WWE Raw Media Rights Talks 'Change Greatly' Following CM Punk's Return
CM Punk’s WWE return has affected Raw media rights talks
WWE are currently in the midst of renegotiating broadcast rights for flagship show Raw, after successfully inking new deals for both SmackDown and NXT.
Raw currently airs on USA - WWE Raw’s broadcast partner for much of its 30 year history - but its deals with USA owners NBCUniversal are set to expire in 2024. Whilst WWE are believed to be renegotiating with NBCUniversal, the recent return of CM Punk has reportedly affected rights talks in a positive way, with Dave Meltzer writing the following on Twitter/X:
“Things are changing greatly. Let’s just say things changed greatly with Raw negotiations from a few weeks ago. And Punk is a huge part of the selling point.”
Punk officially signed with Raw on the December 11 episode, choosing to put pen-to-paper with Adam Pearce, rather than follow Randy Orton over to Nick Aldis’ SmackDown. After his triumphant WWE return at Survivor Series in November, reports suggested that Punk was indeed Raw bound, but has also made appearances on SmackDown and NXT since coming ‘home’.
