Talks between WWE and Warner Bros. Discovery have reportedly resumed, potentially at the expense of AEW.
As WWE continue to find a new home for Monday Night Raw in 2024 and beyond, many assumed that the home of their biggest rival, AEW, was off the table as a potential buyer. This was furthered back in October when a report stated that WE had previously presented an offer to WBD but was rejected. However, the landscape of the company changed significantly in November 2023 when CM Punk made his return at Survivor Series.
Following an initial report by Dave Meltzer that Punk has been able to re-open the once-closed door to Warner Bros. Discovery, an update from PWInsider has revealed that talks have progressed even further.
It is stated that on Monday December 11th, TKO President Mark Shapiro, Nick Khan and Paul Levesque [Triple H], were in New York to meet with Warner Bros. executive Bruce Cambell, who serves as WBD’s Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer. It is stated that the meeting took place in the morning and lasted multiple hours. Furthermore, part of the meeting took place in a conference room that is predominantly used by WBD CEO Davis Zaslav.
While WWE landing a deal on AEW’s network would send a message and deal a huge blow to their rivals, the overall deal is a much larger factor. With SmackDown and NXT getting an increase in their media rights fees, WWE is looking to do the same with Raw in hopes of increasing the share price. It should also be noted that WBD has not been the most financially secure in 2023, most notably scrapping a motion picture starring John Cena and using it as a tax write-off.
Although the sports entertainment titan is making a new home for the Monday night show a priority, the same can’t be said for the Warner Bros. Network. With multiple NBA games broadcast in 2023, it has been noted that WBD views the basketball franchise as a higher priority than any professional wrestling outlet.
With WWE targeting WBD as a potential suitor, questions have been asked as to how concerning this would be for AEW. In an update from Haus of Wrestling, there is a belief that “AEW is in danger of not being renewed by WBD for TNT or TBS.” The alternative would be that weekly AEW programming would find its new home on Discovery, which draws considerably less viewers than content broadcast on TNT or TBS. When AEW was contacted by Haus of Wrestling, they were not aware of this scenario but did respond with “Only person who really knows is Zaslav.”
It should be noted that Haus of Wrestling is also claiming that the aforementioned meeting reported by PWInsider did not take place.
TKO President Comments On WWE Raw Renewal
As the deadline for the deal approaches, many shareholders have been asking for updates on the Raw media rights. During a recent conference, TKO President Mark Shapiro was optimistic on the negotiations, commenting “We have time.”