A well-known wrestling insider reveals: CM Punk’s move to WWE could result in AEW’s previous home station also defecting to the market leader
CM Punk’s sensational return to WWE has thrown the wrestling world into turmoil – does it have even wider implications than previously foreseen?
According to well-known industry insider Dave Meltzer, Punk’s move to WWE has increased the likelihood of a huge TV quake that could reshape the entire show-fighting landscape in the US.
The possible scenario: media giant Warner Brothers Discovery could strike a billion-dollar deal with WWE to bring the traditional show Monday Night RAW to its network – at the expense of one of Warner’s current contract partners: WWE rival AEW.
Meltzer reports in his latest Observer podcast what he had already hinted at on social media a few days ago: The previously “dead” negotiations between WBD and WWE have been resumed – and the controversial top star Punk is the “key factor “
AEW home station said to be flirting with WWE again over CM Punk
WBD decision-makers are well acquainted with his market value: Punk was AEW’s drawing card since his ring comeback at the end of 2021, until the turbulent business relationship broke down bitterly this summer over two behind-the-scenes brawls
Punk’s commercial success – which encouraged WWE to sign him despite his troubled history – had spread to the highest circles at Warner: this spring, Punk revealed with palpable relish that CEO David Zaslav would call him “One Bill Phil” – One Billion Dollar Phil.
This sum was an allusion to the volume that the next TV contract between Warner and AEW should have, which was also the declared goal of AEW boss Tony Khan. Now, due to Punk’s departure from AEW and the return of WWE executive “Triple H” Paul Levesque, everything could turn out very differently
TV future of WWE RAW and AEW shows still open
Background: With a view to the end of 2024, both the TV deals of WWE and AEW have to be renegotiated – Warner recently extended the contract with AEW, which was due to expire in 2023, by one year by pulling an option clause.
The only thing that is certain so far is that the Friday show SmackDown will move from Fox to the USA Network, the current home of RAW, under the umbrella of longtime WWE business partner NBC Universal.
Meanwhile, the future of the AEW shows Dynamite, Rampage and Collision (as well as that of the still-homeless sister league ROH on TV) is still just as open as that of RAW. According to Meltzer, Amazon Prime and Disney are also in play alongside NBC and Warner.
WWE to Warner? Consequences for AEW would be drastic
If Warner wins the bid, the consequences for AEW are incalculable: It’s not clear whether Warner would want to afford both WWE and AEW – nor whether WWE would go along with it: In the past, the market leader has repeatedly had exclusivity clauses written into its contracts in order to steal a march on competitors.
And even if Warner and WWE were to allow the two leagues to coexist, the question of whether AEW would be well advised to allow itself to be demoted to number 2 in-house would be pressing.
The loss of Warner would be a bitter blow for AEW: the TV deal with the former home of former WWE rival WCW was essential for the league, which was founded in early 2019, to take shape. Although AEW should now be established and successful enough to find another TV partner, whether it will be on terms that allow it to truly compete with the booming, billion-dollar industry leader is another question
RAW possibly no longer on Mondays in future
It is not clear whether it will actually come to Case X. Meltzer expressly points out that nothing has been finally decided and that the only news at the moment is that there has been a meeting between WWE and Warner.
According to Meltzer, one thing is certain: “These negotiations will be huge for the future of wrestling.” It is “not impossible” that the current status quo will remain unchanged – AEW at Warner, WWE with both main shows at USA. However, the negotiations could also bring “incredible changes.”
Things are changing greatly. Let’s just say things changed greatly with Raw negotiations from a few weeks ago. And Punk is a huge part of the selling point.
– Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) December 12, 2023
Meltzer also mentions that RAW may also be leaving its traditional Monday slot after more than 30 years as part of the TV negotiations – an option that WWE President Nick Khan explicitly opened the door for in the spring. A change of broadcast day for SmackDown is also considered highly likely.
Key dates shortly after Christmas
Clarity on the many unanswered questions should come soon: Meltzer points out that two WWE shows will take place on December 26 and 30 in New York and Los Angeles, the two metropolitan areas where most of the major media companies are based.
Behind the scenes, the decisive talks could take place – as they did in the spring, when the merger of WWE with the UFC parent company Endeavor to form the new TKO empire under head honcho Ari Emanuel was finalized in the run-up to the WrestleMania mega-show in L.A..
Not without reason, Meltzer said, WWE had just announced a new attraction for both shows that could make RAW even more palatable to bidders: CM Punk.
