WWE have confirmed this morning that their Wednesday night brand NXT is changing drastically, starting from September 18.

What was once a developmental territory is set to officially become the third brand of WWE, as NXT switches from taped shows to live broadcasts.

NXT has been shown on the WWE Network since its inception, but that is all about to change as WWE have agreed a deal with USA Network, who broadcast Monday Night Raw, to show the brand Triple H runs.

It will be going head-to-head with All Elite Wrestling, whose weekly show will debut live on TNT on October 2, two weeks after NXT moves to USA Network, and it will continue to be aired from Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida.

This major move could mean that top stars such as Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Matt Riddle and others don't make it to Raw or SmackDown for years now as WWE tries to establish NXT as a big deal in the public eye.

Vince McMahon has commented on the move in an official statement on the WWE website, stating: “The move to USA Network provides an opportunity to deepen our relationship with NBCUniversal and further build the NXT brand.

“Over the long term, our goal is to develop a following that can be monetized to the same level as our flagship programs, Raw and SmackDown.”

There were rumours that McMahon may become more hands-on with NXT now that it will be broadcast on a major network in the States, but it's still expected that Triple H will mainly contro lthe show, especially from a creative standpoint.

What this move shows is that WWE and McMahon are extremely worried about what AEW are doing and have done in their short time as a promotion.

They have sold out the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and have also sold out their first three shows on TNT, which are in big market cities - Washington D.C, Boston and Philadelphia.

There's no news on what this means for NXT in other countries, especially the UK where it has its own brand and Performance Centre, but we will bring you that news when it is released.