What WBD Merger Could Mean For WWE & AEW
As talks have taken place between Warner Brothers Discovery and Paramount over a merger, Dave Meltzer has explained what that could mean for AEW or WWE.
AEW has aired on the Warner Brothers Discovery-owned TBS and TNT since the company began producing weekly shows in 2019. There have been unconfirmed suggestions that WBD owns some sort of ownership stake in Tony Khan’s company which would theoretically tie the two entities together come what may if true.
However, WWE has been in talks with WBD over Monday Night Raw as it looks to secure the best deal it can for TKO shareholders for its flagship show. SmackDown already has a new home starting in 2024 and NXT is moving networks as well leaving Raw the final piece in TKO’s puzzle.
But now things have taken another twist far bigger than wrestling as Axios has reported that WBD has been in talks with Paramount regarding a merger of the two media giants. It is believed WBD CEO David Zaslav met Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish on December 19th in New York City at Paramount’s headquarters to discuss a merger of the organisations.
What Would WBD/Paramount Merger Mean For AEW Or WWE?
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained what a major media merger could mean for either WWE or AEW as talks remain ongoing:
They’re in merger talks, the first stage. I don’t anticipate that whatever happens, I don’t think that this potential merger is going to affect (potential WWE or AEW TV deals) because it’s going to take time to put that together.
WBD will have to make whatever decision they’re going to make prior to that, number one, and number two, it appears, because WBD is a bigger company than Paramount when it comes to financial value. They’ll be the ones making decisions anyway, so there’s not going to be new people making the decisions.
The story is of course huge like all these merger stories are, but as far as WWE and if Raw ends up on WBD or does AEW end up on WBD, I don’t think this merger will play into that story.