WWE has officially announced that NXT Heatwave 2025 will take place on Sunday, August 24, putting the company head-to-head with AEW and NJPW’s Forbidden Door event.
The announcement was made during the Great American Bash premium live event, continuing WWE’s recent strategy of counterprogramming AEW’s major weekends.
NXT Heatwave will emanate live from the Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, Massachusetts, with a 6:30 p.m. ET start time for fans in attendance. While the show shares the date with AEW’s Forbidden Door—set for London, England—it is not expected to air directly opposite, as Forbidden Door will likely stream in the afternoon for North American audiences due to the time zone difference.
This marks the second straight month WWE has placed a major event on the same day as an AEW PPV. This weekend, WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event and NXT’s Great American Bash are airing on the same day as AEW All In Texas.
Sources indicate WWE is purposefully planning its events to have the “last word of the night”, a move viewed by many as part of TKO Group Holdings’ ongoing competition with AEW on high-profile weekends.
Tickets for NXT Heatwave will go on sale to the general public this Wednesday, July 16. Fans can stream the event live on Peacock in the United States and via the WWE Network or Netflix in international markets.
Heatwave has become a signature event for the NXT brand since 2022, transitioning from a television special to a full-fledged premium live event. The name itself carries ECW nostalgia, having originally been one of the promotion’s marquee shows in the 1990s.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for full coverage of NXT Heatwave, AEW Forbidden Door, and everything in between.
