AEW announced during this week’s Dynamite that Grand Slam: Australia will air at 8 PM Eastern on February 15th on TNT and Max. However, confusion arose among fans when the graphic appeared after Toni Storm earned the right to challenge Mariah May for the Women’s Title at Grand Slam, as TNT is scheduled to broadcast All-Star Saturday Night at the same time, a key event for the NBA and the network.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that AEW has adjusted its plans to avoid a direct scheduling conflict with the NBA.
“Right now, the plan is for the Grand Slam show to air on TNT after the NBA coverage, which in theory would give it a gigantic lead-in but would be airing very late. The show itself would start at around 2:30 a.m. Eastern time late Friday night, so it would be like a 21 hour or so tape delay,” Meltzer wrote.
As of now, it remains unclear whether Max will air the show live or if it will simulcast with TNT’s delayed broadcast. The revised schedule positions AEW to potentially benefit from a strong NBA lead-in, but it also means the event will air at an unusually late hour for U.S. viewers.
Adding to the competition, WWE NXT will run its Vengeance Day event on February 15, going head-to-head with the NBA broadcast. The overlap between major wrestling events and NBA programming on the same night highlights an increasingly packed sports entertainment calendar.
