WWE Left Fuming as AEW Commercials Air During Raw Broadcast
In an unexpected twist for wrestling fanatics, WWE is now sharing a broadcasting home with its biggest competitor, All Elite Wrestling (AEW), in Mexico—at the least temporarily. As WWE prepares to transition its programming to Netflix inside the coming months, AEW has swooped in and secured a multi-year broadcast rights cope with FOX Sports Mexico, a deal that has already brought about a superb clash of titans on-screen.
The timing of AEW’s address FOX Sports Mexico could not be extra fascinating. Starting on October twelfth, AEW began broadcasting its content material in Mexico through FOX Sports, kicking off with its predominant pay-per-view event, WrestleDream. This partnership additionally consists of the launch of a brand-new show, the All Elite Show, a good way to air on Monday nights—directly competing with WWE’s Monday Night Raw for viewership.
What makes this example even greater compelling is that WWE continues to be airing on FOX Sports Mexico till the end of the yr, before its programming transitions to Netflix as part of a worldwide deal. This overlap has created a as a substitute awkward situation for WWE, as AEW advertisements have been strolling at some point of Raw’s airing at the same community.
AEW Commercials Rile WWE Fans—and Executives
The situation got here to mild for the duration of Raw’s October 14th broadcast. As suggested through industry insider Dave Meltzer, AEW classified ads had been airing at some stage in breaks all through the show, with AEW even capitalizing on Raw’s viewership by using scheduling a put up-display AEW news phase straight away after WWE’s flagship application went off the air.
“For WWE, this is far from ideal,” Meltzer noted. “Every break, or at least most of the breaks, featured AEW commercials. And right after Raw ended, AEW had its own show. WWE can’t be thrilled about sharing a station with their biggest competitor, especially knowing their time on FOX Sports Mexico is limited. From a station standpoint, it’s the smart thing to do—promote the new company as much as possible while WWE is still pulling in viewers.”
The tension is evident, as WWE is certainly feeling the sting of AEW leveraging WWE’s contemporary broadcasting slot to promote its very own brand. Meltzer’s feedback mirror an information of the uneasy dating that is playing out in Mexico, especially considering WWE’s departure from FOX Sports is looming.
A Battle for Attention
The showdown among AEW and WWE has been gambling out in various arenas for years, but this shared broadcasting platform represents a specially symbolic war. While WWE prepares for its move to Netflix, AEW’s competitive advertising during WWE programming could permit it to steal a number of WWE’s thunder in Mexico, where wrestling—referred to as lucha libre—is deeply ingrained in the way of life.
For WWE, the competition comes at a important juncture. As they put together for the following chapter of their broadcasting strategy with Netflix, they’re now forced to observe AEW doubtlessly benefit a foothold among their audience. For AEW, this transient overlap with WWE represents a golden opportunity to draw in new enthusiasts and cement its vicinity as a valid alternative to WWE, in particular in global markets like Mexico.
The Road Ahead
As WWE’s go out from FOX Sports Mexico attracts nearer, questions stay approximately how this situation will evolve. AEW has already secured its long-time period broadcasting deal in Mexico, and rumors are swirling about a capacity partnership between AEW and FOX inside the U.S., now that WWE has officially moved SmackDown to the united states Network.
While AEW’s U.S. Cope with FOX remains hypothesis, its ability to take advantage of this moment in Mexico is simple. For WWE, this era of overlap represents greater than just shared airtime—it’s a sign that AEW is prepared to capitalize on each possibility to develop its logo, even if it manner encroaching on WWE’s turf.
As the 12 months involves a close and WWE bids farewell to FOX Sports Mexico, lovers can best anticipate the rivalry among the 2 promotions to intensify. For now, AEW’s classified ads at some stage in WWE Raw are possibly to gas the flames of opposition even similarly, as each agencies vie for global dominance in the world of professional wrestling.
h/t to TJR Wrestling for the transcription.
