In a massive announcement from WWE and the powerhouse conglomerate, TKO, beginning in January of 2025, WWE will air it’s premier wrestling show, RAW, on Netflix. The deal, said to be for five billion dollars over ten years, is unlike any professional wrestling television deal seen in sports history. While it’s still unknown what will happen with the WWE’s Premiere Live Events in the United States (Netflix will be the home for Premier Live Events for territories outside of the US except where deals are already in place), the main news was earthshaking for wrestling fans.
While fans can look forward to streaming Raw on Netflix in 2025, where does that leave the other wrestling promotions in the industry? Let’s start with what many fans thought was the front-runner to challenge World Wrestling Entertainment in the wrestling world when they began; All Elite Wrestling. Over the last year, some of the luster was worn off of the upstart company. With their deal with TNT and TBS stations front and center, their current television deal is set to expire in on the last day of 2024. Negotiations are currently being worked out, where many fans think AEW will remain in the WBD portfolio, but with the news of WWE and Netflix, could that mean a different cable company or streaming platform make a surprise offer, in an attempt to back what many fans still think could be the next great wrestling promotion?
Aside from what fans think of as the top two wrestling promotions, there are other companies such as TNA Wrestling. Some fans might not remember, but TNA has been around the wrestling world for over twenty years now. Created originally by Jeff Jarrett, the company has gone through rebranding in both name and the way it’s held its matches. First with a six-sided ring, then going back and forth between that and a traditional squared circle. It’s also flirted with television companies in the past as well. Spike TV, Pop, Destination America, and currently AXS TV have all broadcast the company what many wrestling fans call “the little wrestling company that could.” With the news of the Netflix/WWE deal could TNA Wrestling have a little more to offer with their massive library that features both AEW stars and WWE stars who have also wrestled for TNA? It’s not currently known who long their AXS TV deal is for, but corporate suits could be eyeing the wrestling promotion with renewed interest.
There is also the National Wrestling Alliance, which was purchased by Smashing Pumpkins frontman, Billy Corgan, back in 2017. While many fans weren’t sure what was going to happen to the esteemed wrestling promotion when the rock and roller purchased the company, little by little NWA has formed a groundswell for its brand. The company has worked to continue the traditional “in studio” wrestling show where a limited number of fans are ringside to view the matches and announces and interview segments are held ringside as well. It was announced in late 2023 that NWA had signed a contract with The CW and their wrestling show, Powerrr was set to air on the station. The CW is going through it’s on set of changes in ownership right now. While their contract is freshly minted, with the WWE news, it could mean NWA has more negotiating power to find a new suiter for a bigger contract.
The professional wrestling world is forever changing and evolving, as evident by the Netflix deal. That means anything can happen in the wrestling world. Only time will tell what the television fallout, if any, is for those companies.
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