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Cook’s Top 5: 2012 Wrestling Memories

Steve Cook looks back at an eventful 2012, featuring Taeler Hendrix, a live Royal Rumble, Jerry Lawler’s heart attack, the return of Brock Lesnar and more!

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Taeler Hendrix TNA Gut Check

Steve Cook looks back at an eventful 2012, featuring Taeler Hendrix, a live Royal Rumble experience, Jerry Lawler’s heart attack, the return of Brock Lesnar and more!

2012 was one of the most eventful years in my wrestling fandom.

It was a year where I was trying to get people to talk to me on podcasts. I was somewhat successful, but I eventually gave up on it. At the end of the day, I don’t like talking to most people. I don’t think most wrestlers familiar with me or my work have interest in actually talking to me anyway, so everybody wins. 2012 was when I was deepest into this whole IWC thing, deepest into my own bullshit, and also when I started to feel the burnout again. It was a good year content-wise for me, but I could feel the wheels starting to come off.

I made some interesting road trips during 2012 as well. This is especially notable since who knows when we’ll be making road trips again? I was very tempted by the Collective weekend in Indianapolis, but apparently those folks got sick so it’s a damn good thing I didn’t go. Who would have thought that going to Indiana would be a bad idea?

Anywho, here are my top 5 wrestling memories from 2012.

5. Taeler Hendrix’s Gut Check

TNA Wrestling was looking for new talent and came up with an interesting way to find some. The Gut Check would feature an unsigned wrestler taking on a TNA wrestler in a match televised on Impact Wrestling, then being judged on their efforts by three judges on the next episode. If they got the votes, they would receive a TNA contract and go to Ohio Valley Wrestling, which was serving as TNA’s developmental territory at the time. It got off to quite the start when Alex Silva won a contract that he wasn’t originally supposed to get due to Ric Flair changing his vote. Joey Ryan was next, and while he was rejected by the judges he would still wind up under TNA contract.

The third competitor was somebody that I had become acquainted with via the Interweb. Taeler Hendrix had already spent several months training in OVW, so it made sense to include her as part of the Gut Check. I’ve always said that one of the coolest things about being a wrestling fan is watching people work their way up the ladder & do bigger and better things in the business. 2012 was a good year for me in that regard, including Taeler’s successful Gut Check experience.

Unfortunately, Taeler’s TNA tenure didn’t live up to the lofty expectations people like me had for it. She only had a handful of matches with the company before being released just over a year after getting signed. Not sure what happened there, and to be honest I’m not sure why Hendrix hasn’t become a bigger star in wrestling. She’s got the look & charisma part down, and it’s not like she’s terrible in the ring, at least from what I saw years ago. Granted, I’ve been prone to being blinded to the weaknesses of attractive women, so maybe I’m missing part of the picture. It’s a mystery to me.

Taeler is currently writing for Fightful, so maybe Jeremy Lambert can say hi for me at their next staff meeting. It’s a shame from where I sit, as I feel like Taeler is somebody that should be written about instead of somebody that’s writing about people. If she’s happy doing it, more power to her, but she would be one of very few writers I know that are actually happy.

4. The Ring of Wax

August 18, 2012 would mark the date of the one CHIKARA show that was close enough for me to attend. Nowadays, Indianapolis is a hub of indy activity due to Indiana’s lax rules regarding the coronavirus, but back then it seemed kind of random for a Northeast indy to run a show there. Nevertheless, I was excited to finally see some CHIKARA action live & in person.

This was also the first time I met offtheteam.com poster The Hodge in person. We went to Hooters, then walked up the road to the Egyptian Room where this show took place. Hodge is a weird guy, in which that whenever I put him over as a regular, normal guy, he gets angry. I’m not sure what he wants me to tell people. He’s a nice guy, even if he’ll get mad at me for saying so.

Soldier Ant & The Swarm (combatANT & deviANT) lost to The Batiri (Obariyon, Kodama & Kobald)

One of these men went on to become part of one of the best acts in AEW. (see what I did there) Maybe some of these other masked & painted men went on to something, but the only one I recognize is Kobald, who went on to be one of the men who was named in the accusations that led to CHIKARA closing its doors. Fuck that guy.

Saturyne lost to Tim Donst

Saturyne left CHIKARA not too long after this and underwent a persona makeover, becoming Hania the Huntress. She would make some appearances in ROH & Impact Wrestling, but doesn’t seem to be active in wrestling these days. Tim Donst fought off cancer, and is a really good pro wrestler. Still waiting for a break for reasons unknown to me. Honestly, I would have expected both of these folks to have made a bigger impact in the business at this point.

The Mysterious and Handsome Stranger defeated Lancelot Bravado

That stranger was actually Archibald Peck under a mask, who was also known as RD Evans and also later became a writer for WWE that left because…Vince McMahon got pissed that his name was mentioned during the speech Bret Hart made while the Hart Foundation was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Evans quit afterward, and has joined Impact Wrestling as a writer/producer. I have many questions about this whole piece of business. Like, did Vince expect Bret Hart to make a speech and not mention the name “Vince McMahon” at some point? Also, did Vince expect Bret Hart to read a script that RD Evans wrote for him? I don’t understand how this whole thing could have ended any other way.

Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw got disqualified against GEKIDO (17 & The Shard)

Quack decided he needed to deliver all four Quackendrivers to 17, which led to a disqualification and the loudest bump on a ramp I’ve ever heard. So I’ve been a little reticent to reveal identities of CHIKARA’s masked wrestlers, and there are a couple I will keep unspoiled in case the folks involved like it that way, but I feel the need to mention here that “The Shard” was none other than the star of Being The Elite, John Silver. I never would have made that connection until I read it somewhere on the Internet, and I can see it since they both have great bodies although being somewhat vertically challenged. Crazy stuff though, I never would have made that connection.

The Spectral Envoy (UltraMantis Black & Frightmare) defeated Arik Cannon & Darin Corbin

UltraMantis is one of my favorites. Great person, wrestler, commentator. Darin Corbin might be most known to folks that follow Greg DeMarco podcasts as the man that married Breena. 2 pale redheads that love wrestling…makes sense to me. The Kool-Aid Man Arik Cannon was a damn good worker that deserved more at some point. I have no idea what happened to Frightmare. Wonderful worker, not sure what became of him. Darn fine match after intermission though.

Eddie Kingston beat Harlem Bravado

Kevin Ford’s recap of this show told me a story of Eddie laboring to get through non-title matches, which might have been a story CHIKARA was telling at the time. I did think this took longer than expected, but I didn’t mind it because I was a big Eddie Kingston fan. Long live Kevin Ford.

The Colony (Fire Ant & Green Ant) & 3.0 (Scott “Jagged” Parker & Shane Matthews) beat F.I.S.T. (Icarus, Chuck Taylor, Sugar Dunkerton) & Ophidian

A classic CHIKARA style match involved at least eight people going at it in a tag team match. Can’t hate on that. One team had Chucky T & Pineapple Pete. The other team had 3.0 before they made it to NXT, and I can’t remember their names there for the life of me. Also had a couple of ants. Green eventually found some Hot Sauce. As for Fire Ant, it’s ironic that he was CHIKARA’s hottest property, but eventually found stardom when he went in the opposite direction and became a lazy slacker. Kind of speaks poorly of Quack’s booking, to be honest. This guy got over working a character completely opposite of what CHIKARA presented him as for years. Part of that is the worker, part of that is CHIKARA completely misunderstanding the worker. It’s a hard thing to understand as an outside observer.

Young Lions Cup X Tournament Finals
ACH lost to “Mr. Touchdown” Mark Angelosetti

This was one of the best matches I ever saw live, and I was convinced these two guys were the future of the business. ACH went on to do some things. He had an ROH run where he had a ton of good matches and never got any wins. Did some Japan stuff, and eventually ended up in WWE’s Performance Center. They finally started using him on the NXT shows, then they released a t-shirt that looked like blackface. ACH didn’t like that, and left the company.

As for Mr. Touchdown…another one of those guys that fell into the CHIKARA void.

Obviously, my thoughts & opinions on CHIKARA have changed over the years. Mike Quackenbush used to be one of my favorite wrestlers of all time, and right now he’s just a guy that really knew how to wrestle. Plenty of those folks have gone on to be big stars, and I root for them all as long as they weren’t part of the problem in CHIKARA. I will say that the 411 comment section’s response to the News From Cook’s Corner column containing a review of this show did lead to the death of News From Cook’s Corner for a little over seven years. Some of those wonderful people had the temerity & the unmitigated gall to claim that I had slacked off that week, where I had written more words than most weeks and put in a bit of travel. Yeah, I wasn’t hearing that bullshit. I did one more column and then it was finito, arrivaderchi if you will. I’m the kind of guy where if you question my work ethic, I will prove you right by giving you no work.

3. Jerry Lawler’s Heart Attack

One of the scariest moments on live televised wrestling took place on September 10, 2012. Raw color commentator Jerry “The King” Lawler wrestled a match early on the broadcast and returned to his post at the booth. Later on the broadcast, Lawler suffered a heart attack while sitting at the announce table next to Michael Cole. If not for the rapid response by WWE’s doctor and the medical personnel on hand, Lawler would not have survived the evening. Fans feared the worst as the show continued to unfold without commentary, but were relieved when Cole reported at the end of the show that Lawler’s heart was beating again. After hearing that, you got the feeling that Lawler had pulled the strap down and he was going to be all right.

Lawler was part of an event I attended that I neglected to mention in a previous column. The King appeared on a Mountain Wrestling Association event in Lexington, KY back in 2005 that I attended alongside my University of Kentucky-attending best friend. I had to make the drive from Louisville to see Jerry Lawler work an indy show in 2005, there was no real choice there. Got an autographed photo. What about it? Lawler teamed with “Wildcat” Chris Harris to take on the dreaded Hayes Brothers, “Dirty” Chris & “Playboy” Scott, in what was undoubtedly the highlight of their careers.

Other notable names on the show included Karl Anderson, Eric Young & Abyss. It was a pretty loaded show by MWA standards. Unfortunately, the venue the show was held at, the Continental Inn, closed down within days after the event, so it was tough for the MWA to capitalize on any bump in business Lawler might have given them.

So there’s that. Jerry Lawler holds a certain level of importance in my region of the country, and always will as long as people that still remember the old days of the Memphis territory are around.

I’ve been noticing during this series of columns that there are a ton of moments that have slipped my mind. Lawler’s heart attack is something I’ll always remember. It was one of those moments when you sat in front of your TV while constantly clicking refresh on your computer hoping for an update of some sort. Fortunately the King is still with us, and still wrestling on outlaw mud shows when he has the opportunity.

2. Brock Lesnar Returns

Of all the things that happened in 2012, the return of Brock Lesnar had the biggest impact on the future of pro wrestling. Back then, most of us didn’t see Brock ever returning to WWE. He had other things to do, and wanted nothing to do with the grueling road schedule. As it turned out, he didn’t have as much to do since his relationship with UFC pretty much came to an end.

WWE worked around Brock’s dislike of travel by allowing him to work a limited amount of dates. He became a part-time champion that held titles for most of the next several years while not being around most of the time. He’s certainly had some great moments, but one can’t help but wonder if WWE wouldn’t have been better off actually trying to build new stars.

Would WWE be better or worse off without Brock Lesnar’s presence during the 2010s? Its really difficult to say.

1. Going to the Royal Rumble!

Not much has changed since the article I posted about this back in 2019 which was mostly written in 2012. Well, now that I think about it, something has. The Penguin & I watched the Rumble match for a podcast. You know how sometimes you go to a show live and it seems really awesome, and then you watch it back later and it doesn’t hold up as well as you remember?

Yep, the 2012 Royal Rumble Match is definitely one of those things.

Does that matter? Nope. Still one of my best experiences as a pro wrestling fan without a shadow of a doubt. I’m just sad that the COVID derailed any chance of Pengu & I continuing our eight-year tradition of meet-ups. The relationship we have as two people that have only hung out a handful of days in person likely seems strange to a lot of people, but we just have that chemistry & trust together like Monsoon & Heenan. You don’t meet a lot of people like that, and if you’re an unlikeable asshole like me you meet even less people like that, where you just have an immediate connection. I also met Andy Critchell, who is quite the swell guy and probably still a little upset that Mark Henry didn’t win the World Championship at the Rumble.

Shoutout to Pengu, Andy, Mrs. Pengu and the rest of the people along for the ride there. It was one of the best times I ever had as a wrestling fan, and the way things are shaping up, it’s tough to imagine them getting better. We’ll march on and hope they do.


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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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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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