AEW All Out, WWE Worlds Collide Set For Same-Night Chicago Showdown

Chicago is about to become the epicenter of a wrestling turf war. AEW All Out and WWE Worlds Collide are both scheduled for Saturday, September 26, with All Out running at Now Arena and Worlds Collide taking place across town at Allstate Arena — putting two major wrestling companies head-to-head in the same market on the same night.

The overlap isn’t exactly a coincidence. AEW president Tony Khan has previously accused WWE of deliberately counterprogramming AEW events, and this date lines up as another example fans are pointing to.

On the card front, AEW currently has seven matches announced for All Out, with five of them carrying championship stakes — including a likely main event of Will Ospreay defending the AEW World Championship against Jon Moxley. WWE’s Worlds Collide show, meanwhile, has five matches announced so far, but only one title is on the line: the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship.

WWE does have a hometown ace up its sleeve in CM Punk, the Chicago native who remains one of the most beloved figures in the city. Punk is set to team with El Grande Americano and Rey Mysterio against Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh and Omos at Worlds Collide, giving WWE a genuine star-power draw even without a marquee title match. Beyond Punk, names like Roxanne Perez, Dominik Mysterio and El Grande Americano round out a card that leans heavily on personality rather than gold.

That contrast matters. All Out looks like a fully loaded pay-per-view within AEW’s regular calendar, while Worlds Collide reads more like a crossover showcase — one built around the AAA partnership and star power rather than WWE’s main-roster titles. That could make it a tougher sell to hardcore Raw and SmackDown viewers who prioritize championship matches, even with familiar faces on the marquee.

It’s also worth noting that Worlds Collide isn’t piggybacking on another WWE premium live event this time around. Last year’s edition ran the same day as Money in the Bank, giving it built-in relevance. This year it’s standing entirely on its own, which raises the stakes for how it performs independent of a bigger show propping it up.

As for early markers of interest, ticket distribution numbers offer a snapshot, if not the full picture. Now Arena holds just over 10,500 fans, while Allstate Arena can fit up to 22,000. Recent tracking has shown roughly 9,216 tickets distributed for All Out and about 10,834 for Worlds Collide — figures that include comps as well as paid sales, and don’t account for pricing differences between the two shows.

Ultimately, gate numbers and comped tickets only tell part of the story; real measures of success will include how each show performs on merchandise, how the crowds react in the building, and how each promotion’s in-ring product is received afterward. Still, with both companies effectively daring fans to choose a side, September 26 sets up as one of the more fascinating head-to-head nights the industry has seen in years. Wrestling fans in Chicago, and those tuning in from home, won’t be short on options that night — the only question is which show ends up mattering more once the dust settles.

AEW All Out
Sat • Sep 26, 2026 • 6:00 PM
NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, IL

Tickets Distributed: 9,216

📈 +68 since the last update (2 days ago). One new row was added to the hard cam section (C103), along with two rows on Floor G and two rows on Floor A. Those newly opened seats… pic.twitter.com/flWYDXIHGG

— WrestleTix (@WrestleTix) September 17, 2026

WWE/AAA/NXT Worlds Collide
Sat • Sep 26, 2026 • 7:30 PM
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL

Available Tickets: 1,987
Current Setup: 12,821
Tickets Distributed: 10,834

📈 +554 since the last update (4 days ago)
📅 Days until show: 12
🔢 Total # of seats on map: 17,544
⏮ 7/6/2026 -… pic.twitter.com/O61dLi3nxF

— WrestleTix (@WrestleTix) September 14, 2026