Since the announcement of All Elite Wrestling back in July, and the signing of many big-name talents like Chris Jericho, Pac, Britt Baker, Kylie Ray, the Lucha Bros, and more, the question has been on everyone’s minds…will they be on TV? WWE has dominated the TV market for years. Impact Wrestling has been on and off public television, Ring of Honor is on a cable TV channel, but in a garbage time slot. Would AEW face the same fate?
Well, rumors have been swirling for months, but now, All Elite Wrestling and TNT have confirmed that they are indeed partnering up to show off the new wrestling promotion this fall. And Twitter is alight with posts about it from all parties:
We’re back in the wrestling business! #AEW @AEWrestling pic.twitter.com/1DVRLRdQgd
— TNT Drama (@tntdrama) May 15, 2019
Here’s a breakdown of what TNT is doing with AEW:
Later this year, WarnerMedia will provide exclusive multi-platform access for fans to watch AEW events, airing live weekly matches on TNT in prime time, as well as streaming them through WarnerMedia’s B/R Live and on pay-per-view. A leading digital sports enterprise, B/R Live’s high fan engagement will provide an invaluable opportunity to build AEW’s audience.
The B/R Live service will also be used to stream Double or Nothing, the first official event for All Elite Wrestling later this month on May 25th. For the billionaire behind AEW, Tony Khan, he sees this new wrestling company as the answer to all the fans cries for help:
“Wrestling fans have wanted—and needed—something different, authentic and better for far too long,” said Tony Khan, via the press release. “AEW is answering the call. AEW is about more than wrestling. It’s about a movement fueled by wrestling fans who have been underserved and perhaps even disappointed by what the industry has produced in recent years.”
The only question remaining now for this deal is, “When?” We don’t have a date for when All Elite Wrestling will debut on TNT, nor which night/time slot it’ll take outside of being in “primetime”. This decision is VITAL not just for fans sake, but for TNT’s other shows, including its massive NBA coverage.
Regardless of that though, it’ll be great to see this promotion launch on TV after some successful PPV programs, because by the time they launch on TV, the whole wrestling world may be All Elite.
