Report: WWE Trying To Put AEW Out Of Business By End Of Current TV Deal With WBD

WWE have counter-programmed several of All Elite Wrestling's pay-per-views with NXT premium live events in 2025, but WWE are in the process of stepping up their efforts to go head-to-head with Tony Khan's promotion.

Reports have noted that an as-yet-unannounced WWE pay-per-view main evented by Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena is planned for the same day as AEW All Out on September 20. WWE are also considering moving John Cena's final match to ensure it goes head-to-head with AEW Worlds End.

Dave Meltzer has reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE are going so heavy on counter-programming All Elite Wrestling as they want to put Tony Khan's promotion out of business and establish TNA as the number two company within the industry. WWE are afraid AEW will receive a large increase on their current US TV deal with Warner Bros. Discovery when the deal is potentially renewed in either 2027 or 2028, which would make AEW "incredibly profitable."

"That is certainly the story that's going around that they wanted to move from December 13th to December 27th. Given all the actions and everything that has been done, of course they want to. It isn't the only thing, there is so much going on that will probably be breaking in the next couple of months when it comes to different things. They really want TNA to become the other promotion because they can control TNA," Meltzer said.

"This is a major full-court press. They just want this guy [Tony Khan] out of the box and they know if the numbers stay good that he's gonna get a renewal at a much bigger number, just like they did. He's already very profitable, the number will make him incredibly profitable, and they'll never get away from him or anything like that. So they feel that they need to make sure this is the last contract."

All Elite Wrestling renewed their US media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery in 2024, with the deal taking effect at the beginning of 2025. The current TV contract is worth $555 million through the end of 2027, and there is an option for a fourth year which would provide AEW with a substantial monetary increase. The current TV deal means AEW are a profitable organisation from 2025.

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