10 Most Important Days In The Creation Of AEW

2. TV Deal, Secured (15 May 2019)

Cody Walks
AEW/TNT

The excitement for All Elite Wrestling's genesis was always tempered by one small (read: major) stumbling block after the Jacksonville press conference: the promotion's lack of TV deal.

While WWE had recently signed bumper new contracts for Raw and SmackDown, the past few years had seen smaller promotions struggle, with Impact's plight particularly notable (they currently broadcast to around 10,000-15,000 viewers on Pursuit). This suggested a difficult quest for AEW.

Fortunately, the promotion exceeded all expectations when they announced a deal with WarnerMedia described as "unprecedented for a startup" on 15 May. It was confirmed that AEW television would air on TNT, WCW's old home during the Monday Night Wars, complimenting the previous week's news of a British TV deal with ITV nicely.

The nascent promotion finally had the platform they needed to take off. The chance to broadcast on a station available in close to 90 million homes across America was a huge get for a company that hadn't held an official show yet, with TNT paying for production costs and dealing AEW a slice of advertisement revenue. Realistically, it was the best-case scenario.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.