Warner Brothers Discovery Leadership Leaning Away from Continuing AEW’s Ad-Share Deal

CM Punk return to WWE appears to have led to brand-new opportunities, with Endeavor’s Mark Shapiro, along with Nick Khan and Paul Levesque, holding a meeting with WBD on Monday morning. It appears that they are using Punk in a big way as part of their pitch, someone who Warner Bros Discovery used to have as a part of AEW.

In December 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery has cut ties with several leaders including Jane Latman, Nancy Daniels, Matt Butler, and Scott Lewers. During the AEW Double or Nothing 2022 post-show media scrum, AEW President Tony Khan gave praise to Daniels while talking about AEW’s relationship with TBS/TNT. That was a powerful lost ally for Tony Khan.

Now, it appears that the new management may not have liked AEW’s deal that Tony Khan had in place. Nick Hausman stated during his Rumor and Innuendo podcast that the new powers that be turned their noses up at this shared arrangement.

“The original deal that Tony Khan made with Warner Brothers when he brought AEW to TNT, obviously it was something that he was more friendly with, but during AEW’s time with Warner, management has changed.”

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“The same people who were in charge of Warner, they are no longer in charge of Warner, they are new people. They are seeing this deal, and from what I gathered, Tony was getting quite a good part of the ad revenue early on. When the new people came on, they were like, ‘woah, how’d you get this deal? We really don’t want to do that if that’s the ad-share deal that you’re going to be doing.”

Tony Khan has expressed loyalty to WBD, pledging to stay with them even if another entity offers slightly more money. After the ROH purchase, he only shopped it to WBD stations, expressing loyalty despite CW’s past interest in ROH.

Outcome predictions in negotiations are challenging. SmackDown’s move to the USA Network was predictable, while NXT going to CW seemed unexpected. Levesque’s absence from Raw for a meeting with another potential suitor indicated serious talks. In the past, UFC’s move from Spike to NBC was unexpected, highlighting the unpredictability of negotiations in the television landscape.

We will keep our eye on this story, as more information could really break this story wide open. If anything, we know that 2024 will be a very interesting year.

What’s your take on WWE trying to secure a deal with Warner Brothers Discovery? Let us know what you think in the comments section!

What’s your take on AEW possibly losing their deal with Warner Brothers Discovery? Let us know what you think in the comments section!

Transcription by Ringside News