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Chris King’s WWE Raw Grades & Analysis (7/1/19)

Two weeks before Extreme Rules, the first WWE Raw of the “Paul Heyman Era” seems to be upon us. What did Raw pull off this week?

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WWE RAW Grades Analysis

Two weeks before Extreme Rules, the first WWE Raw of the “Paul Heyman Era” seems to be upon us. What did Raw pull off this week?

Chris’s Grades for WWE Raw:

  • Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley Falls-Count-Anywhere Match – B+
  • The New Day vs. The Viking Raiders & Samoa Joe Six-Man Tag Team Match – B
  • Lacey Evans vs. Natalya – C+
  • The Miz vs. Elias 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match – B-
  • Seth Rollins And Becky Lynch vs. Mike and Maria Kanellis Mixed – C
  • Carmella vs. Alexa Bliss, then Nikki Cross – B
  • AJ Styles vs. Ricochet United States Championship Match – A

Tonight Raw takes place in my old neck of the woods, Dallas, Texas. Instead of the typical opening show format, we are starting the night off with an explosive encounter. Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley Falls-Count-Anywhere Match! After a lackluster arm wrestling and a tug of war contest, these behemoths get to destroy each other.

Right out of the gate, both Lashley and Strowman plowed straight through each other. The pace of the match slowed down a bit, especially when they brawled through the crowd. Yes; chair shots and spears and running shoulder tackles, turned up the volume. I was a little disappointed, but it’s free TV. Something tells me that WWE is saving the best for Extreme Rules.

The finish can only be described in Corey Grave’s own words “HOLY SHIT”. Lashley was revving up for another spear; when Strowman immediately bulldozes through him and the Tron, explosions, and sparks lasted a good minute! I want to add Graves rushing down to help the injured warriors made this feel more important. He sold it perfectly. Something that we don’t see often is announcers getting right in the mix…. Commercial….We return to see both Lashley and Strowman being stretchered into ambulances. Definitely reminiscent to Strowman/Reigns Feud in 2017…Good stuff.

How do you follow that up…? The Viking Raiders vs The New Day after the break.

Big E and Ivar started the tag team contest; E executed his signature splash on the apron, Ivar got some massive strikes in also. The contest was thrown out after Samoa Joe sneak attacked Woods with the Coquina Clutch. Kofi Kingston came out for the save. Ivar and Erik began stomping alongside Joe. (I guess they’re heels now)?… Commercial.

Kofi Kingston/Big E/Xavier Woods vs. Samoa Joe/ The Viking Raiders underway as we return. Normally I would complain about the old and recycled interfere…into a six-man tag team match, but I’m intrigued to see the clash of styles in this one. Good match. Viking Raiders and Joe isolated Woods for the majority of it, but when Kofi got the hot tag the action picked up fast. New Day then took it into next gear, Ivar landing a suicide dive is scary and magnificent all at the same time. Kofi got the Trouble in Paradise…Joe locked in the Coquina Clutch for the win!

Drake Maverick and Renee Michelle’s Chaotic Honeymoon: Maverick is escorting his new wife backstage who is blindfolded, explaining in a little while they will be on Sandy beaches. She takes off the blindfold, to find she’s at Raw and gives him an ultimatum it’s her or the 24/7 Championship? Maverick assures her that it’s her, R-Truth the NINE-TIME 24/7 Champ pops up. “I’m a sucker for romances,” Truth says, as he walks away Maverick is staring a hole through him.

A Return Of The Club? Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson are laughing as The Phenomenal AJ Styles walks in. AJ says they were firing on all cylinders last week against Erik and Ivar, but they still lost. The Good Brothers mention AJ didn’t do so hot in his one-on-one match with Ricochet. Anderson claims he doesn’t think AJ can defeat The One and Only, he makes a bet with his hot Asian wife on the line.

No Way Jose and The Congo line dance their way to the ring where his opponent Cesaro is waiting. Truth is cosplaying one of the congos, and Maverick and wife are sitting front row. Truth dances with his wife, before laying on the barricade and taunting Maverick. Out come the flood of superstars in pursuit of the 24/7 title. Cesaro plows Jose drills him outside, where he lands a massive gutwrench suplex and Neutralizer on the hard floor. No match.

The Street Profits’ Introduction: The NXT Tag Team Champions are now on Monday Night Raw! Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford are bringing the swag with them. They ooze charisma and are hysterical to watch, but don’t forget they can bring a high level of intensity when needed.

Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre are walking backstage to the ring to confront The Undertaker. They’ve been hyping Taker all night, Vince make it happen!… Commercial.

Interview With The A-Lister: Sarah Schrieber is interviewing The Miz, a fired up Miz is the best. He delivers a stellar promo about how he started the fire inside The Best in the World and he wants to extinguish the flames. Hypes his ⅔ Falls Match with Elias later tonight.

Back to the ring and Shane does what he does best…Gloat and boast. We see multiple replays from last week’s brutal onslaught of Roman Reigns. McIntyre speaks about the mythical figure of Undertaker and his respect for him…Sorta… Apparently, he’s not afraid of The Deadman and doesn’t give a damn about him.

Right after McIntyre threatens Taker, the lights began to flicker as thunder blared through the arena. Lightening strike the ring and The Scottish Psychopath is pissed. It’s amazing how once The Gong hits, the WWE Universe just erupts and marvels at his presence! Shane and McIntyre escape like cowards as The Deadman makes his way to his yard.

Still gives me goosebumps. A chilling reminder of The Reaper of Wayward Souls…claims Shane earned an ounce of respect after their hell in a cell encounter, but that’s over now. He’s deluded with ego and money. Taker claims both of them are going to suffer for eternity.

Dallas, Texas’s Favorite Son And The Sassy Southern Belle: Baron Corbin brings up how foolish it was for Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, to make their mixed tag team match an extreme rules match. He puts over how The Beastslayer went through hell and conquered Brock Lesnar at Mania to win the Universal Championship. Lacey Evans chimes in with some more menacing words for The Man…. Commercial.

Back live as Natalya is across from Evans for a one-on-one match. In about an 8 or 9 minute match, Evans showed off her aggressive side as she turned Natalya inside out with a ruthless clothesline on the ramp. The Sassy Southern Belle took advantage of Corbin tripping Natalya when the official was turned. A Woman’s Right was all she wrote for the win.

A Warning For The Champ: Charly Caruso was interviewing the United States Champion Ricochet after his first main event on Raw last week against Styles. Despite his loss, he holds the opportunity to share the ring with a stellar competitor. Gallows and Anderson took it from there; as Ricochet stated he could beat Styles if they had a rematch, the Good Brothers claimed Styles was holding back and he’s in trouble.

We see Miz heading for his ⅔ Falls Match with Elias, now we see Gallows and Anderson stirring up trouble. They exaggerate what Ricochet mere minutes ago; Styles wants to “talk” to him, Anderson calls him out for being a shell of the AJ Styles from Japan. Ricochet is stretching as Styles confronts him, he says he’s taking the US title tonight. He slaps the taste out of Ricochet and the champ returns the favor. Good God that hurt me just watching it!

Miz vs. Elias ⅔ Falls…Miz right out of the gate rocked Elias, hit the Awesome Clothesline in the corner and hit the Skull-Crushing Finale for the first fall. Elias made it up his feet; he is much more aggressive than we’ve seen in previous weeks, Miz ate The Drift Away for the second fall. It’s a welcome sight to see how WWE has positioned the commercials, so it doesn’t damage the flow of the matches. The finish came when The Drifter crashed into the ring post knee first, Miz locked in the figure-four and got the final fall and the victory.

Interview With The New Power Couple: Charly Caruso welcomes the Raw Women’s Champion and the Universal Champion. Charly asks was accepting the mixed tag team match impulsive, Rollins and Becky’s improv play off each other which is hilarious. A little funny couple jokes before they are interrupted by Mike and Maria Kanellis. Maria says their victories are not that impressive; she challenges them to a mixed tag team match right now… commercial.

Back live as The Beastslayer and The Man get a thunderous reaction. Mike and Rollins start off, Mike is quite impressive with his mean streak, mirroring his demeanor on 205 Live. Rollins takes over and forces him to tag in Maria, she scurries away from Lynch. She proceeds to call her husband pathetic, and that she’s pregnant.

Lynch backs away…Maria says Mike’s not man enough to get her pregnant. He runs back in the ring for The Man to lock in the Dis-Arm-Her for a tap-out. This had great potential but all it accomplished was Mike looking like a damn fool. Maria continues the verbal abuse of her husband…She leaves the ring as Mike looks on heartbroken.

Charly is without words as The Advocate For The Beast Incarnate Paul Heyman Ladies and Gentlemen….You know the rest. Again is attempting to make us believe The Beast in the Bank might be here to cash-in. Street Profits run in and they are messing with Heyman. Again they are pushing them as goofy slapstick comedy, hopefully, they will get a match soon to show off their intensity.

We are blessed with the presence of the Goddess of WWE, Alexa Bliss who welcomes us to A Moment of Bliss. She brings out Nikki Cross, who is so thankful to be there. The fun is spoiled when Carmella arrives; she questions since Cross won the match last week against Bayley, why is Bliss getting the title match? Carmella challenges her to a match that didn’t even last two seconds with a roll-up pin for the easy win…. Commercial.

We return to see Cross and Carmella going one-on-one. I want to say this match went about 5-6 minutes, Cross was relentless on the attack; Cross prevails and gets another impressive win. Once again Bliss steals the spotlight.

Backstage Bliss and Cross walked into Sarah Schrieber who again brings up how Cross should be the one to face Bayley. Before Cross can answer Bliss.

New 24/7 Champion: Maverick and Renee are heading off to their honeymoon. The usual flood of superstars come to chase R-Truth. Maverick’s wife leaves him alone, he blasts Truth with his luggage to escape with the 24/7 title on his honeymoon. I can’t wait to see how Truth can win it back.

Main Event time AJ Styles vs. Ricochet United States Championship Match

Styles nearly won the US title after a phenomenal forearm and the 1-2-3, but the well-minded Ricochet got his foot under the rope. WWE official John Cone and a clip of replay nullified the call. Some great high-octane action from both competitors made this match fun to watch. Ricochet shocked Styles with a pinfall to retain the United States Championship. The main focus was on The Club and the numerous teases over the past few weeks.

I called a Club Reunion when Styles and Rollins faced off at Money in the Bank. Ala Good Brothers came down to heckle Ricochet, Styles appeared to even the odds. He blasted Ricochet with a stiff right hand, followed by a brutal assault. Styles executed a ferocious Styles Clash from the top rope. The Reunited Club stood tall to end the show!

Raw Grades:

 


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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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