Mark Henry explains why the only "war" that exists between AEW and WWE/NXT is one of circumstance and merely stems from the context of ratings and individual segments.
On Tuesday, October 10, 2023, AEW Dynamite and WWE NXT went head-to-head because Dynamite was preempted from its usual Wednesday time slot. As a result of the direct competition, both shows loaded up with Hall of Fame rosters and segments carrying extra importance.
While a clear winner was determined in the ratings for this one-night battle, Mark Henry, an AEW coach, and veteran of the Monday Night War ratings struggles between WWE and WCW, says that there is no direct issue between both promotions, but rather a forced conflict due to the need to draw the highest ratings possible
“There is no war. You know what the war is? The war is the ratings in your segment," Henry said to Booker T and Brad Gilmore on the Hall of Fame podcast. "Do people turn the channel to another channel when you’re on? When Sexual Chocolate was on, they didn’t turn the channel. When the World’s Strongest Man and the Hall of Pain was on, they didn’t turn the channel. You could put me up there with some of the best. When Booker T was King Booker, they didn’t turn the channel. So that’s where the war is. The war is in the segments and the individuals."
Furthermore, Henry says neither promotion should ever want to be on the same night as the other because they shouldn't want a divided audience. Rather, the goal should be to get the entirety of the wrestling TV viewing audience to tune into their sole product.
"If I’m the WWE, I don’t want to be on the same night as AEW because I want all the attention. If I’m AEW, I’m not gonna move my show to a day that WWE is on, unless I’m pre-empted. That’s the whole point of AEW going to Tuesday, is because we had to. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna go there and piss in their cornflakes.’ That isn’t what we did. I’m telling you, it’s not a war. A lot of the reason that things happen is because of programming notes and with the network. That’s the only way that you should be in a conversation about going on the same channel. Everybody should have a…you got seven days a week," Henry adds.
Tony Khan has stated recently that the issues with WWE are personal to him. Learn when that began for him at this link.
Fans can see the ratings breakdown of both shows on October 10, 2023 here.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a H/T and link back to Fightful for the transcription.
