AEW rumored to be in talks with potential new partner; exclusivity with WBD up in the air - Reports
The status of the AEW television deal remains up in the air. While sources and company officials have said an announcement is imminent, there's still no confirmation. Word now is that another player is involved, and that could mean new All Elite Wrestling programming.
AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery have reportedly had talks for a new media rights deal for some time now. Tony Khan recently said the announcement was imminent, and that the deal would make the company very profitable. There had been rumors of the deal being announced at different times, including All In and All Out, but that obviously has not happened yet.
All Elite Wrestling recently had "another element," or a new player, enter the talks, according to Mat Men's, Andrew Zarian. He noted this past week that he was told "the lawyers have it" in regard to the WBD deal for Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision. It was also noted that WBD was also planning for future AEW programming for 2025 and 2026, which is another sign the two companies will continue working together.
The talk of a non-WBD entity negotiating with AEW was then reported on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio following All Out. Dave Meltzer said AEW was currently negotiating with a network outside of WBD.
The report noted that the company will have programming on Warner Bros. Discovery, but there were ongoing negotiations with a non-WBD channel also for additional programming. There was no clear sign of how far those talks have proceeded, but it was said that the All Elite Wrestling media rights deal no longer looks to be an exclusive one with WBD.
It's interesting that Zarian responded to the Meltzer report on X (fka Twitter), indicating that this was true. A fan replied and asked if this is what he meant by "another element" getting involved, and he confirmed the same. However, nothing on the deal is official, and rumors should be taken as just that until an announcement.
AEW announces special edition of Dynamite
All Elite Wrestling has announced that its Thanksgiving tradition will continue in Chicago this year. This continues to be a favorite market for the company, but there's been concern about over-saturation lately.
A special Thanksgiving Eve edition of Dynamite has been announced for Wednesday, November 27 from the Wintrust Arena. Collision will also be taped, to air that Saturday.
Tickets for the November shows in Chicago go on sale September 12, but VIP Early Access begins on Monday, and the pre-sale on Tuesday. The following stars are advertised for the Thanksgiving Week tapings: MJF, Jon Moxley, Mariah May, Swerve Strickland, Daniel Garcia, Ricochet, Mercedes Moné, and Jack Perry.