For the first time since 2001, pro wrestling will be on a major television network. It was announced that All Elite Wrestling will be teaming with TNT to produce a weekly television program. No specific date has been announced yet for a TV launch.
We’re back in the wrestling business! #AEW @AEWrestling pic.twitter.com/1DVRLRdQgd
— TNT Drama (@tntdrama) May 15, 2019
There is word going around that next fall will be the TV debut of AEW. WarnerMedia partners and the cast of Being The Elite will be inside Madison Square Garden today to make the announcement official.
“All Elite Wrestling is a talent-forward, fan-first league whose inclusive approach to creating high-quality athletic wrestling competitions is already making waves with fans and attracting top-tier wrestlers,” stated EVP of Commercial Operations, Content Strategy and Monetization Michael Quigley. “It is high-adrenaline, gripping entertainment and we can’t wait to bring it to fans everywhere with this game-changing new business.”
Multiple platforms will be used for AEW’s run with TNT. B/R Live, a live streaming service from WarnerMedia, will stream all AEW-related events, including Double or Nothing on May 25th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. That service was well-known for the Tiger Woods/Phil Mickelson matchup.
“The Buy-In”, an hour-long pre-show, will be available on WarnerMedia and AEW social channels. Matches on that card include the Casino Battle Royal and Kip Sabian v. Sammy Guevara. The event will also be seen in the United Kingdom via ITV.
AEW came to fruition after the January 1, 2019 episode of Being The Elite. Executive Vice President’s Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks will be leading the charge with talent they have personally signed.
“Wrestling fans have wanted – and needed – something different, authentic and better for far too long,” said AEW President and CEO or AEW Tony Khan. “AEW is answering the call. AEW is about more than wrestling. It’s about a movement fueled by wrestling fans who have been underserved and perhaps even disappointed by what the industry has produced in recent years. AEW is rising to the occasion with DOUBLE OR NOTHING and today taking it a step further by partnering with WarnerMedia, which is as committed as we are to making wrestling fans the one and only priority. With WarnerMedia, AEW is poised globally to redefine wrestling as we know it today.”
Not since WCW folded in 2001 has a company grabbed a major deal with a network like TNT. While relatively new, AEW will look to focus more on the wrestling side of things, where wins and losses do matter. It will look to be a stark contrast to what people are used to with WWE.
With WWE investing in FOX and TNT in AEW, the wrestling industry just got a big boost in exposure.
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