AEW Rampage Could Be Canceled As Part Of New TV Deal
Earlier this month, AEW filed a trademark for ‘AEW Shockwave’, exciting fans with the prospect of another weekly show from Tony Khan’s promotion. AEW Shockwave could provide a bolt of excitement into the company’s weekly schedule, but it will also reportedly mark the end of one of AEW’s current programs.
AEW Rampage will not be continued, a source informed the Wrestling Observer, and instead, AEW Shockwave will serve as the promotion’s third weekly show. The new show is expected to be shopped around to FOX, who recently finished their relationship with WWE, as well as other networks.
John Ourand notes that AEW is pitching another package “primarily” to broadcast channels, which would include ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, Telemundo, Univision, The CW, and ION. The CW will soon be the home of WWE NXT and the gold brand will make its debut on the network on October 1, with a stacked show in Chicago, Illinois.
Rampage launched in 2021, close to two years after AEW Dynamite hit screens in October 2019. While the show received a strong start, including the debut of CM Punk, Rampage quickly fell in terms of significance as AEW’s main storylines were kept to Dynamite. This pseudo-irrelevancy became the case even more in 2023 when AEW launched Collision, with Rampage becoming the least important of AEW’s weekly shows when it comes to developing storylines.
AEW’s current TV deal with WarnerBros Discovery is scheduled to expire later this year and the company’s media rights has been a hot topic among fans. Tony Khan has teased some big announcements for the company including saying that AEW was “here to stay” on TBS and TNT.
AEW’s new deal with WBD is said to be in the ballpark of $170 million a year, according to Ourand. The deal will see AEW shows airing on TNT, TBS, and TruTV twice a week, leaving open the possibility of Shockwave appearing on FOX after SmackDown’s recent exit from the Network.
Current AEW TV deals are believed to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $70 million, so this ballpark figure is a huge boost for Tony Khan and his promotion. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest on AEW and its future on TV.
