NWA wrestlers were caught off guard by the recent news surrounding WWE NXT.
As reported on November 7th, NXT will be leaving the USA Network in October 2024 and will broadcast the weekly show on the CW Sports Network for at least the next 5 years. The news came as a surprise to wrestling fans as it had been previously reported that NWA had signed multiple deals with the major network, with owner Billy Corgan announcing that the promotion would finally be able to move off YouTube. In a further report from Haus of Wrestling, it was believed that the network in question was the same network that NXT is moving to, CW Sports.
As reported by Fightful Select, talent was surprised by the announcement, with one star going as far as to say that they were “blindsided” by the news. The report goes on to say that WWE sources believe that the NWA deal with CW Sports will no longer take place following the multi-million agreement with NXT. More details have since come to light regarding the new WWE NXT deal, including the massive increase in media rights fees.
In regards to what’s next for the independent promotion, it should also be noted that Billy Corgan has yet to reveal which network the National Wrestling Alliance will be broadcast on and has not commented on whether the NXT deal will affect plans for expansion.
NWA Receives Backlash Over Recent TV Spot
The promotion hit the headlines for the wrong reasons over a scene that took place at the Samhain pay-per-view on October 28th. The camera panned to Father James Micthell and a group of young wrestlers appearing to use cocaine. In a follow-up report by Haus of Wrestling, it is believed that this spot may have caused the CW Sports deal with the National Wrestling Alliance to fall through.