compete directly with Dynamite. This strategy is seen by industry observers as an attempt to dilute AEW’s viewership ahead of the company’s next major television rights negotiations.