Tony Khan plays a huge gamble to counter-program this year’s historic Survivor Series in pursuit to overcome previous ignominy

The AEW CEO has been leaving no stone unturned to give a competition to WWE Survivor Series this Saturday.

Tony Khan plays a huge gamble to counter-program this year’s historic Survivor Series in pursuit to overcome previous ignominy

Tony Khan set to counter-program Survivor Series [via- Forbes and Wrestle Ops on X]

This weekend could be a debacle for AEW. Why so? It’s just because Tony Khan looks set to replicate the same mistake that handed AEW Collision their lowest-ever ratings when the show went head-to-head with SmackDown. This Saturday, WWE will present their annual Survivor Series event, which has shattered the attendance record of the Allstate Arena, previously held by WrestleMania 22.

Now, AEW CEO Tony Khan believes he can combat WWE’s record-breaking night in Chicago by moving AEW Rampage to follow suit after Collision. As noted by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, the Jacksonville-based promotion will air AEW Collision and Rampage in a three-hour block, up against Survivor Series. On the show will be the newly introduced AEW Continental Classic tournament.

YouTube video

FS Video

Despite Tony Khan’s zeal to upend anything WWE throws at him, the latest move will likely backfire. On one hand, while Survivor Series has already sold more than 17,000 tickets, AEW is still tottering at under 3,000. Moreover, considering the hype WWE has generated with the build-up to D-Day in Chicago, they could have record viewers tuning into Survivor Series this year.

That would eventually take the eyes off whatever AEW is looking to deliver. Apart from just lining up shows at the same time, Tony Khan also snatched a heavily sought-after free agent from WWE. Last Sunday at Full Gear, IWGP US Champion Will Ospreay was unveiled as AEW’s latest signee. WWE lost The Aerial Assassin despite making preliminary overtures, and it could hurt.

Randy Orton set to steal the weekend at Survivor Series

This weekend in Chicago, the proverbial Babe Ruth of WWE, Randy Orton, will mark his return after over 1.5 years. As announced by Cody Rhodes, The Viper will be the fifth member of his team for the WarGames. The WWE Universe went berserk as soon as the news was announced.

Randy Orton
Randy Orton [via- Haus of Wrestling on X]

Randy did not show up in person this past Monday. Nonetheless, the clip about his return announcement is making the rounds. For quite a while, the said video on YouTube was trending at the top. Not only that, the clip has gone viral across WWE’s social media accounts.

In a stat obtained by Wrestle Ops, the aforementioned video clip amassed over 22 million views in under a day. It would be safe to say that a packed house in Chicago will be rumbling for The Apex Predator to make his entrance at Survivor Series.

In case you missed it: