WWE Heatwave

Heatwave
Heatwave
	NXT Heatwave logo used since 2022. Starting from 2025, the WWE logo is used.
Promotions	Extreme Championship Wrestling (1994–2000); WWE (2022–present); Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (2026–present)
Brand	NXT (2022–present)
Other name(s)	Heatwave: the Battle for the Future; Heatwave: Rage in the Cage!; Ola de Calor
First event	Heatwave '94: the Battle for the Future

Heatwave, originally stylized as Heat Wave and also referred to as Ola de Calor, is a professional wrestling event currently produced by the American promotion WWE for its developmental brand NXT and its Mexican-subsidiary Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). It was originally produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and took place annually from 1994 to 2000. ECW folded in 2001 and WWE acquired its assets in 2003 and reinstated Heat Wave, but stylized as Heatwave, as its own event in 2022. The event's name is a reference to it being held during the summer, either in July or August.

Since its revival by WWE in 2022, Heatwave has been held annually for NXT, first as a television special of NXT in 2022 and 2023, then as a premium live event (PLE) beginning in 2024. After WWE acquired AAA in 2025, a localized version of Heatwave for the Mexican market took place in 2026, promoted as Ola de Calor (Spanish for "Heatwave"), the same day as NXT's 2026 event, taking place right before it.

Events

	NXT-branded event

Event	Date	City	Venue	Main event
Eastern Championship Wrestling
Heatwave '94: the Battle for the Future	July 16, 1994	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	ECW Arena	The Public Enemy (Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge) vs. Terry Funk and Dory Funk, Jr. in a barbed wire match
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Heatwave '95: Rage in the Cage!	July 15, 1995	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	ECW Arena	The Public Enemy (Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge) vs. The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustafa Saed) in a steel cage match
Heat Wave (1996)	July 13, 1996			The Sandman, Terry Gordy and Tommy Dreamer vs. Raven (c), Brian Lee and Stevie Richards in a steel cage match
Heat Wave (1997)	July 19, 1997			Rob Van Dam, Sabu and Jerry Lawler vs. Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman and Rick Rude in a steel cage match
Heat Wave (1998)	August 2, 1998	Dayton, Ohio	Hara Arena	Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman and Spike Dudley vs. The Dudleys (Buh Buh Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley and Big Dick Dudley) in a Street Fight
Heat Wave (1999)	July 18, 1999	Dayton, Ohio	Hara Arena	Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn vs. Impact Players (Lance Storm and Justin Credible)
Heat Wave (2000)	July 16, 2000	Los Angeles, California	Grand Olympic Auditorium	Justin Credible (c) vs. Tommy Dreamer in a Stairway to Hell match for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship
WWE / AAA
Heatwave (2022)	August 16, 2022	Orlando, Florida	WWE Performance Center	Bron Breakker (c) vs. JD McDonagh for the NXT Championship
Heatwave (2023)	August 22, 2023	Orlando, Florida	WWE Performance Center	Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Wes Lee for the NXT Championship
Heatwave (2024)	July 7, 2024	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Scotiabank Arena	Trick Williams (c) vs. Je'Von Evans vs. Ethan Page vs. Shawn Spears for the NXT Championship
Heatwave (2025)	August 24, 2025	Lowell, Massachusetts	Lowell Memorial Auditorium	Oba Femi (c) vs. Je'Von Evans for the NXT Championship
Ola de Calor	August 30, 2026	Edinburg, Texas	Bert Ogden Arena	Dragon Lee and The Lucha Brothers (Penta and Rey Fénix) vs. Los Perros del Mal (Daga, Angel, and Berto)
Heatwave (2026)	August 30, 2026	Edinburg, Texas	Bert Ogden Arena	Tony D'Angelo (c) vs. Grayson Waller vs. Cruz Montana vs. Zilla Fatu in a Fatal four-way match for the NXT Championship
(c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match

References

↑ "WWE NXT to Go Against AEW All Out, WWE Bringing Back Former ECW Event, NXT Tapings Booked". 26 July 2022.
↑ "Two Title Matches Set for WWE NXT Heatwave". 27 July 2022.
↑ "WWE Files Trademarks for WCW & ECW PPV Names". 11 December 2019.
↑ Lambert, Jeremy (January 4, 2024). "WWE Money In The Bank To Be Held On July 6 In Toronto, NXT Heatwave Set For July 7". Fightful. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
↑ Thompson, Andrew (July 12, 2025). "NXT Heatwave Confirmed For August 24th In Lowell, Massachusetts". Fightful. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
↑ Thompson, Andrew (August 7, 2026). "AAA Show On August 30th Titled 'Ola de Calor'". Fightful. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
↑ Thompson, Andrew (June 28, 2026). "NXT Heatwave PLE, AAA Event Set For August 30th In Edinburg, Texas". Fightful. Retrieved June 28, 2026.

External links

[1] "WWE NXT to Go Against AEW All Out, WWE Bringing Back Former ECW Event, NXT Tapings Booked". 26 July 2022.

[2] "Two Title Matches Set for WWE NXT Heatwave". 27 July 2022.

[3] "WWE Files Trademarks for WCW & ECW PPV Names". 11 December 2019.

[MITB&HW-4] Lambert, Jeremy (January 4, 2024). "WWE Money In The Bank To Be Held On July 6 In Toronto, NXT Heatwave Set For July 7". Fightful. Retrieved January 4, 2024.

[5] Thompson, Andrew (July 12, 2025). "NXT Heatwave Confirmed For August 24th In Lowell, Massachusetts". Fightful. Retrieved July 12, 2025.

[6] Thompson, Andrew (August 7, 2026). "AAA Show On August 30th Titled 'Ola de Calor'". Fightful. Retrieved August 8, 2026.

[7] Thompson, Andrew (June 28, 2026). "NXT Heatwave PLE, AAA Event Set For August 30th In Edinburg, Texas". Fightful. Retrieved June 28, 2026.

v t e Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Championship Wrestling supercards and pay-per-view events
Heat Wave	1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Pay-per-view events	Anarchy Rulz (1999–2000) Barely Legal (1997) December to Dismember (2006) ECW/FMW Supershow (1998) Guilty as Charged (1999–2001) Hardcore Heaven (1994–2000) Heat Wave (1994–2000) Living Dangerously (1998–2000) Massacre on 34th Street (2000) November to Remember (1993–2000) One Night Stand (2005–2006) Wrestlepalooza (1995–2000)
Supercards	As Good as It Gets (1997) Barbed Wire, Hoodies & Chokeslams (1995) Battle of the Belts (1993) Better Than Ever (1997) Big Apple Blizzard Blast (1996) Big Ass Extreme Bash (1996) Born to Be Wired (1997) Break the Barrier (1999) The Buffalo Invasion (1997) Chapter 2 (1997) Crossing the Line '99 (1999) Crossing the Line Again (1997) CyberSlam (1996–2000) December to Dismember (1995) The Doctor Is In (1996) Double Tables (1995) ECW vs. IWA vs. True FMW: Total War (1996) Enter the Sandman (1995) Extreme Warfare (1995) Fight the Power (1996) Gangstas Paradise (1995) High Incident (1996) Holiday Hell (1993–1996, 2000) Hostile City Showdown (1994–1999) House Party (1996–1999) It Ain't Seinfeld (1998) Just Another Night (1996) The Last Show at the Madhouse (1999) Massacre on Queens Boulevard (1996) A Matter of Respect (1996, 1998) Midtown Massacre (2000) Mountain Top Madness (1995, 1997) Natural Born Killaz (1996) The Night the Line Was Crossed (1994) NWA Bloodfest (1993) NWA World Title Tournament (1994) Orgy of Violence (1997) Re-enter the Sandman (1999) Requiem for a Pitbull (1996) Return of the Funker (1995) South Philly Jam (1995) Super Summer Sizzler Spectacular (1993) Terror at Tabor (1993) Terry Funk's WrestleFest (1997) Three Way Dance (1995) Ultimate Jeopardy (1994, 1996–1997) UltraClash (1993, 1998) Unlucky Lottery (1996) When Worlds Collide (1994, 1996)