Tag: RAW

NBCUniversal Reportedly Paying Big For RAW, But Declined A New SmackDown Live Deal

wwe tv deal update raw smackdown live open bidding network change

According to a new report from the Hollywood Reporter, come this fall WWE’s Flagship show Monday Night Raw will most likely remain on the USA Network at what is said to be paid to WWE by NBCUniversal at three times its current value.  However, this same report indicates that NBCUniversal did not choose to renew SmackDown Live which now allows WWE to shop the blue brand around to other networks for a new home, which is said to be Fox which has shown high interest in WWE Programming as previously reported.

In 2010, NBCUniversal won the rights to SmackDown. The show began airing that same year on the Syfy Channel, eventually moving to the USA Network in January 2016, and then moved to from the Thursday night taped format to a live show on Tuesday nights in May of that same year.

WWE’s current deal with NBCUniversal expires on September 30, 2019. Both sides declined to comment further as negotiations are still ongoing.

Source: WrestleView

WWE CFO George Barrios On Raw And SmackDown Possibly Moving To Separate TV Networks

As previously reported, WWE has been included in the discussions to potentially move their television content from USA to FOX Sports. The expectation is that there will be an announcement within the coming months, since their five-year contract is set to expire in the fall of 2019. Formerly, while Raw and SmackDown Live were under the same parent company, it had more of a distinguished feel since they were on different channels. Now, however, both air on USA, which some have criticized how that lessens the distinction between the brands.

If WWE was to move over to FOX Sports, the expectation is that Raw would be on the FOX network channel, while SmackDown Live would be on FS1. Since FX and FXX are also owned by FOX, it could also potentially open up a spot for NXT as well, as WWE has ran a test NXT show on USA before.

WWE Chief Financial Officer George Barrios was a part of the 46th Annual J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference this week to discuss a variety of television, social, and digital topics. One of the topics Barrios elaborated on was whether Raw and SmackDown Live could split between different companies, particularly similar to the NFL, since they are able to get higher rights fees as a result of selling their content to multiple partners.

“Market determines that opportunity. From our end, [we don’t think] it’s an issue to split it,” said Barrios. “We have done it before. We think we’re pretty good at promoting and moving our viewers from one platform to another. Seven or eight years ago, it was only from one network to another network, which changed dramatically. We can’t over-emphasize it, is the nature of social and digital and helping do that.

“So, we’ve been able to do it before, we would feel even more comfortable doing it today just because we have a direct connection with all our fans which we did not have seven or eight years ago. So, our ability to do that, if it made sense economically, there were partners interested, if we felt comfortable with the partners in question, operationally we would not see an issue with doing that.”

Barrios also discussed the advent of ESPN+, and how he is looking at this direct-to-consumer service as a product to learn from. He also discussed the importance of where a certain piece of content goes.

“We talk about that whole issue, what the purpose of this piece of content, where does it go, and it’s kind of this delegate balance and it’s probably the most difficult strategic question we’ve always wrestling with internally,” said Barrios. “So when we create Miz and Maryse and Total Divas, [does it] go on direct-to-consumer, should that be on the AVOD platform, should it be on paid TV, and ultimately you’re making that decision by looking at four things: number one, in terms of what’s the content’s main goal. To bring in new fans, so fans you don’t have today, is it to deepen engagement with your current fans, is it to help monetize other [promotions], or is it direct monetization. So those are anyways the four things you are thinking through. So when you ask the question about the trade-off for ESPN+, yeah, early days, you’re gonna be trading off distribution, the economics from what we saw… seems pretty good. So UFC is thinking through those trade-offs, is what we do.

“So, long-winded way of saying would we consider making trade-off like that, one verses the other? Yeah, we do that all the time, but it’s gotta work in the whole. So, if you’re gonna, one example, lose distribution to gain more economics, you have to have a strategy of how an I gonna engage fans that may not be engaging now. Again, that’s why the social and digital for us is so important. Six, seven, eight years ago, the answer would have been, don’t know how to do that. Today, we know how to do that. So that’s why it’s important, it gives you more flexibility.”

Source: WrestlingINC

RAW Preview 5/14/18

Tonight’s WWE RAW will be a taped show from The O2 in London, England as the road to Money In the Bank continues.

* Two Raw opportunities remain for the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

* A Moon rises and a Queen rules

* Will Roman Reigns get retribution against Jinder Mahal?

* Bobby Lashley fights for his family

* Seth Rollins to defend the Intercontinental Title against Kevin Owens Monday night in London

RAW Preview 5/7/18

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, NY with the fallout from WWE Backlash.

* Has Roman Reigns earned another opportunity at Universal Champion Brock Lesnar?

* Who will qualify for Money in the Bank?

* Will The “Yep!” Movement fold or focus?

* How will Bayley and Sasha Banks survive The Riott Squad on their own?

RAW Preview 4/30/18

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Bell Centre in Montreal with the fallout from WWE’s Greatest Royal Rumble event and the final hype for Backlash.

* Monster Among 49 Men makes history

* Brock Lesnar bests Roman Reigns in controversial Steel Cage Match

* The Era of Wokenness begins

* Who will dare step to Ronda Rousey?

* The Architect leaves Saudi Arabia with the Intercontinental Championship

WWE Honors Bruno Sammartino With 10-Bell Salute And Special Video

Image result for WWE honors Bruno Sammartino on RAW

Last night WWE RAW opened with Vince McMahon and the RAW roster out on the stage to honor Bruno Sammartino,  who passed away last Wednesday at the age of 82, with a 10-bell salute and a special video package.

RAW Preview 4/23/18

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis with the final build for Friday’s Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia.

Booker T will be filling in for Jonathan Coachman on commentary tonight. Coach will be back next week.

* The Conqueror cometh

* Superstar Shake-up aftermath

* Will Stephanie McMahon continue to overrule Kurt Angle’s decisions?

* Could we soon have “Woken” Raw Tag Team Champions?

Booker T Returning To WWE RAW Commentary?, Jonathan Coachman Responds To Criticism

Image result for Booker T and Jonathan Coachman

It looks like WWE Hall of Famer Booker T could be returning to WWE commentary on Monday’s RAW from St. Louis.

As seen in the video below, Booker spoke with co-host Brad Gilmore on Houston radio this week and made the announcement when asked about a possible return.

Booker has been off regular RAW commentary since Jonathan Coachman was brought back in late January. There’s no official word yet on if Booker will be taking his old spot filled by Coachman.

On a related note, Coach recently took to Twitter and responded to some of the criticism he’s received since returning to WWE, noting that he’s hiring an assistant to help him research topics. You can see the exchange below:

https://twitter.com/BillyWescott/status/986991120541470720

Source: WrestlingINC

Full List Of WWE Rosters Coming Out Of The 2018 Superstar Shake-Up

Superstar Shake-Up

Based on what is listed on the WWE website, below are the current rosters for WWE NXT, RAW and SmackDown. It should be noted that some of the NXT regulars that work live events & TV tapings are not listed on the official NXT roster.

WWE NXT
Male Superstars:
NXT Champion Aleister Black, NXT North American Champion Adam Cole, NXT Tag Team Champion Roderick Strong, NXT Tag Team Champions Kyle O’Reilly, WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne, Angelo Dawkins, Bobby Fish, Buddy Murphy, Cezar Bononi, Danny Burch, EC3, Fabian Aichner, Hanson, Johnny Gargano, Kassius Ohno, Lars Sullivan, Lio Rush, Montez Ford, Nick Miller, Oney Lorcan, Otis Dozovic, Ricochet, Riddick Moss, Rowe, Shane Thorne, Tino Sabbatelli, Tommaso Ciampa, Trent Seven, Tucker Knight, Tyler Bate, Velveteen Dream, Wesley Blake

Female Superstars:
NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, Aliyah, Bianca Belair, Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, Kairi Sane, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross, Taynara Conti, Vanessa Borne

Tag Teams:
The Undisputed Era (Strong, O’Reilly, Fish), The Street Profits (Dawkins, Ford), Burch & Lorcan, War Machine (Hanson, Rowe), TM61 (Miller, Thorne), Heavy Machinery (Dozovic, Knight), Moss & Sabbatelli, Moustache Mountain (Seven, Bate)

Others:
NXT General Manager William Regal, Kayla Braxton, Mauro Ranallo, Mike Rome, Nigel McGuinness, Paul Ellering, Tom Phillips, Percy Watson

WWE 205 Live
Male Superstars
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander, Akira Tozawa, Ariya Daivari, Drew Gulak, Jack Gallagher, Gran Metalik, Hideo Itami, Kalisto, Lince Dorado, Mark Andrews, Mustafa Ali, Neville, Noam Dar, The Brian Kendrick, TJP, Tony Nese

Tag Teams
Lucha House Party (Metalik, Kalisto, Dorado), Tozawa & Itami, Gallagher & Kendrick

Others
General Manager Drake Maverick, Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

WWE SmackDown
Male Superstars
WWE Champion AJ Styles, WWE United States Champion Jeff Hardy, SmackDown Tag Team Champion Harper, SmackDown Tag Team Champion Rowan, Aiden English, Alexander Wolfe, Andrade “Cien” Almas, Big Cass, Big E, Cesaro, Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan, Epico Colon, Eric Young, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Karl Anderson, Killian Dain, Kofi Kingston, Luke Gallows, Primo Colon, R-Truth, Randy Orton, Rusev, Samir Singh, Samoa Joe, Sheamus, Shelton Benjamin, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sin Cara, Sunil Singh, The Miz, Maryse, Tye Dillinger, Xavier Woods

Female Superstars
SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella, Asuka, Becky Lynch, Billie Kay, Charlotte Flair, Lana, Mandy Rose, Maryse, Naomi, Nikki Bella, Peyton Royce, Sonya Deville, Tamina Snuka, Zelina Vega

Tag Teams
The Bludgeon Brothers (Rowan, Harper), Rusev Day (English, Rusev), SAnitY (Wolfe, Young, Dain), The New Day (Big E, Kingston, Woods), The Bar (Cesaro, Sheamus), The Colons (Epico, Primo), The Usos (Jey, Jimmy), The Good Brothers (Anderson, Gallows), The Singh Brothers (Samir, Sunil)

Others
SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon, SmackDown General Manager Paige, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, Dasha Fuentes, Greg Hamilton, Renee Young, Tom Phillips

WWE RAW
Male Superstars
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins, WWE Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander, Akam, Akira Tozawa, Apollo, Ariya Daivari, Baron Corbin, Big Show, Bo Dallas, Bobby Roode, Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt, Chad Gable, Curt Hawkins, Curtis Axel, Dash Wilder, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Drew Gulak, Drew McIntyre, Elias, Fandango, Finn Balor, Jack Gallagher, Goldust, Gran Metalik, Heath Slater, Hideo Itami, Jason Jordan, Jinder Mahal, John Cena, Kalisto, Kane, Kevin Owens, Konnor, Lince Dorado, Matt Hardy, Mike Kanellis, Maria Kanellis, Mojo Rawley, Mustafa Ali, Neville, No Way Jose, Noam Dar, Rezar, Rhyno, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Scott Dawson, The Brian Kendrick, Titus O’Neil, TJP, Tony Nese, Tyler Breeze, Viktor, Zack Ryder

Female Superstars
RAW Women’s Champion Nia Jax, Alexa Bliss, Alicia Fox, Bayley, Dana Brooke, Ember Moon, Liv Morgan, Mickie James, Natalya, Ronda Rousey, Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, Sasha Banks

Tag Teams
The Authors of Pain (Akam, Rezar), Titus Worldwide (Apollo, Titus), Dallas & Axel, Wyatt & Hardy, The Revival (Wilder, Dawson), Ziggler & McIntyre, Breezango (Fandango, Breeze), Slater & Rhyno, Owens & Zayn, The Ascension (Konnor, Viktor)

Others
RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon, RAW General Manager Kurt Angle, Booker T, Charly Caruso, Corey Graves, David Otunga, JoJo, Jonathan Coachman, Michael Cole, Mike Rome, Renee Young

Source: WrestlingINC

Full WWE Superstar Shake-Up Changes From Night 2

Superstar Shake-Up

Below is the full list of changes from the WWE Superstar Shake-Up from night two:

Changes announced on SmackDown Live:

* United States Champion Jeff Hardy goes from RAW to SmackDown

* Absolution (Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose) goes from RAW to SmackDown

* Samoa Joe goes from RAW to SmackDown

* SAnitY (Eric Young, Killain Dain & Alexander Wolfe) goes from NXT to SmackDown (Notice that Nikki Cross is staying at NXT)

* Big Cass goes from RAW to SmackDown

* Asuka goes from RAW to SmackDown

* Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson goes from RAW to SmackDown

* The Bar (Sheamus & Cesaro) goes from RAW to SmackDown

* R-Truth goes from RAW to SmackDown

* Andrien “Cien” Almos & Zelina Vega goes from NXT to SmackDown