Reason why AEW's broadcasters are upset with WWE - Reports
AEW and WWE have been involved in a heated competition since 2019. Both companies trade blows via promos that their champions and biggest stars make on shows.
Reportedly, WarnerMedia - owners of the TNT and TBS broadcasting companies - is not pleased with WWE's latest comments. The report by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that his sources believe WWE's statement on the women's Street Fight upset WarnerMedia.
AEW's New Year's Bash featured a brutal and bloody match where Tay Conti and Anna Jay faced The Bunny and Penelope Ford. WWE released the following statement after the event:
“If you look at the gory self-mutilation that bloodied several women in the December 31 event on TNT, it quickly becomes clear that these are very different businesses. We had an edgier product in the Attitude era and in the 2022 world, we don’t believe that the type of dangerous and brutal display is appealing to network partners, sponsors, venues, children, or the general public as a whole.”
If Meltzer's sources are to be believed, then Warner has taken this statement as an attack on their company. As of this writing, WarnerMedia has not commented on the situation.
AEW is among the highest-rated shows in its time slot, according to Meltzer's report
As per Dave Meltzer's report, Rampage beats every other show in its timeslot except the NBA. At the same time, Dynamite beats every program except for NBA and one or two programs depending on the day.
These numbers bode well for Tony Khan as they could help All Elite Wrestling prolong its broadcasting deals with the broadcaster in the future. The report further states that moving to TBS has bumped up Rampage's numbers too.
Unfortunately, WarnerMedia gains its revenue through advertisements. If advertisers decide to pull out during the AEW slots, this could seriously harm the company. So far, however, there have been no further statements.
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