WWE Monday Night Raw is likely finding a new home. Earlier this fall, USA Network announced it is set to re-acquire WWE SmackDown beginning in Fall 2024 after the blue brand’s contract with FOX expires. This brings WWE SmackDown back to USA Network, as it had previously aired on the channel in the late 2010s. Considering the high price tag that USA Network paid for it, it was speculated by industry insiders that its current WWE shows, WWE Monday Night Raw and WWE NXT, would leave the channel as they would be too expensive to retain. That first domino already fell, as WWE NXT is heading to The CW next year.
Now, the wrestling world anticipates the future of WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE’s flagship show and arguably the most iconic wrestling program going today. While rumblings have indicated that titans like Disney and Amazon are frontrunners, a studio all too familiar with wrestling has inserted itself into the mix.
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WWE Meets With Warner Bros. Discovery About TV Rights
Could WWE Monday Night Raw be under the Warner Bros. Discovery banner by 2024?
As reported by PWInsider, TKO COO Mark Shapiro, WWE CEO Nick Khan, and WWE CCO Paul “Triple H” Levesque met with Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer Bruce Campbell this past Monday at WBD headquarters in New York City. The meeting was centered around moving WWE Monday Night Raw to a WBD network. Talks went for “several hours.” There are still other suitors for the red brand, as Khan and Levesque met with other potential partners in Los Angeles a couple of weeks back.
What Does This Mean For AEW?
Warner Bros. Discovery got back in the professional wrestling game in 2019 when it acquired AEW’s TV rights. Debuting AEW Dynamite on TNT back in Fall 2019, WBD has expanded its relationship with Tony Khan’s young promotion to have three weekly wrestling shows on its networks, adding AEW Rampage and AEW Collision to its calendar.
It’s unclear as to if WBD would split with AEW if it acquired WWE Monday Night Raw or if it would entertain the idea of hosting both WWE and AEW content. Tony Khan revealed that his most recent meeting with WBD was on December 12th, which would place that conversation just one day after Nick Khan and Paul Levesque’s meeting with the media giant.
Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for updates on WWE’s TV future.
