Warner Bros. Discovery Rebranding TruTV’s Primetime Schedule As TNT Sports In Potential Good Sign For AEW

As AEW and Warner Bros Discovery continue their negotiations surrounding AEW’s future on WBD networks, the company has made an announcement that appears to be good news for the fledgling wrestling promotion. On WBD’s Q2 Earnings Call on Wednesday, CEO David Zaslav announced a plan to rebrand TruTV’s primetime schedule as “TNT Sports” in October, according to Brian Steinberg.

According to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, the programming block is intended to be similar to the Adult Swim programming block on Cartoon Network, which is treated as a separate brand despite sharing a channel with Cartoon Network, in the same way as TNT Sports and TruTV. This, coupled with AEW talents being a focal point in the advertisement for the upcoming “TNT Overdrive” program, likely spells good news for AEW. WBD continuing in the sports programming world, despite seemingly losing the NBA to Amazon Prime, means they’ll likely need sports-centric programming like AEW and even potentially Ring of Honor. AEW President Tony Khan has been publicly adamant throughout the negotiation process that ROH is an important part of AEW’s portfolio, though there have thus far been no concrete plans to bring the streaming promotion to television. There have also been conflicting reports as to how dedicated WBD is in investing in the television side of things.

Khan has described negotiations with WBD as “complicated” but has maintained an upbeat attitude throughout the process, recently meeting with Zaslav in Paris during the Olympics, about which Khan later tweeted very positively. The exclusive negotiating window with WBD recently expired, and AEW is free to entertain offers from competing networks unless a deal is announced in the coming days.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Preview 8/7/2024

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite live from the LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina at 8 PM ET on TBS.

  • AEW American Championship Title Eliminator Match: MJF (c) vs. Kyle Fletcher
  • Anything Goes: Bryan Danielson vs. Jeff Jarrett (Ricky Steamboat is a special guest)
  • Bryan Keith vs. Katsuyori Shibata
  • Mariah May vs. Viva Van

AEW Star Britt Baker To Appear In Season 6 Of “Cobra Kai”

According to PWInsider Elite, AEW star Britt Baker will appear in season six of “Cobra Kai.”

The second half of season six is scheduled to premiere Friday, November 15 on Netflix.

The report further notes Baker, on the show, will be on one of the teams competing in an international karate tournament known as “Sekai Taikai.”

Martin Kove, who plays Karate instructor John Kreese in the Karate Kid movies and “Cobra Kai” made an appearance in a segment back on the February 16, 2022 episode of Dynamite, in which he gave karate advice to Baker.

Tony Khan – “AEW Is On The Verge Of Making The Most Important Deal With WBD”

AEW President Tony Khan traveled to Paris last week to meet with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav during the Olympic Games. The two parties are continuing to negotiate a new media rights deal.

In a recent interview with “Q101,” Khan commented on the ongoing talks between AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery regarding the new television rights.

Khan said, “Right now is the most important time ever in AEW. We’re on the verge of the most important deal we’ll ever make, this upcoming media rights, and it’s been great working with Warner Brothers Discovery on the future. For all these years, we’ve had so much great experience with Warner Brothers Discovery, and now, under the leadership of David Zaslav, the company, for us, the connection, the things we’ve been able to do, I think it’s getting stronger and stronger. I think now, over five years, it’s really been building to this point where AEW’s going to jump into the media rights and be a very profitable, successful company that has lived up to every expectation we ever could have had because we’ve done so many amazing things in this years. We’ve had all these amazing pay-per-view records. We’ve really come in and we’ve done pay-per-view numbers, whether adjusted or straight-up, head-to-head, very strong compared to the last few years of WCW, and I think that’s really a success story. I think pay-per-views are really fun, but it’s a really interesting business point that our business on pay-per-view has continued to get stronger. This year’s been great for us, we’ve had some huge events, including Revolution, which was one of our biggest pay-per-views ever.”

Since the launch of AEW Dynamite in October 2019, AEW programming has been featured on Warner Bros. Discovery channels. Khan has consistently emphasized the significance of bringing wrestling back to TBS and TNT following the conclusion of WCW in 2001.

Source: eWn

WWE To Shake Up Commentary Teams For RAW & SmackDown

WWE is shaking up its commentary teams following the arrival of Joe Tessitore.

Tessitore will debut on RAW in Denver, Colorado, on September 2. This move aligns with Cole’s transition to SmackDown, prompted by Pat McAfee’s return to College GameDay.

This rearrangement will result in Cole partnering with Wade Barrett on SmackDown, while Tessitore will collaborate with Corey Graves on RAW.

WWE RAW is scheduled to move from the USA Network to Netflix in January 2025. The ten-year agreement is valued at over $5 billion, translating to at least $500 million annually.

WWE’s current contract with the USA Network expires in September 2024, and RAW will continue to air on the network as a transitional phase before moving to Netflix.

Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline is reporting that the changes to the WWE commentary teams are temporary. Tessitore will join SmackDown in January, and Cole will return to RAW upon its move to Netflix.

Moreover, Tessitore will continue working at ESPN, where he serves as a broadcaster for college football and Top Rank boxing.

Source: eWn

Wes Lee Turns On His The Rascalz Teammates Following Tag Title Match Loss At NXT GAB

The Rascalz are no more following a heel turn by former NXT North American Champion Wes Lee following a loss for the NXT Tag Team Championships against Axiom and Nathan Frazer on Tuesday’s episode of “WWE NXT.” Lee and Zachary Wentz, collectively known as MSK, fought for the championships they never lost, as they were forfeited when Wentz was previously released from WWE, but the pair came up short. Frazer and Axiom had been having their own issues as a tag team for weeks, and even suffered miscommunication in the match where Axiom accidentally super kicked Frazer, but the pair held on to the gold.

Following the match, Trey Miguel got in the ring to console his stablemates, but was met with violence from Lee’s end. The group hugged in the middle of the ring, but as Miguel pulled away, he ate a kick from Lee and Wentz received a low blow. Lee said he wanted to be left alone and continued beating down his partners, end sending Miguel through the ring barricade and Wentz into the ring steps. As he walked back the ramp with his head held high, Lee offered no explanation for his actions. As for Wentz and Miguel, as of this writing, there is currently no word on if they will continue to appear on “WWE NXT” through the company’s ongoing relationship with TNA Wrestling to continue a feud with their former friend.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Announces Pair Of Arena Shows To Kick Off The CW Era Of NXT

“WWE NXT” will begin a new era this October, as the brand will move to The CW after five years of airing on USA Network. WWE agreed a deal in late 2023 to have “NXT” air on The CW for the next five years, meaning that “NXT” will be the only WWE brand on broadcast television, as “WWE SmackDown” moves from FOX to USA in September 2024, and “WWE Raw” moves to Netflix in 2025. In order to make “NXT’s” first pair of shows on network TV feel as special as possible, WWE have announced two events that will see “NXT” go back on the road, at least for a few weeks.

In an official press release, WWE confirmed that both the October 1 and October 8 episodes of “NXT” will be arena shows, with the first taking place at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois, while the latter will air live from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. To make the shows feel even bigger, two of WWE’s top main roster stars will be stopping by in their respective hometowns each week, with CM Punk showing up in Chicago, and Randy Orton showing up in St. Louis. Tickets for both events will go on sale Thursday, August 15, with an exclusive pre-sale opportunity taking place on Wednesday, August 14. 

These two shows will be part of a very busy period for WWE, as both “Raw” and “SmackDown” will be airing on USA until the end of 2024, while the Bad Blood PLE will be sandwiched between the two “NXT” events on October 5. Coincidentally, the October 8 episode will also be going head-to-head with the “Title Tuesday” edition of “AEW Dynamite” for the third year in a row, as that show will be pre-empted by the MLB playoffs.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT ‘Great American Bash’ Preview 8/6/2024 (Night 2)

WWE NXT continues with Night 2 of the Great American Bash tonight on SyFy.

  • WWE NXT Championship: Ethan Page (c) vs. Oro Mensah
  • WWE NXT Women’s North American Championship: Kelani Jordan (c) vs. Tatum Paxley
  • WWE NXT Tag Team Championship: SuperSonic Duo (Axiom & Nathan Frazer) (c) vs. MSK (Wes Lee & Zachary Wentz)
  • Joe Hendry vs. Joe Coffey
  • Trick Williams vs. Pete Dunne
  • Kendal Grey vs. Wren Sinclair

Odyssey Jones Finally Debuts On WWE Raw After Being Drafted Twice, Joins The New Day

After being drafted to “WWE Raw” back in 2023 after a run in “WWE NXT” — and then again earlier this year, having never officially debuted for the red brand — Odyssey Jones finally debuted Monday night to help The New Day in their ongoing feud against The Final Testament.

Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods were taking on The Authors of Pain, with Karrion Kross, Paul Ellering and Scarlett at ringside. During the match, Kross hit a cheap shot to Woods while the New Day member was on the top turnbuckle, causing him to fall to the mat, where Rezar looked to do more damage. That’s when Jones came down the ramp — wearing a New Day t-shirt — and sent Kross into the ring apron, then over the barricade into the crowd. The distraction allowed Woods to roll up Rezar for the victory. An enraged Akam and Rezar started to beat down New Day before Jones got into the ring and took both members of Authors of Pain out, delivering a double sidewalk slam. Kross then got into the ring to try and take on Jones, but he also received a slam for his troubles.

The 30 year old, 405-pound, star appeared backstage with New Day, and Kingston explained they “linked up” at the Performance Center and Jones wanted to come help them with their Final Testament problem. Jones, Kingston, and Woods were greeted by the Alpha Academy, who started to dance with delight. Though not featured on WWE television, Jones was last defeated by Omos at a Road to WrestleMania house show at the end of March, according to CageMatch.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW’s Britt Baker Appears To Deny Reports About How & Why MJF Confrontation Went Down

Former AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker has seemingly dismissed recent rumors of being suspended by AEW following a backstage altercation.

Baker posted a caption on X that sarcastically hit back at reports of her suspension following an argument between her and MJF. 

“You ever heard a rumour about yourself and actually wanted to hear more. Like now way …. what did I do next?!” said Baker.

Reports had previously suggested that Baker was fined and suspended for one or two weeks after her confrontation with MJF backstage. The issues reportedly began after Baker was heard criticizing MJF in the women’s locker room, which was narrated to MJF by Alicia Atout, his girlfriend and AEW broadcaster. Baker was also rumored to have been angry at Atout for telling MJF about what she had said in the locker room, while MJF is said to have entered the women’s locker room to confront her. 

A recent report has claimed that the AEW star was reportedly “burying” both MJF and Will Ospreay in the locker room, and this report has added that the English star also confronted Baker. Despite her suspension, Baker is set to compete at this month’s All In pay-per-view, where she will face AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Mone. MJF and Ospreay, who have also been involved in the controversy, will go one-on-one with each other at the show in London on August 25, where “The Salt Of The Earth” will put his AEW American Championship on the line.

Source: Wrestling Inc.