Next year, wrestling adds another network

There’s another step in TV’s transformation:
Next year, two broadcast networks will have weekly wrestling shows. One will even have minor-league (sort of) wrestlers.
Beginning next October, “WWE NXT” (shown here) will have a weekly spot on the CW network – the first time it’s been on a broadcast network, instead of cable. Meanwhile, the main WWE show continues on Fox.
NXT began 13 years ago, as a WWE launchng point. In the most recent “WrestleMania,” more than 90 percent of the people had been in NXT.
In its early days, TV liked to find action in a confined space. The four-network line-ups in 1949 included three nights of wrestling, three of boxing and two of Roller Derby.
That faded … revived in the early days of cable … faded again … then made the big move four years ago: “WWE Smackdown” is each Friday on Fox, alongside other wrestling (by WWE and its competitors) on cable.
That comes at a transition time for broadcast networks. Battered by time-shifting and by streaming networks, they have leaned more toward sports events or lower-cost reality shows. The trend has hit an extreme during the strikes … and with CW.
Under new ownership, the network has ditched most of its superhero and fantasy shows and headed in other directions, including sports. This year, it has started airing Atlantic Coast Conference football and basketball games, plus LIV golf and (8 p.m. Tuesdays) “Inside the NFL,” a former cable show. Coming next is wrestling in 2024 and the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025.