For a brief moment Thursday, there was hope that perhaps WWE’s flagship shows, Raw and SmackDown would end up in one place after WWE announced a five-year deal with NBCUniversal to bring SmackDown to USA Network beginning in October 2024.
The problem, though, is that Raw very well might not stay put. In its coverage of today’s SmackDown announcement, The Hollywood Reporter framed USA getting the Friday night show as “instead of ” and not “in addition to” Raw.
While the new deal will bring WWE to NBC primetime and SmackDown to USA on Friday nights, it will also mean the end of Raw and NXT on USA.
THR cited a source saying that “traditional linear networks, streaming services and “unexpected players” all interested.” So who might be in the market for Raw (and NXT)? What’s intriguing is that a number of parties were said to be sniffing around the SmackDown rights and could very well be in the running for Raw as well.
Here’s a quick look at a few of them.
Disney
Though Disney has made noises about getting out of the TV business, it’s also consistently been named as an entity likely to be interested in one of WWE’s weekly shows. If not SmackDown, why not Raw?
ESPN execs have already shot down the idea of a WWE series on that channel since it has too many sports to show to dedicate a night every week. So speculation has centered on one of Disney’s cable channels, FX. Raw would be the most viewed show on FX if it were to end up there, so it makes a lot of sense.
Amazon
Like Disney, Amazon has been discussed almost every time there is chatter about WWE media right bidders. It made a big move into live event streaming by locking up exclusive rights to NFL Thursday Night Football broadcasts starting last year, so it’s already got the infrastructure in place to show Raw.
The question would be if WWE, which has always considered Raw its ‘A’ show, would be comfortable having it on streaming even in an era where linear TV’s luster is fading by the year. The guess here is that if the money is right, that wouldn’t be an issue.
It’s worth noting that other streaming players, including Apple and maybe even Netflix, could make bids as well.
The CW
Even though it (barely) counts as a TV network, this could qualify as one of THR’s “unexpected players.” Since being acquired by Nexstar last year, The CW has been undergoing a dramatic transformation, bidding adieu to most of the young adult-leaning dramas that were once its calling card and attempting to rebrand itself around other things — including live sports.
The CW already has the rights to college football and NASCAR’s Xfinity Series, but those are almost exclusively weekend events. Making a move for Raw would fit its current strategy and give it a marquee weeknight property.
The wild card: Would Raw’s new broadcast partner move it off Monday nights?
Unlike SmackDown, which has switched between nights of the week a number of times, Raw is virtually synonymous with Monday nights. That’s certainly been the case when it’s been on USA.
But would a new network or streamer be as wedded to Mondays? Not necessarily. Raw faces the stiffest possible competition during football season from Monday Night Football, a fact that was emphasized over the past two weeks when it drew historically low viewership.
The NFL season only lasts around four months, but why bother fighting the behemoth at all when it’s not needed? Don’t be shocked if Raw’s new home, wherever it is, decides that Tuesdays look a lot better for staking out a weeknight for pro wrestling.