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WWE Week In Review: February 18-24, 2019

With some surprising call ups and interesting happening on the Network TV; how did the week go for WWE? Tiffany gives us her take!

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Chairshot WWE Week In Review

With some surprising call ups and interesting happening on the Network TV; how did the week go for WWE? Tiffany gives us her take!

Elimination Chamber is in the rearview mirror and now the WWE Universe turns their attention to Fastlane and WrestleMania.

RAW

Triple H: I actually loved Triple H’s segment this week. He always seems like such a proud father when one of the NXT guys/girls gets called up. It’s no secret that NXT is his baby and he has worked incredibly hard to make it successful. He also has to be proud of the fact that he’s getting ready to go into the Hall of Fame as part of Degeneration X, along with HBK, X-Pac, Chyna, Road Dogg, and Billy Gunn.

NXT Guys: I’ll admit that I was very skeptical when Trips made the announcement about the call-ups since Ciampa and Gargano hold the top titles in NXT. It was very well done and it give a cold Main Roster audience a chance to meet some of the top guys in NXT outside of the fever pitch that is WrestleMania weekend.

Baron Corbin vs Braun Strowman: We went from a really great moment for Triple H to one of the crappiest matches I’ve ever seen. WHY is this feud continuing and when are people going to realize that Strowman stinks?! Best that can be said is that Strowman won, so they’re tied. The moment with Heyman was odd, considering that Strowman isn’t going to be involved with Lesnar for the foreseeable future, thank God.

Heyman: I love Heyman as a promo guy, he can really whip up a crowd, but his promos about Lesnar are as stale as they get.

Finn Balor/Ricochet/Lashley/Rush: I LOVED this match, at least the Balor/Ricochet end of it. Lashley is still boring and Rush is still annoying. The match was really great and Ricochet made a great impression on the fans, though you wouldn’t know it by the crowd noise.

Dean Ambrose: Since Dean had three segments, I’m going to put them all here. I’ve said before that I fully believe that the whole ‘He’s leaving after WrestleMania’ is a work and this week helped solidify that. You typically don’t give a departing superstar three segments one with the COO and another top star, a match, and then another segment with another top star. The match against McIntyre sucked because Dean barely got out of the box, but it’s clear that they’re building McIntyre for something big, so this Ambrose Girl isn’t panicking just yet.

As for the Ambrose/Rollins interaction, I have a few theories on what exactly is going on, but I’m going to wait and see how WWE plays it because they have to tread a lightly to keep from getting bashed.

Lucha House Party vs Hawkins and Ryder: I could NOT get into this match. I don’t care about Hawkins or his losing streak and Lucha House Party gets on my nerves. It was a good match, but it seems like WWE’s either building toward a Ryder/Hawkins feud or they’re going to give Hawkins a win on a big stage.

Heavy Machinery and Lacey Evans: I’m going to be blunt and say I can’t STAND Lacey Evans or her gimmick. However, her interaction with Heavy Machinery was fun and made for a funny dynamic.

DIY vs Revival: This was a match straight out of NXT and I loved it. Ciampa and Gargano are an amazing team and putting them with the Revival guaranteed a great match, which is exactly what happened. Too bad the crowd didn’t appreciate it.

Kevin Owens: I’m not a fan of Owens, so I really didn’t pay attention to what he was doing, but he was a great competitor and it’ll be nice to have him back on the roster.

Sasha and Bayley: I loved this segment with Boss-Hug over the Tag Championships. I still hope one set of tag champions will mean a separate show for the women in the near future. Samoan Dynasty’s appearance and promo weren’t a surprise, but Tamina speaking was. This will probably be the big tag feud for the women heading into WrestleMania and I’m fine with that.

Elias vs Aleister Black: Part of the reason I’m not terribly worried about Ambrose after he was squashed by McIntyre is because of this segment, which went very similarly to the Ambrose/McIntyre bout. I was extremely impressed with Black and his Undertaker-esque gimmick and I think he’ll do pretty well on the main roster.

Ronda Rousey vs Ruby Riott: After the BS squash match at Elimination Chamber, I was glad that WWE gave Ruby Riott a chance to have the match she’s capable of having against Ronda Rousey, but Rousey’s performance left a little to be desired, but it was a good match and Riott and her Squad got to show how good they were before the expected finish.

Thoughts: This was a good RAW, especially when compared to previous weeks. The NXT call ups were done really well, though I did notice that they weren’t put up against older, more established guys, they were put with other NXT call ups. Corbin vs Strowman was the only really crap match of the night and a lot of stories moved forward.

The one really bad thing about RAW was the audience. A lot of people have made excuses about the lousy crowd in Lafayette, but to sit there and basically give the wrestlers nothing is just ridiculous, especially when there were a lot of great matches.

SmackDown

Shane and Miz: This was a really great segment, I was honestly surprised that they didn’t have Miz somehow blame Shane for them losing, Miz owned up to the loss like a man. I’m not surprised that there will be a rematch with the Usos, I’d actually been wondering how long the ‘No Rematch’ thing would last, so that will be a fun match for FastLane.

Aleister Black vs Andrade Almas: This was the first of the NXT call up matches and it was a great starting point. Black and Almas had a wonderful rivalry in NXT and it was fun to have it showcased on the Main Roster.

Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles: This was an interesting segment and seems to be sowing the seeds for a potential feud for these two down the road.

The Bar vs DIY: This was a little bit of an aberration from the NXT Calls Ups vs NXT Call Ups that WWE did on RAW…a little. Sheamus was not part of NXT, but Cesaro was in the very beginning.

This was a FANTASTIC match between these two teams! They really tore the place down and DIY got to show what a great team they were. The scary spot with Ciampa’s knee was definitely justified, but there’s been no word that he or Sheamus was seriously hurt outside of giving everyone a scare.

Asuka vs Mandy Rose: I don’t have much to say about this whole segment except: WTF?! I’m not an Asuka fan, but WWE’s booked her championship run terribly and then having her lose in a stupid way to Mandy Rose was just ridiculous.

Charlotte Flair: I know a lot of people have been making a big deal over the injuries Charlotte and Ronda suffered from Becky, but I’ve had to use crutches a few times in my life and Charlotte’s arm didn’t look all that different from how the underside of my arms looked after using the crutches.

That said, I’m glad to see even a little storyline movement since we didn’t get any on Monday.

Ricochet vs Eric Young: This was another NXT vs NXT match up and it was a great one. SaNity has barely been used since their call up, so seeing them get some air time was a lot of fun. WWE seems to really be invested in putting the new guys over because all of them were 2-0 for their Raw/SmackDown appearances.

Six Man Tag Match: This was such a good match, which I fully expected it to be given the people involved. Bryan’s assertion that he wasn’t going to face anyone he’d beaten in Elimination Chamber was interesting and kind of spoiled what was probably going to happen.

Much like last week and Sunday, Kofi was the star and him getting the pin on Bryan was nice, but a little frustrating when you remembered that Mustafa Ali never got his one-on-one with Bryan after pinning him. I honestly don’t think Kofi’s going to beat Bryan at Fastlane, but it was exciting to see him finally get his chance to shine and he’ll have a great match with Bryan.

Thoughts: This was a really good episode of SmackDown, all the stories were moved forward. Mandy Rose vs Asuka was the big clunker of the show because it was so stupid. I’m really excited for Kofi, but I’m not optimistic enough to believe he’ll win.

205 Live

TJP vs Humberto Carillo: This was a really good match. Carillow has got tons of potential, but I hate him being with Gulak and Gallagher. It’s just very cringe-inducing to have white guys trying to ‘teach’ a POC how to do their job the ‘right’ way. I realize that that’s the point, but this gets a little too close to RL politics for my comfort. Still, it was a good match and Carrillo’s definitely making an impression on people.

Tony Nese proved why he’s a good heel with his promo on Dar and him planting his flag as possible challenger to his good ‘friend’, Buddy Murphy. I almost want Nese to win just to see who will be the face and who will be the heel in this.

Mike and Maria Kanellis: This was another really good interview. Kanellis finally seems to be finding his footing in 205, but he definitely suffers from a lack of attention. Hopefully, that’ll change over this year.

Ariya Daivari vs Johnny Lyons: This was a really good match. Daivari is getting a chance to shine out of the shadows of Itami and the other people he’s been a sidekick to. I’m not familiar with Lyons, but he did a really good job selling. It wasn’t a long match, but it’s clear that Daivari is trying to make a name on his own and I hope it works out.

Buddy Murphy: This was a really good promo for Murphy. Murphy tooting his own horn while massaging the facts is classic heel stuff. It’ll be interesting to see who faces him at Wrestlemania.

Mike Kanellis vs Cedric Alexander: This was an AMAZING match! Kenellis proved that he was more than capable of hanging with the top tier talent of 205. My one gripe was the screwjob-ish finish. I love Cedric Alexander, but I don’t want another round of him vs Murphy. Kanellis won the match and should be moving on. I have a feeling that Maria’s going to raise hell about this next week because it was so close.

Thoughts: Really good episode of 205, as usual. Lots of great matches and promos. It’s nice to see them gearing up for WrestleMania instead of Fastlane.

NXT UK

Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster vs Coffey Brothers: This was SUCH a good match, it easily could’ve been the main event of the show. Andrews and Webster should be considered contenders for the Tag Team Titles.  That said, I wasn’t surprised by the Coffey’s winning, they needed a win a lot more than Andrews and Webster did.

Nina Samuels: This was a ‘huh?’ promo, especially since it wasn’t followed by a match.

Jordan Devlin: I was happy to see Devlin bounce back from When Worlds Collide because he was a star in that tournament. I’m also glad that the feud with Banks will continue, I just hope it gets re-started soon.

Kay Lee Ray: This was an interesting vignette for her. I’m not familiar with Ray, but her vignette was very impressive.

Trent Seven: I loved this match. Seven was another one that needed a victory after losing in the tag title tournament. Thorne is definitely a talent to watch, but he was there to put a notch in the win column for Seven, but Seven made him look good in defeat.

Jack Gallagher: There’s been rumors of some of the guys on the Main Roster who are from the UK wanting to go to NXT UK because it’s closer to home and it seems Gallagher might be one of those people. He’d be an interesting addition to NXT UK.

Joseph Conners: I’m going to be honest, Conners gives me the weirds, that might be the point, but I just want to put that out there. I am intrigued by the feud between him and Ligero and Conners claiming that the win was a fluke.

Grizzled Young Veterans: I really liked this segment. GYV have fully embraced being ‘No F**ks Given’ heels and that makes it fun to watch. The potential feud with Lorcan and Burch promises to be a brutal one but hopefully it’ll be more than just a slugfest because both teams are capable of doing it.

Toni Storm vs Rhea Ripley: This was my favorite match this week! Storm and Ripley tell such an amazing story in the ring and this was definitely that. Storm still has trouble making her opponent look like a threat without making herself look stupid, but that’s improving, thank God. I’m thankful that Storm retained, but there really isn’t anyone to step up right now except Ripley.

NXT

Aleister Black vs Roderick Strong: If his dominant performances on RAW and SmackDown weren’t a sign that WWE is high on Aleister Black, his amazing match against Undisputed Era’s Roderick Strong solidified it. Black and Strong had a great match but it’s clear that Black is being groomed for big things after he managed to get a win over Strong. I also appreciate the ongoing storyline of Black and Ricochet being aligned against the Undisupted Era.

Four Horsewomen: I honestly didn’t get this segment. Did Baszler and company honestly think a room full of professional wrestlers and/or athletes were really going to be intimidated by her and her friends? It just made her look insecure and petty.

Bianca Belair: I believe I’ve said before that I’m not a fan of Belair, so I just rolled my eyes through her whiny, sore loser, promo. She’s no longer undefeated and Io Shirai won her opportunity to face Baszler fair and square.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: I’m SUPER excited that they’re bringing this back, I don’t remember if they did one last year or who won, but this is always an enjoyable tournament and the names picked are really good.

Mia Yim vs Xia-Li: This was SUCH a good match. Xia Li has improved since her first appearance in the first Mae Young Classic. I’m a huge fan of Mia Yim and I was glad to FINALLY see her get a win since WWE’s booking of her has been questionable, in my opinion. I hated the Four Horsewomen running into another match that didn’t concern them, but I love Yim basically telling Baszler to f**k off, can’t wait for that match.

Candice LeRae, Johnny Gargano, and Tommaso Ciampa: This was a fun little segment that seemed to build on Gargano and Ciampa being friends again, whether Candice likes it or not. I wish they’d find something for Candice to do other than playing the concerned wife.

Matt Riddle: I’m not going to lie, I can’t stand Matt Riddle, so I barely paid attention to what he had to say. I don’t think Ohno’s gone, or done with NXT, but we’ll have to see.

Johnny Gargano vs Velveteen Dream: This was a very good main event for NXT. Gargano and Dream are really good together in the ring. That said, I’m very disappointed that Gargano’s first singles title run was so short, I don’t think Ricochet even got a rematch. Also, Ciampa’s involvement was interesting. It’s looking more and more like the DIY reunion is just another mind game by Ciampa, but we’ll see.

Overall Thoughts: This was a really good week for WWE, all the shows put together solid matches and moved the stories along, and RAW and SmackDown only had one clunker a piece, which wasn’t bad. It’s clear that WWE is really playing it safe until after Fastlane when the WrestleMania build will really start, but this was a fun week.


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Opinion

Greg DeMarco’s 2024 WWE Royal Rumble Reaction

It’s the Royal Rumble! A favorite of many fans, the Rumble kicks off the Road To WrestleMania. Greg DeMarco is here with his live reactions to the event!

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WWE Royal Rumble 2024 Results

It’s the Royal Rumble! A favorite of many fans, the Rumble kicks off the Road To WrestleMania. Greg DeMarco is here with his live reactions to the event!

The WWE Royal Rumble is upon us, and while the Men’s Royal Rumble Match isn’t for the World Heavyweight Championship like I suggested, it’s still the most anticipated event of the year.

Why? The Unknown.

That’s right–in this age of the internet (usually incorrectly) telling us everything it possibly can about what is going to happen in the world of wrestling, the Royal Rumble stands out because despite what we’re told (or, more importantly, what we choose to listen to), the event is always full of fun and surprises.


Check out Steven Mitchell’s 2024 WWE Royal Rumble Results & Review!


Women’s Royal Rumble Match

  • They really are driving home the “main event WrestleMania” point this year–strengthens my thought that women will main event Night 1. Triple H would catch a ton of heat if he keeps women out for the third straight year.
  • NAOMI! Good to see her back, and the emotional response she had.
  • Love Michael Cole calling out Naomi’s time in TNA, and recognizing her as a former Knockouts Champion.
  • Entering #3 doesn’t bode well for Bayley. I honestly don’t think she is gonna win.
  • JORDYNNE GRACE! I saw the reports earlier today. This is a much bigger deal than Mickie James, because Mickie was a returning legend.
  • “TNA HAS A WEAPON!” So glad to have Pat McAfee on the call.
  • Honestly, Jordynne Grace belongs in WWE.

  • Asuka comes in, and they sell the surprise of Bayley. STORYTELLING, people!
  • Something tells me when we get Kairi Sane in there, The Kabuki Warriors will eliminate Bayley.
  • Ivy Nile enters, and I immediately want to see her go toe-to-toe with Jordynne Grace.
  • What if they pulled some crazy sh*t and had Jordynne Grace win???
  • Just step through the ropes next time, Bianca.
  • When I first saw the C4 clock, I thought I would get tired of it But I am already used to it.
  • Here’s Kairi Sane, time to set the plan into motion!
  • This crowd does not appear to like Tegan Nox.
  • Welp, there goes my idea o Asuka and Kairi eliminating Bayley.
  • That was a hell of a way for Jordynne Grace to go out.

  • I think Michael Cole secretly loves to call a Meteora.
  • There’s a reason Maxxine Dupri doesn’t wrestle much.
  • That tandem Code Red was very Young Buckish. And that’s not a compliment.
  • Hair,…gear…this might be the messiest Royal Rumble yet.
  • Ah, here comes the winner, Becky Lynch (I am calling Becky eliminates Bayley to win her second Royal Rumble).
  • LOVE the scoreboard of time in the Rumble for selected wrestlers.

  • R-TRUTH?!?! (Funny story, it was Truth’s spot that Nia Jax took in 2019.)
  • If you push Mia Yim, she’ll take it further than you could imagine.
  • “How is everybody the most athletic person on Earth?” – Pat McAfee
  • Surprising that Roxanne Perez, at #27, is the first NXT entrant. I don’t think we’ll be seeing Tiffany Stratton of Blair Davenport since we only have 3 more to come.
  • Amazing reaction for Jade Cargill. Give her time, she’s definitely going to be a huge star.
  • JUST GIVE HER TIME.
  • Seriously, Nia Jax had to help Jade eliminate her–A LOT.

  • Greg Was Wrong: It is indeed Tiffy Time in the Royal Rumble.
  • Back to Jade–she is insanely over.
  • I know it won’t be, but this should be Tiffany Stratton’s official main roster call-up.
  • Liv Morgan returns at #30, and good for Liv. She nearly went wire-to-wire last year.
  • Liv Morgan: “Thank you!” Pat McAfee: “No problem.”
  • Tiffany Stratton eliminating Roxanne Perez is, to me, an invitation for a match with them on Raw this Monday.
  • Still love the scoreboard as Naomi passes an hour.
  • The camera is catching a lot of in-ring communications right now.
  • And Jade Cargill eliminates my pick to win. Bye Becky.
  • Jade Cargill in the final three of the Royal Rumble (with Liv Morgan and Bayley) is huge for her.
  • Hell of a debut for Jade Cargill.
  • And a huge win for Bayley.

Winner of the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble Match: Bayley (eliminating Liv Morgan to win)

Fatal 4-Way Match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Randy Orton vs AJ Styles vs. LA Knight vs. Roman Reigns (champion, with Paul Heyman)

  • Glad to see AJ Styles got his tights back. Pants AJ Styles (but still with the football gloves) was not working. Not just bring the beard back to your face Allen–the think beard also ain’t working.

  • Pat McAfee campaigning for Roman Reigns to be given at least a 26% chance is amazing.
  • Say what you want about LA Knight, he’s a damn star and totally belongs in this match.
  • Roman completely sandbagged Randy on the table drop. I don’t think it was on purpose, but he definitely didn’t jump.
  • Roman Reigns is very much like Gunther in that he does the simple things SO WELL, like a jumping clothesline. That’s how you do it.
  • Yes, I compared Roman Reigns to Gunther. Don’t @ me, I’m right.

  • RKO City, Bitch.
  • Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand here’s Solo! (At some point, Solo will get tired of saving Roman’s ass.)
  • Solo ’bout to go through that barricade.
  • Solo indeed went through that barricade.

  • Yes, we had the Solo interference mid-match, but honestly in the end Roman won that clean.

Winner, #ANDSTILL your Undisputed WWE Universal Champion: Roman Reigns

WWE United States Championship: Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul (champion)

  • Kevin Owens wearing Zubaz shorts in the Performance Center fight makes me very happy.
  • Logan Paul talking about a full time run, and now he’s putting on size.
  • Logan’s headband didn’t list very long.
  • I honestly hate it when modern-day wrestlers bust out a crotch chop.
  • If you were watching the Royal Rumble and didn’t know who Logan Paul was, you’d just assume he was a pro wrestler. That says everything you need to know about how good he is at this.
  • ANOTHER crotch chop. Now we’re at 2 too many.

  • Cue the “Better Buckshot Than Hangman” tweets. But they might be right.
  • I love the idea of a Logan Paul, Austin Theory, and Grayson Waller stable.
  • C’mon, there’s NO WAY Ryan Tran could see the knucks on Kevin Owens’ hand given his placement. It’s the little things.
  • Finish here tells me we’ll see KO vs. Logan Paul again. I’d guess on TV, if not in Australia.

Winner by disqualification, #ANDSTILL WWE United States Champion: Logan Paul

Men’s Royal Rumble Match

  • Jey Uso coming at #1 was expected thanks to the internet reports. But I still think Jimmy should be #1 and Jey #2, for the reaction shots on Jimmy.
  • Grayson Waller talking himself to the ring is perfect.
  • “No Yeet!” Grayson is a brilliant performer. I’d make a Roddy Piper comparison here, but y’all would get at mad at me.
  • Good to have Andrade back in WWE. Great reaction for him when the mask came off.

  • SmackDown superstar Carmelo Hayes! I really really really hope Trick is also in this match, just for the chants.
  • Melo pointed to the sign, C’mon, man.
  • Do you send Andrade to Smackdown, or do you send him to Raw and let him do his own thing?
  • Oh goody, Karrion Kross is here. Yay.
  • (Yes, that’s sarcasm you read.)
  • Dominik Mysterio is so good. Give him time, he’s going to be a huge star.

  • The Royal Rumble was a great place for the Apple Spot.
  • Here comes Bob Lashley–please just eliminate Karrion Kross.
  • Lashley wearing the WrestleMania white gear more than 2 months early.
  • Austin Theory still gets his concussion effect entrance, despite it being the Rumble.
  • What if–hear me out now–Finn Balor wins the Royal Rumble to get the shot at Seth Rollins, and Priest uses his briefcase to make that match a triple threat at ‘Mania?
  • I know he didn’t, but it sure looked like Jimmy was swerving while he drives in that interaction with Gunther.
  • Kofi did tell us the Rumble Magic wasn’t happening anymore.
  • Give me Ivar vs Gunther!
  • Bron Breakker is a star. It’s inevitable.
  • Of course Omos would be in the Rumble. Good to see MVP on my TV as well.
  • “I didn’t know humans came that big!” – Pat McAfee
  • I half think Pat McAfee didn’t know he was entering the Rumble.
  • Nice moment for Bron Breakker eliminating Omos. WrestleMania match?
  • R-Truth trying to get Dominik (Tom or Nick?) Mysterio to tag him in is brilliant.
  • DOM MADE THE TAG!!!
  • “And now R-Truth is the legal man.” – thank you Michael Cole.
  • Michael Cole delivers multiple TNA references tonight, along with a Dolph Ziggler reference. God Bless Michael Cole.
  • Imagine for a second that this was CM Punk’s actual WWE return.
  • The reaction to Drew McIntyre’s entrance is a reminder that they don’t actually need him.
  • Sami Zayn enters at #30, also known as “Not The Rock.”

  • In the ring, Drew McIntyre is amazing. Just keep the microphone away from him. (And stop the damn counting!)
  • And there goes my choice for the Men’s Rumble!
  • Love having both Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in the press boxes watching to see who wins.
  • Punk kinda looks like Chris Jericho in there. Seriously.
  • Between Punk and Cody, Cody is the right choice. I really don’t want to watch Punk right now–he needs to hit the cardio, and hard. Given Seth Rollins’ injury and Punk’s conditioning, WWE would be smart to make the World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 40 a multi-man match.

Winner of the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble: Cody Rhodes


Overall thoughts on the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble

For at least the second straight year, the Men’s Royal Rumble Match was kinda disappointing. Not the result–that’s fine. But the match itself. It just wasn’t nearly as exciting as the Women’s. Of the four matches, I would place it 4th in terms of enjoyment.

Great moments for both Bayley and Cody Rhodes. Logan Paul continually shows that he deserves to be considered a pro wrestler, not a celebrity who is wrestling. Pat McAfee is a joy on commentary. Jordynne Grace is a WWE Superstar, regardless of what company she is signed to. Bron Breakker is a star.CM Punk is very out of shape. Cody Rhodes is about to become THE guy, and he deserves it.

Overall I give the event a thumbs up, but they have to do something about the Men’s Royal Rumble Match moving forward.


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Opinion

WWE Raw Heads To Netflix: What Does It Mean?

Monumental news drops as WWE RAW is moving to Netflix. Is it truly a game changing move? Greg DeMarco analyzes this shift for the TV wrestling business.

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WWE Logo Metalic

Monumental news drops as WWE RAW is moving to Netflix. Is it truly a game changing move? Greg DeMarco analyzes this shift for the TV wrestling business.

Being a wee little kid in the 80s, I am “lucky enough” to remember having 3 TV channels, and my dad explaining what an 8-track is, how shocked I was when I say a laser disc for the first time, when I bought a 6 CD changer, installed my own car stereo, and all the way up to the fact that I have now been watching WWE pay-per-view/premium live events on the WWE Network and Peacock for 10 years. Hell, in the same month (February 2014) I signed up for the WWE Network, cut the cord to drop cable and got Sling TV. I have since moved onto YouTube TV which is highly recommended.

Over the last two years the NFL has put Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime, simulcast to various streaming services, and less than 2 weeks ago put a playoff game exclusively on streaming when a Wildcard Weekend showdown between the Chiefs and Dolphins was only shown on Peacock.

And now it’s fully permeated into pro wrestling.

WWE and AEW are both in the midst of a very important time on the business side, with all of their TV rights up for grabs. The first domino fell when SmackDown On FOX became SmackDown on USA Network, and soon after we learned that WWE NXT was moving to broadcast television and joining The CW (which is also rebranding, but just to CW).

The AEW suite of programming that includes Collision, Rampage, and their most successful show Dynamite is up for renewal with Warner Bros/Discovery, and Tony Khan has been optimistic about the relationship and potentially an increase in rights fees.

That brings us to Tuesday morning, and the likely groundbreaking WWE announcement that Raw is moving to Netflix, starting in January 2025. Triple H tweeted that they’re changing the game, and TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro (who knows a thing or two about shifts in media consumption) used the word “transformative” in his statement, and I really think he couldn’t be more right.

But what does it all mean?

Wrestling Remains A Strong Media Product

I have been claiming this for over a year now. As many online will cite a decline in TV viewership for both WWE and AEW, the TV product has been a strong value to networks. Even in dropping SmackDown, FOX themselves said they didn’t pump enough resources into the show, and that the advertising return wasn’t what they wanted. That doesn’t mean the product (TV value, we’re not talking about creative here) isn’t strong. It’s so strong that USA Network picked up SmackDown for $280 million per year, giving WWE an increase over the FOX deal. CW is paying $20-$25 million annually for NXT, and now Netflix is paying $500 million for RAW.

Why? Because wrestling isn’t just a strong media product, it’s consistent. And that is key.

Look at this quote from Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria:

“Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”

Now cross reference that with a comment from CW President Dennis Miller from back when the CW/NXT deal was announced:

“We are thrilled to welcome the WWE brand into the CW Sports portfolio as they play an integral role in our mission to bring live sporting events to the network year-round.”

What do those statements have in common? The year-round, 52-week nature of wrestling programming. It’s an unbeatable value for networks. It’s cheaper than a deal with a major sports league, and it’s not finite. Wrestling joins news, talk, and sports talk as the only year-round programming available to networks. And WWE and AEW have shows that essentially always land in the Top 5 after you factor out live sports. You can’t beat it.

What Does This Mean for Netflix?

Don’t get it twisted, this is also a huge leap for Netflix. Prior to the WWE Raw deal, Netflix has only experimented with live events, streaming the live Chris Rock “Selective Outrage” special, and showing The Netflix Cup live (a golf event featuring athletes from their F1 series “Drive To Survive” and their golf series “Full Swing).

WWE is the perfect partner for Netflix as it gets into live programming. It’s sports entertainment: sports like programming (which Netflix has done) that focuses on storytelling (which Netflix has obviously done). And no one does it better than WWE. It’s essentially plug-and-play for Netflix, the perfect solution for their live programming aspirations.

The perfect solution that they were willing to pay $5 billion for.

What Does This Mean for AEW?

The biggest risk to an AEW renewal with Warner Bros Discovery was WBD picking up WWE Raw–and that risk has been eliminated by Netflix. Don’t discount that fact–Netflix did Tony Khan a huge favor by throwing $500 million per at WWE. The path is clear for AEW to remain on the Turner networks.

But at what price?

I know I usually write as if I have all the answers, but I have zero idea either way on this one. WBD no longer has any other options if it wants to keep wrestling (except for TNA, who recently expressed a desire to be on a bigger network), and AEW (at least, Dynamite) is a weekly Top 5 program for them on Wednesdays, on cable.

On the other hand, AEW doesn’t exactly have another network begging for their services. The reason WWE could get a yearly increase for Raw, SmackDown, and NXT is because it was truly a bidding war. Unless Tony Khan gets another network involved, any threat of walking away from a deal doesn’t really hold water.

So if I were a betting man (and who would ever bet on this) I would expect an announcement of a renewal for AEW and WBD relatively soon. We may not know the terms of the deal, I will take a shot in the dark and say that AEW gets a small increase (not the “nearly double” that had been reported last year).

Regardless of the increase (or not), given AEW’s recent attendance challenges, this likely renewal would have to be viewed as a win for the company.


Personally, this is simply an amazing time to be a fan. We’ve seen WWE go from one live TV show per week with Monday Night Raw, through the Monday Night Wars, the addition of SmackDown and later NXT, to being this global juggernaut that is commanding half-a-billion dollars per year for Raw. I also think this makes Raw the flagship once again. All of this comes after Vince McMahon is largely out of power, Triple H has taken over creative (and holds a pretty good success rate so far), and the company was sold to Endeavor, and merged with the UFC as a business entity under the TKO banner.

If you know me, you know I am a huge follower of the business side of the wrestling business. I often care less about WHAT wrestling companies do, but HOW they do it. I have always gravitated towards that, since middle school. And for the past near 24 months, I have been like a kid in a candy store.

The Peacock deal for the WWE Network runs out in 2026, right? The fun never stops!


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