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#ThankYouTaker Top 5: The Undertaker’s Greatest Moments

With his retirement official, Mishal takes a look at his Top 5: The Undertaker’s Greatest WWE Moments.

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The Undertaker Top 5 Moments Chairshot Edit

With his retirement official, Mishal takes a look at his Top 5: The Undertaker’s Greatest WWE Moments.

We’re less than a week removed, but the announcement still lingers in the minds of anyone who’s been a wrestling fan for the last decade, or further than that.

In a year filled with controversy, tragedy & heartbreak, wrestling fans had to finally swallow the one day of their lives as fans that they’d for so long dreaded to experience, even contemplate for that matter, that being the inevitable retirement of the greatest character to ever enter a wrestling ring, The Undertaker himself, Mark Calloway. For many, myself included, The Undertaker was WWE to us, he had been a staple of the industry for so very long that picturing the wrestling scene without him would be borderline insulting to anyone considering how even when you were in doubt, the man would always come around when the time called for it. He was the last of a dying breed, one of the few left standing after The Attitude Era faded away & ushered in a new era of younger, fresher faces, somehow withstanding change with a gimmick that never seemed to age.

His farewell through the excellent 5-episode documentary series ‘The Undertakers Last Ride’ was reality smacking every wrestling fan in the face, that sooner or later every legend from the previous generation has his day & rides off into the sunset, much like anyone we hold dear to us. I personally appreciated the more personal, up-close look at the life of a man who for so long was just a character before anything else, this glance made everything feel so real, and understand that the time couldn’t have been better for an announcement like this.

Announcing his retirement in the manner that we got was unexpected, at least in the way I pictured him going out to some extent, but all of it felt oddly picture perfect. Despite the smaller scale, following a personal look into the lives of both The Undertaker & Mark Calloway, this all came across as what it was intended to be, ‘The Deadman’ going out just like he said, on his very own terms & nobody else’s. It all felt right, perfectly placed & pushing aside the aspiration fans had to see him go out in a more fashionable style, resulted in a goodbye that was humbling while leaving the door slightly opened should Vince McMahon ever come around to his door again.

I won’t get into the debate already occurring about if The Undertaker is ‘truly’ retired since, in this business, anything & everything is possible under the correct circumstances. What I will do, is take this very surreal time to talk about the moments that, to me, defined The Undertaker for the legend he has now cemented himself to be.

Consider this article a miniature tribute of sorts, one looking at the moments that engraved him in not just my mind, but so many millions who have followed him since 1990. Rather than go the standard root of listing endless matches, this article is all about the moments & which ones engraved The Undertaker into the history books for generations to come.

5. 1-0 – WrestleMania VII

Undertaker’s victory over Jimmy Snuka at WrestleMania VII is less about the overall quality of the match, which was nothing to write home about, and more about the significance of this victory in the wider context of things all these years later. At the time Undertaker was a one of a kind figure in an industry already on the brink of change, bringing his unique aura & persona to the ring like nobody around him could, which gave every match or segment involving him a feeling unlike any other.

WrestleMania VII was the beginning of what to this day, is amongst the most iconic winning streaks across any sport, period. Undertaker’s win over Jimmy Snuka was decisive, emphatic & made a mark that would end up running two decades, amounting a list comprising of some of the most iconic in the entire industry. Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Edge, Batista, CM Punk, Randy Orton, Kane, Diesel, Sycho Sid & a dozen others all threw caution to the wind & took their chance to try and defeated ‘The Deadman’ on the largest stage the industry had to offer, but one by one they fell victim to the WWE’s most respected talent to grace a ring in any capacity.

Eventually, as history showed, The Undertaker much like every other WWE superstar, was mortal, with his streak coming to a shocking conclusion at WrestleMania XXX in a moment that, in my opinion, stands as the most shocking in company history. While the decision to end Undertaker’s streak does have its critics, the thing it displayed more than anything was that over time it wasn’t about an undefeated streak, but about preserving a character that has withstood the test of time in a business that so frequently rejects those from previous generations. The streak may have come to an end in 2014, but The Undertaker as a character lived on far beyond that, and for many was the defining trait to lead him to where he stands in the eyes of fans today.

4. The Deadman Rises, Again – WrestleMania XX

I feel like this particular choice is more of a personal one considering how little attention this match or the events leading up to it are discussed nowadays. But witnessing The Undertaker return in full form at WrestleMania XX was simply surreal.

In the months leading up to this match, we had witnessed his burial at the hands of his brother Kane, setting the stage for a colossal return & a rematch between the two ‘Brothers of Destruction’ on the very grounds they did battle almost a decade prior. Similar to his match with Bray Wyatt, The Undertaker remained absent for virtually all of the build to this match, instead of taunting his ‘brother’ face-to-face, opted to intimidate him with his vintage mind games, vignettes teasing the 2nd coming of the original Deadman himself & a teaser appearance at the 2004 Royal Rumble that remains incredible to this day, thus leaving much of the build on Kane himself to carry forward.

The result of all this build amounted to the long-awaited return of the original Undertaker, and not his ‘American Badass’ counterpart we’d been watching for the last five years. Built-up by an incredibly nostalgic entrance, the return of Paul Bearer at his side & a refreshed character thrust into an entirely new generation, what we got was exactly what it needed to be. The match was nowhere near the quality of their WrestleMania match years prior to this but was never meant to be, The Undertaker, The Deadman, The Demon of Death Valley, he was back and better than ever.

While I wouldn’t consider it one of the best of his career by any stretch from an in-ring perspective, it was a pivotal moment that took The Undertaker back to his roots, but also showed that his gimmick is one of the select few that will always have a place in any era of the business.

3. The American Badass arrives – Judgement Day 2001

The most important aspect of any iconic figure in entertainment is to always flow & change with the times to some degree. Changing up your character or story is the best way to adapt to new environments, something professional wrestling is always becoming accustomed to considering how rapid the fanbase changes over such short spaces of time.

When The Undertaker showed up at Judgement Day 2001, his gimmick was something I remember being fairly divided on despite being a lot younger than I am now. Losing the core of his previous take on the character was a big knock to me, stripping away a certain aura that made him unique, little did we know this character came along with his own brand of uniqueness. ‘The American Badass’ felt like a more grounded Undertaker, probably one you could sit down to have a drink with before he beats you into a pulp.

His interference during the main event between The Rock & Triple H sent the live crowd that evening into a complete frenzy, not just because of his return after months out of action but the absolute awe of what he returned as, nothing like what the fans were used to seeing in the slightest. Sporting a motorcycle, bandana, sunglasses but retaining the dark coat & mystique we knew him for, Undertaker seemingly reinvented himself in a matter of seconds with the acceptance of everyone. This gimmick wouldn’t be short-lived either, resulting in multiple title wins & some of the most physically enduring matches of the man’s career as a whole. It seems like the wrestling community is always a bit divided on what we got this day back in 2001, but it’s a moment I’ll remember for as long as I can.

2. Going out on top – WrestleMania 36

My personal stance on this match has obviously shifted following the actual ‘Last Ride’ series & what it means within the context of the show, but I can’t think of a better way for a wrestler, especially one on the calibre of The Undertaker, to go out to. Considering the circumstances that not just this match but the entire company were under at that point in time with COVID-19 turning the entire planet upside down, it’s a miracle that this ended up being as good as it did once it debuted on the night of WrestleMania this past year.

Besides being an incredibly entertaining brawl on its own, the match stands as one of the most creative in company history. Its presentation alone is surreal when you really look into what the match was pitched as, being forceable changed from your standard wrestling match both Undertaker & AJ Styles clashed within the confines of something no fan imagined in their head. In terms of character work, it’s amongst the best of Undertaker’s entire career. Combining every version of his legendary character into one confined package, from ‘The American Badass’, ‘The Deadman’ & most importantly, Mark Calloway himself. In a way, the match felt like a tribute to everything the character has represented for close to three decades and delivered in style.

As far as closing out a career goes in the wrestling industry, you couldn’t ask for a better sendoff. Having it done in front of a live audience of tens of thousands of fans would have been preferable to most of us, considering the legacy he holds in our minds, but doing it against one of the very best wrestlers alive today in AJ Styles is arguably the highest note possible to achieve at this stage in a career that’s accomplished virtually everything there is to accomplish.

Not only is this going to set a new bar for how WWE presents future matches across the board but sent Undertaker out doing what he strives to do, pressing the business forward.

1. The ‘End of an Era’ – WrestleMania XXVIII

No moment in the history of professional wrestling, at least within this modern era, will ever replicate how much this one meant to so many different clusters of wrestling fans.

To me, wrestling is all about moments like these. Ones that will stand forever, that feel earned & signify something bigger than just another match on a card, but something we’ll pass onto whoever follows the business next.

WrestleMania XXVIII was a special night, for everyone. It was an evening packed with dream matches signifying different things to different fans, the main event that stands as the biggest buyrate the sport has seen to date & a match that quite literally marked the ‘End of an era’ (until WWE ruined that moment roughly six years later, but let’s not speak of that). Placing this match inside Hell In A Cell was the icing on the cake, pitting not just two of the most iconic stars the industry has ever seen against one another, but in a match that both made famous over the course of their legendary careers.

Undertaker vs Triple H was one of the very few WrestleMania matches I would consider ‘elite’, a category for the very best in all aspects of what it’s trying to sell to audiences. From the action, storytelling, high spots, frantic live audience or Jim Ross providing some of the best lines of his career, everything about this is what wrestling personifies. What made this event even more special, was what occurred following that unprecedented 21-0 record solidifying itself, seeing Undertaker, Triple H & Shawn Michaels stand side-by-side in front of a crowd of almost 80,000 fans take one final bow before going behind the curtain, thus closing one of the most important chapters in the history of professional wrestling.

When it comes down to the moments we’ll remember The Undertaker most fondly for, it’s hard not to chuck this to the top of the list. It was his 4th straight WrestleMania performance worthy of a 5-star rating, capturing him at the peak of his career & having him stand next to two men that helped him craft his best work in the ring without question. I understand this topic is up for debate, but it’s hard to get any better than this.


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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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