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Week In Review: April 8-17, 2019

WrestleMania fallout! How did this WWE week set up the Superstar Shakeup and the beginnings of how we get to WrestleMania 36?

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Chairshot WWE Week In Review

WrestleMania fallout! How did this WWE week set up the Superstar Shakeup and the beginnings of how we get to WrestleMania 36?

RAW

Seth Rollins: The new Age of Rollins opened with a bang. It’s so great to have a full-time top champion to give RAW direction. I was actually intrigued by the idea of a Title for Title match, but I think most of us knew that the match was going to have to have a non-finish because the men’s division is too large to only one top champion.

The initial match was really good, but the transition to a tag match didn’t surprise me, but it was still good, but it wasn’t what I wanted the last minutes of RAW to be, which I’ll expand on later.

Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins vs Revival: I really hope the Revival are going to SmackDown in the Shakeup because I can’t think of a good reason for them losing to Ryder and Hawkins. Hawkins got his moment, time to let the real tag teams have a go.

Baron Corbin: I think the biggest disappointment of WrestleMania, or at least one of them, was the Corbin vs Angle match, mainly because it actually happened instead of us being saved by John Cena. At least Angle got the last laugh on Corbin, at least until Lars Sullivan finally debuted. I’ve watched Sullivan in NXT and I can’t say he’s been that impressive. We’ll have to see as time goes on.

Alexa Bliss vs Bayley: I have no idea what happened in this match. Bayley certainly deserved better than to be squashed that way because of Alexa, especially when they’ve had longer matches than that.

Becky Lynch: I was actually surprised that neither Ronda Rousey or Charlotte appeared on RAW to confront Becky, but the Man definitely got a conquering hero’s welcome. I’m not impressed with Lacey Evans seeming to get to be Becky’s first feud, but it’s another wait ad see moment, at least the fight was good.

Ricochet and Aleister Black vs Glorious: I really enjoyed this match and Glorious seems to have finally turned heel, but this potentially fabulous feud needs for both teams to be on the same brand to work, hopefully, we’ll get that during the Shakeup.

Dean Ambrose: I HATED this ‘match’! After everything Ambrose has given to RAW and WWE, he should’ve gotten more than that load of nonsense, but the way that went down leaves the door open for Ambrose to come back and take care of Lashley and Rush.

I really wish Ambrose’s farewell address had been aired live so the WWE Universe could say goodbye, but I loved that it was Seth and Roman who said ‘He deserves a proper send-off’. I do think Ambrose will be back in WWE, but he needs a break to recharge his batteries and see if things can be improved in a few months. See you soon, Dean.

The Box: What in the actual hell was that?!

Sami Zayn vs Finn Balor: I’m thrilled that Zayn is back from having both his shoulders worked on, but his promo sounds like what Ambrose would’ve cut if he’d stayed a heel. However, it was a good promo and I like the return of heel!Sami.

I loved the match between Zayn and Balor. If this is Balor’s first feud as Intercontinental Champion, it’ll be a great feud.

Dana Brooke: I’m glad Dana is finally getting some attention and hope she gets a title shot out of this, but I don’t think she’ll be champion.

Elias: I know the return of the Undertaker after missing WrestleMania was supposed to be a surprise, but Elias called his shot when talked about there being hell to pay if he got interrupted again. That said, it was nice to see Undertaker again, even if he couldn’t keep the Streak up, he can still at least help run the yard.

Thoughts: The RAW after WrestleMania is usually the biggest RAW of the year and tends to set the tone for the spring and early summer, and this one was lackluster. The matches were mostly good, except for the Ambrose/Lashley non-match, but there weren’t any really BIG moments to make it memorable, it was just another RAW, but I’m going to guess that after WrestleMania, they decided to give the talent a break.

The fact that there was no talk about Lesnar getting a rematch and Heyman didn’t show up, makes me wonder if the rumors about Lesnar being done with WWE while he prepares for UFC are true.

SmackDown

Kofi Kingston and New Day: I’m so happy for Kofi! After eleven years, he’s finally WWE Champion and I loved how genuinely happy for him New Day was, possibly putting pay to the rumors of a split.

I’m not surprised that the Bar is being inserted here as the strongarms of Vince against Kofi and New Day. I am a little surprised that McIntyre might be going to SmackDown, but if it keeps him out of the title picture, fine.

The six man tag was REALLY good, again putting pay to rumors of a split. I did love that Zayn came out, as if to join the match and decided not to. New Day winning sent the, presumably exhausted, crowd home happy, but you have to wonder what the Shakeup will bring.

Aleister Black, Ricochet, and Mustafa Ali vs Nakamura, Rusev, and Almas: First of all, I LOVED the synchronized sit that Black, Ricochet, and Ali did, that was cool!

The match was really good and everybody look great, I hated Orton ruining things just because he could, but Owens hitting the stunner was even more surprising. I’m still not sure what to make of Owens being a face, but it’s not been awful.

Usos vs The Hardy Boyz: One of the biggest problems with dream matches is that they so very rarely live up to the hype, but the Usos vs the Hardys was a dream match that lived up to the hype. I was a little disappointed that the Usos lost, but that might be paving the way for them to go to RAW.

Lars Sullivan’s appearance was dumb. They’re trying to recreate Lesnar’s initial introduction from 2002, but Sullivan isn’t anywhere near as impressive as Lesnar was.

Samoa Joe and R-Truth: I was actually intrigued by this match up, but less impressed with Strowman showing up, but maybe Joe can get more out of Strowman in a title situation, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

IIconics vs Brooklyn Bellas: So, the IIconics had their first title defense against some local team, and I can’t say it was stellar. The Brooklyn Bellas were apparently undefeated in the local wrestling scene, so they definitely weren’t something to sneeze at, but I feel a little sad that their first loss was to a team that really didn’t need it.

Paige’s comments on the match were definitely interesting. It sounds like she’s bringing in a brand new tag team to face the IIconics and I’m interested to see who it is because Sky Pirates are the only thing close to an actual tag team in NXT, and if it is them, I’ll be super happy for them.

Shane McMahon: This segment was weird. It was almost like Shane and Miz switched personalities with Shane becoming the douchebag. I felt back for Greg Hamilton and I keep waiting for the interviewers to finally snap and turn on the wrestlers that give them so much grief.

Becky Lynch: Well, it seems that Becky’s official first feud will be Lacey Evans. I can’t say I’ve been impressed with Evans after I watched several of her matches in NXT, but this is Lynch’s first big feud away from Charlotte and I hope she really gets the chance to shine in this.

205 Live

Humberto Carrillo vs Jack Gallagher: Well, that got ugly in a hurry. I knew where this storyline was going, but I wasn’t expecting it to break down that quickly. Gallagher and Carrillo had a fantastic match, and it had the expected outcome that Carrillo sticking to the style he’s comfortable with and that works for him won out over Gallagher. Gulak’s reaction wasn’t a shock, but Gallagher’s reaction was. It looks like the Party of Gulak is about to become a party of one, but we’ll see next week.

Tony Nese and Buddy Murphy: Those promos were better than I’d expected. Murphy didn’t try to discredit Nese’s win, or make excuses, so that was nice to hear. Nese didn’t try to demur from giving Murphy his rematch, which is definitely different from most champions.

I was actually surprised that Maverick allowed the rematch to happen that week, since the usual MO is to wait a few weeks, but since Nese and Murphy are both heels, I guess there was no need to wait. The match was every bit as fantastic as the one at WrestleMania, and Nese retained, which was a serious surprise to me. I have no idea what will happen with this feud but I have a feeling Murphy’s not going to give up that quickly.

Drake Maverick and Oney Lorcan: This segment killed two birds with one stone: We got a great promo segment between Alexander and Lorcan, and we found out that Alexander will get his rematch next week. We also got a hint about Alexander possibly being called up, which should be interesting, depending on where he goes.

NXT UK

Travis Banks vs Kassius Ohno: The Kiwi Buzzsaw and the Knockout Artist finally met up and it was a really great match. Even though Ohno’s hanging his hat in NXT UK, but that doesn’t mean the neighbors are going to make things easy. Guess the Wrestling Genius needs to go back to the drawing board.

Jordan Devlin: I’m a big Jordan Devlin fan and I’m really hopeful that he’ll get the match against WALTER, but I think he’s going to have to wait until after Dunne gets his rematch.

Piper Niven vs Killer Kelly: Piper Niven certainly made an impact in her debut, scaring Rhea Ripley out of the ring, though Ripley denied it. Niven had a chance to back up her debut against the scrappy Killer Kelly and she took it. It was a great match and Niven really showed why she has been such a dominate force in the British indie scene. Kelly showed a lot of fight, but ultimately, Niven was too powerful and picked up her first win.

Ripley, still embarrassed that she let herself be scared out of the ring, tried to re-establish herself as the alpha female, but Niven wasn’t backing down. I can’t wait to see this match when it happens.

Mustache Mountain: In an interview from last week, Mustache Mountain announced that they’ll be facing off against Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster in a friendly match, but I have a feeling that the ‘friendly match’ isn’t going to be all that friendly in the end.

Grizzled Young Veterans: I’m glad GYV is finally going to be getting some screen time as champs, even if their proposed match isn’t for the titles and they don’t want Yanks involved, which will be quite a challenge at Axxess in New York City.

Jack Starz vs Joseph Conners: Jack Starz is one of those people that never gives up, even when he should, and this week was a prime example of it. Starz got his clock cleaned, but Starz didn’t give up, but the real story is Conners acting goofy as a pet coon, as JR would say. This story should be…interesting.

Dave Mastiff: I’m not sure what to make of this promo other than Mastiff has some Daddy issues, but I can’t wait to see what’s next for him.

Toni Storm vs Jinny: For weeks, Jinny has been running her mouth about how she deserved to be Women’s Champion, not Toni Storm, and Toni Storm shut her this week. The match was pretty good, but the spoiled brat learned that it’s not easy to take the crown and her temper is what cost her the title. Storm stands tall, next contestant.

NXT

Post TakeOver Footage: These were pretty standard promos, but there were several interesting things going on. One is the return of Buddy Murphy to NXT in a potential feud with Velveteen Dream for the North American title, which looks really fun.

Shayna Baszler looked supremely confident after she managed to keep her NXT Women’s Championship, but who will be the woman to beat her once and for all.

Pete Dunne was not happy about the end of his historic UK Championship reign, but he’s already promising a rematch. Guess Devlin will just have to wait his turn.

There is definitely trouble in the Undisputed Era camp after Cole lost to Johnny Gargano at TakeOver and it seems that Cole is wanting to blame Strong for ‘going off script’, whatever that means. Guess the thought that Gargano was just…better isn’t a thought right now.

Candice LeRae vs Aliyah: I was really excited for this match, I love Aliyah and think she really should be featured more often, and this match shows why. Both ladies really shined in this match I wasn’t surprised that Candice won, but I was disappointed Aliyah lost since it looked like they were building her up for something, maybe she and Borne will be the new tag team Paige is bringing in.

Danny Burch vs Jaxson Ryker: The Forgotten Sons have been on quite a tear lately, lead by Ryker, but he faced quite a battle with Burch, who is quite a tough customer. It was a really good match, but, to my surprise, Ryker managed to pull out the win, but Lorcan beating the snot out of them, even temporarily, was fun, but with Lorcan in 205 Live, it’s not clear how much longer Burch and Lorcan will be around.

Street Profits vs European Alliance: This was a really great match that let both teams show off their skills. Aichner and Barthel have really improved since their initial team up, but the Street Profits had the advantage of experience and it showed in their win.


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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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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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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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