WWE Rivals Looking For Major TV Deals?
Lucrative TV agreements could establish WWE's next big competitor.
Following the recent TV mega-deal secured by WWE for broadcasting rights of Monday Night RAW and SmackDown LIVE, rival promotions are allegedly eyeing big money TV deals in order to allow them to compete with WWE.
WWE's agreements with FOX and USA will net the company $2.3billion between 2019-24 and Dave Meltzer, on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, suggested that this could lead to the likes of Impact, ROH, New Japan and MLW looking for similar lucrative deals to challenge Vince McMahon's juggernaut.
Meltzer continued that whoever agrees the next contract would be the next big rival for WWE, stating:
"Whether that’s Ring Of Honor, whether that’s Impact, whether that’s New Japan Pro Wrestling, whether that’s MLW or whoever else—the next player is going to be the next person who gets that deal."
Asserting the importance of guaranteed TV revenue, Meltzer explained that the goal isn't to please spectators, sell PPVs, sell out house shows, have the most social media followers or the most 5-star matches, instead it's about securing a deal for sure-fire money.
"You can book yourself like idiots, and you're still gonna have fixed money."
He went on to explain that a deal worth a fraction of what WWE is set to receive would secure a company's future for years to come and make them WWE's biggest competitor.