WWE schedules NXT event at UFC APEX in June
WWE and UFC may not be planning any major crossovers when it comes to talent, but the companies will team up to help stage an event together in June.
On Monday, WWE announced that its upcoming NXT Battleground card on June 9 takes place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. NXT serves as WWE’s developmental league, where up-and-coming performers get a taste of working for the organization before typically graduating to a main card roster to appear on shows like Monday Night Raw and Smackdown.
The UFC card that same weekend actually takes place on June 8 at the KFC Yum Center in Louisville, Ky., so the UFC APEX remains open for the WWE event.
“We are always exploring new frontiers to showcase NXT and we are excited to bring Battleground to this world-class event and production facility in partnership with UFC,” WWE senior vice president of talent development creative Shawn Michaels said in a press release.
WWE chief content officer Paul Levesque echoed those sentiments on social media after the announcement was made regarding the UFC APEX event.
The state-of-the-art UFC Apex has been home to so many incredible events… and for the first time ever, on June 9, @WWE becomes part of that. Huge thanks to @ufc and @danawhite for their partnership in bringing #NXTBattleground to Vegas. https://t.co/SVeNZyxIyN
— Triple H (@TripleH) April 22, 2024
Due to the limited size of the APEX, WWE noted that there will be priority seating made available for the event through OnLocation, the live events service owned by Endeavor — the parent company and primary shareholder for UFC and WWE under TKO Group Holdings.
The UFC has staged events at the APEX outside of fights and Contender Series, including serving as the primary home for Dana White’s Power SLAP league, which holds cards there regularly.
Now, WWE will call the UFC APEX home for at least one night, although it’s entirely possible this becomes a more routine partnership for the future.
UFC started staging cards at the APEX during the global pandemic, but still continues to host events there thanks to the in-house production available to them.