Funny enough, the TNA channels are all owned by the other companies these days, Spike and Pop TV are Paramount channels, Destination America is owned by WB Discovery (Turner), Pursuit Channel is partially owned by Anthem, TNA’s parent company.
Vice is a joint venture between Disney and Hearst Media Corp.
There’s really very little left out there.
This is TKO related…
UFC and WWE just traded places price wise for the most part… WWE went behind the ESPN pay wall, and UFC went behind the much cheaper (and PPV free) Paramount+ paywall (with some CBS network shows) which a lot of Americans get as part of their Walmart+ sub. Anyway, this deal for UFC of 7.7 Billion over 7 years is good for TKO’s greed, but just drives home my belief that TKO is out to block other companies from getting on TV, by spreading out this way and with rumored exclusivity clauses, it just knocks out most remaining TV channels for other people.
PLE’s on ESPN - (ABC, FX, FXX, Vice, Disney, History, NatGeo, and many of others in part or fully.)
SmackDown on USA - (USA, Syfy, Bravo, Oxygen, E!, Telemundo, Golf Channel, CNBC, Universo, has a stake in VOX)
RAW on Netflix - Netflix the #1 Streamer worldwide
NXT - The CW and it’s affiliates
EVOLVE - (FOX, Tubi, FS1, Fox Sports Networks, Faux News)
UFC - CBS/Paramount (Viacom) Networks (CMT, Comedy Central, Flix, Logo TV, MTV, Nick at Nite, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Paramount Network, Pop TV, Showtime, Smithsonian Channel, TeenNick, The Movie Channel, TV Land, VH1, CBS Sports, etc)
Looking through the DTV Streaming package, there is very little not owned by these networks. I’m not saying it’s a monopoly, but holy shit it’s clear, in my opinion, that’s what they are after.
Huh, figures.
ESPN (Disney) was always one of the big reasons cable was expensive to begin with, demanding networks carry all of their channels or get none. They truly are a match made in heaven for TKO-WWE. Then. Now. Forever. Empty Your Wallet.
My core argument “brought to you by Mike’s Harder Lemonade, because when life gets hard you get harder!” still stands, they are no longer Premium “like the feel you get when using Dude Wipes,” they are just another show “brought to you by Wheatley’s American Vodka.” The entire company is so covered in ads like that it bothers me to no end and completely destroys any premium feel they may have had, now where’s my slim jim.
Swagger, I’ll miss the hat, not you, but the hat.
As to trucks, we (the US) have a lack of full time qualified truckers (Semi, big rig, 18-wheeler, ‘Big Daddy Cool’ Diesel types) so if whoever he is paying is qualified, we probably need them more than him wrestling… although should this recession arrive and hit hard, he’s likely going to be in trouble and the carnival will lure him back.
I’d say they aren’t PLE’s anymore, just another WWE show. Apparently anybody that still pays for cable (or “a streaming service” which is cable by a different name) and gets ESPN will be able to access ESPN DTC app for free.
Kind of definitely off topic but I was looking through some stuff about ESPN’s sports offerings, because I didn’t think they had a lot of actual non-talk sports events… and this caught my eye… surely TKO’s next acquisition to go with UFC’s Power Slap.
I’d almost guarantee they have some legal stuff in that agreement now, for the crew and wrestlers and also about any complaints need to be filed in the court of their choosing.
It was talked about a bit in the dirt sheets when it started, and then coverage stopped, I only happened to see somebody post about this weeks updates online in passing, so it’s not highly covered from what I can tell.
As to the video, I would typically agree it looks odd, which is why I think its in court and AEW won’t settle.
I don’t know what advantage they believe they would have moving it to Federal court, but I think the excuse they used about differing peoples and jurisdictions was flimsy at best as people sue across state lines all the time.
I was somewhat afraid this would happen with UFC and EPSN+ having their insanely expensive PPV deal which is also up this year, so maybe they are moving. I’m actually shocked they haven’t used the UFC PPV model for WWE, but from reading it this looks like WWE thinks their fans will follow them from $7 Peacock to $30 ESPN without batting an eye to get them hooked into EPSN’s new service… I am of the opinion that eventually WWE rejoins the PPV model.
I balked and went sailing when Peacock announced a hike to $11 or some shit, I’m certainly not going to $30 ESPN, fuck that.
NBC Univseral (Peacock, Comcast, NBC, etc) - SmackDown
Netflix - RAW
ESPN (Disney, ABC, FX, etc…) - PLE’s (probably not too far off of them being PPV again)
The CW (and most affiliates) - NXT
That means independent (aka small and likely to close) channels and Warner Bros. Discovery (CNN, TNT, TBS, HGTV, Food Network, etc) are the only TV partners left for AEW and leaves TNA and anybody else thinks they have a shot out in the cold.
I guess Prime Video is still out there and they’ve been buying up sports, if anybody wants to test them, they did a great job with NASCAR this year, although I think NASCAR’s in house production studio handled a lot of that.
Very anti-trusty, more so than ever, IMO.
I could see it being Cody, there were rumors when AEW started the Elite had some stake. I could also see maybe Punk, based on his craziness about he had a company to run. I have a hard time believing it’s TK has no ownership, but nothing would surprise me in wrestling these days.
I got some thoughts, and I don’t necessarily think they need topics…
Seth Rollins injury stuff. There was one report I read when the “injury” happened where the reporter, I don’t remember who, said he was specifically told to watch Rollins for an injury so he could claim the title at SummerSlam… that reporter was right. But… WWE appears to have gone full WCW on this, WCW upset their locker room and employees by working them as well as the crowd, just pointing out I don’t like it and how for a company that hated WCW so much they look more and more like it every year. Oh and seems interesting they put so much work into trying to fuck with the dirt sheets and “basement dwelling internet fans” if we are such a small fan base that doesn’t matter.
So… how odd is that court case between AEW and the worker Mox pushed, AEW tried to move it to Federal court and out of Michigan, but the judge wanted the names of the beneficiaries and trustees of AEW’s parent company on record, AEW wanted it redacted or sealed, the judge has said no and given them until today, word on the Sky and X is AEW refuses to name names, which is their right, but the case is going to be sent back to Michigan most likely. What I’m curious about is why they refuse to name names, what is in that they don’t want us to see? I’m a curious behind the scenes person, I’m not entitled to any of that info, hell I’m not entitled to know anything about the case at all, it’s just a curiosity to me. To think all this could have been avoided by telling the wrestlers not to touch non-planted workers, and not to ask said workers to do anything.
Now you know why I opened with these were just thoughts that didn’t need their own topics. It’s just my inner Mrs. Kravitz.
I kind of don’t mind the guy as a midcard act, but it seemed clear as day he wasn’t sticking around, especially when he started posting his mind on the interwebs.
Triple H made it clear he didn’t give a fuck, the crowd was chanting We Want Kross… he said You want Brock, Well you got him. Like fuck em.
I don’t know who did it first, but Kross and Aleister Black have the same fucking gimmick, have for years, no reason to have two mediocre same gimmick workers, and TKO likes to cut for money, Kross and Scarlett are two contracts not one.
Of course, as shown with Rollins, WWE now has no problem going full WCW and working employees, wrestlers, and the internet, maybe it’s all a storyline.
I hoist the colors for PLE’s these days thanks to Peacocks constant price increases and WWE showing they have no chill, I used to wonder what TKO would do to WWE, but it turns out UFC and WWE were two peas in a pod executive wise.
Guess they decided if their love of all things Trump isn’t driving people away then bringing back Lesnar isn’t going to do it either.
A light refresher for those just joining…
Former WWE employee Janel Grant, who filed the suit in January 2024, amended that U.S. District Court claim to include Lesnar by name. The new information alleges that McMahon told Grant to create “personalized sexual content” in July 2021 with the aim of sharing it with Lesnar in order to keep him under contract with WWE. Grant also alleged that McMahon flew Lesnar to Connecticut for a sexual encounter that ultimately did not occur.
I encourage you to read the full amended lawsuit, it’s horrifying and WWE should be ashamed with this move, IMO.
Damn, I hated he lost the TNT title this week and now this, I hope it all goes well and he gets a few more matches in over his final contract, this end of his career has been fun to watch, with things like the throwback to The Natural.
Winner for match 1 (Roman/Jey vs Heyman Guys) was the correct winner, not correct finish. Jey splashed and pinned Reed.
Edit: Seems to have been spot on for Women’s Tag Titles.
Edit 2: Kross v Sami was wrong.
Edit 3: Not living up to the expectations here leak that isn’t leaking… it was wrong again. So one match was 100%, two were 100% wrong, and one was 50/50… I’m going with not the actual plan but of course “plans can change.”
I knew both of my Great Grandmothers, our family had a habit of starting early so to speak. One of them died when I was a teen from Alzheimer’s and the one I was super close with and took for donuts and beer runs died the year I turned 21 just a couple of days after we went out for dinner, it was a soul crushing reality in how things can change without warning.
AEW remembers Hulk Hogan: RIP, brother | AEW Collision, 7/26/25
Quite possibly, my favorite of the tributes.
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Yay, he’s helping bring back the torturous Presidential fitness test…
This along with reports that the recent WWE series was to make him out to be WWE’s own version of Dana White because TKO is full of dumbasses.
Then today there is a report this motherfucker praised Donald, like full on praised him saying he sticks to his guns and he gets a lot of things right and when he’s wrong admits it but WWE is entertainment not politics. Like full on drinking the Fla-vor-aid… we’d be better off if they would get a nice glass of JJs special blend.
I loved Triple H in the late '90s, I didn’t mind the reign of terror, I felt major sympathy and worry for him with his cardiac stuff, but here we are in the mid-'20s and I can’t stand this guy.
Double A, Double D, Double I, Double O, Double S… Adiós.
I’m tapping out, it’s 4:30 in the morning and I need a couple of hours before I have to be up, this isn’t the greatest show in the world, it’s just a tribute and if you’re up give it a shot, they are hilarious and maybe a little delirious at this point. By far my most favorite crowd in wrestling.