An update on the future of AEW following the emergence of Skydance has just surfaced. It seems that despite some initial doubts, there won’t be any changes, at least for the time being.
One of the biggest uncertainties surrounding the promotion was whether the merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) would affect its TV deal, which is set to go on until late 2027.
Dave Meltzer talked about this on a recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Radio. In an article that surfaced, AEW was listed under sports, which led to some fear that it may be affected by the cuts. Meltzer confirmed that internally they are considered to be part of the entertainment category instead, and have not been discussed or included on the list of expected cuts.
“I think I even asked and was told that they are considered entertainment. But they were listed as sports in this article, and they were talking about how cuts are going to have to be made. They did not…put it this way, they had talked to people who were inside over where they expected cuts, and AEW was not on that list on where they expected cuts.” [H/T WrestlingInc.]
But the promotion is not in the clear just yet, as their TV deal comes to an end next year. They also have an option that will extend this to 2028, but it remains to be seen if Skydance exercises this.
Tony Khan has looked optimistic about AEW’s future with Skydance
Last week, Dave Meltzer talked about Tony Khan’s meetings with David Ellison and Paramount Skydance. He did not know specifics about the meetings but mentioned how Tony Khan walked out of these with a positive outlook. He confirmed that despite the uncertainties of the merger, Khan has been optimistic about his company.
“And what I could say is, I don’t know any of the details yet, but I do know that he came out of the meetings extremely happy, much happier than he has been about this. He’s always been happy about this relationship. He’s always been beaming about it from day one. But he definitely came out of these meetings the happiest he’s been,” he said. [H/T: RingsideNews]
The future of AEW following the latter years of their TV deals has been a topic of conversation for some time now. Things are a little bit more complicated as Skydance will have a hand in the company’s future, but they’ll have more than a year to sort things out.
Get all the hottest wrestling news FIRST by clicking here
Edited by Enzo Curabo
