WWE announced Worlds Collide for September 26 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, putting it on the same night and in the same market as AEW All Out at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates. Tony Khan sees it as both a shot and a sign of where AEW stands.
Speaking with Battleground, the AEW president did not shy away from characterizing the scheduling.
“It’s the reality of current wrestling. It’s the frankly predatory nature of scheduling of events, but also the compliment that says that AEW is doing very well,” Khan said.
He then made clear he is not asking anyone to move.
“Chicago’s a great city for wrestling. I’m very excited about AEW All Out, and it’s not something unexpected to have competition. And I do welcome it,” Khan said.
AEW announced its date first. Khan revealed All Out’s date and location in an interview with Q101 Chicago on July 6, with tickets going on sale the following week. He also explained at the time that the show moved off its traditional Labor Day weekend slot to create a four-week gap after All In at Wembley Stadium on August 30.
The word Khan reached for is one he has used against WWE before. In June 2024, he described what he called predatory business practices after Dave Meltzer reported that WWE had supplied a reporter with inaccurate viewership figures for AEW Collision, comparing the situation to what Jim Crockett Promotions and other territories faced in the 1980s.
There is also precedent for this specific collision. In 2022, WWE ran NXT Worlds Collide on September 4, the same day as AEW All Out, which was also held in the Chicago area.
Both shows are set for Saturday, September 26, in the Chicago suburbs, with the two venues roughly 15 miles apart.
