WWE Rumor Mill: NXT to FOX Sports 1 deal 'imminent'
What's the story?
After it was reported last night that NXT may very well be part of the deal that sees SmackDown Live move to FOX broadcast network in October 2019, Ryan Satin from Pro Wrestling Sheet has now said sources have told him an announcement is imminent.
In case you didn't know...
Aside from the early days of the show which where shown on Syfy, NXT's home for the past few years has been the WWE Network exclusively. On the week of Christmas 2017, NXT was shown on the USA Network as a one off.
While NXT has steadily become WWE Network's flagship show, during a conference call following the news, WWE co-Presidents George Barrios and Michelle Wilson discussed a potential move for NXT as well. (h/t to Cageside Seats)
The heart of the matter
On a 30 minute conference call, Barrios and Wilson were asked about the potential for Talking Smack to make a comeback on one of the FOX networks, and while there was not a direct answer to this question, they stated that more content could very well be coming to their broadcast and cable channels.
Shortly after, Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet confirmed that there have been discussions with regards to FS1 showing NXT going forward, but that he couldn't verify if plans were set in stone. Satin has since tweeted the following:
What's next?
There is a fair bit of time for WWE and FOX to negotiate as SmackDown's FOX debut is expected to be during October of 2019, but hearing that an announcement may be 'imminent' is very interesting.
Meanwhile, NXT seems to be taking the world by storm more than ever in its regular Wednesday slot on WWE Network, and will most likely prove a great bargaining chip for WWE and potentially an incredible asset to FOX if they can arrange a deal.
We'll keep you updated with more on this one as and when we get it.
Do you think WWE should move NXT to FOX Network? Have your say in the comments.