Swerve Strickland says the future home of AEW programming is Fox.
Much speculation has surrounded AEW’s ongoing media rights deal. For most of 2024, Tony Khan has been in the process of negotiating a new deal with WBD (Warner Bros Discovery), as the existing deal is set to expire at the end of the year. Information on the deal’s progress has mostly been provided by Khan – the AEW President addressed the crowd after the September 6 episodes of AEW Collision and Rampage went off-air, telling them that he “felt pretty good to say AEW on TBS and TNT… is here to stay”. However, he later clarified that he had not yet “put pen to paper.”
While Khan is yet to confirm whether the deal has been completed, it appears former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland has gone ahead and confirmed where the promotion’s new home will be – Fox.
Speaking on the QUEENZFLIP YouTube channel, Strickland was quick to announce the news, explaining that since SmackDown left Fox recently, AEW would be moving to Fox as well as Warner Bros. Discovery:
“We’re about to move. We’re about to get on Fox. SmackDown is leaving Fox. And then we’re taking Fox… TNT, TBS, and Fox. We got all three of them things.”
Before the conversation wrapped up, Strickland also gave a quick insight into what it’s like to work with Tony Khan:
“Tony Khan lets me do whatever the f*** I want.”
Along with the media rights deal, AEW sparked intrigue earlier this month for filing to trademark the phrase “AEW Shockwave”, with some speculating whether it might be the name for a new television show. Confirmation of the deal and the meaning behind the “Shockwave” trademark is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Whatever happens, Tony Khan has made his excitement clear, recently stating that AEW’s future is so bright that he needs sunglasses.
Swerve Strickland Responds To Previous Report Concerning AEW Contract Being “Above Market Value”
Swerve Strickland seems unphased by the recent suggestion that AEW deals were “bad for the sport”. Dave Meltzer reported that some WWE personnel felt AEW contract deals were “far over.. the market value”, which Strickland responded to by claiming “they only complain when a Black person gets paid”.
According to a new report, new details on the AEW media rights have been revealed.