Getting a grip: Looking at WWE’s huge TV deals, Money in the Bank almost set

Brian Fritz

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Getting a grip: Looking at WWE’s huge TV deals, Money in the Bank almost set image

Each week, Sporting News runs down the biggest stories in the world of professional wrestling.

WWE hits the jackpot with new TV deals

WWE thought it was going to cash in the last time its TV rights deals were available but only came away with a modest raise. This time things were much different.

News broke earlier this week that Fox is expected to become the new home for “SmackDown Live” as part of a massive five-year deal worth more than $1 billion. It was also reported that the blue brand will move to Friday nights as part of the deal that will begin in October 2019.

MORE: Money in the Bank behind the scenes stories

This comes on the heels of a report from last week that NBCUniversal was closing in on a deal to keep “RAW” on USA Network with an increase of nearly three times the current amount. 

WWE expected to get a huge increase in TV rights this time around but even these figures had to blow them away. Once the ink is dry on these new deals, WWE will be making somewhere in the ballpark of $440 million annually for five hours of television, a huge increase from its current deal of about $170 million per year.

Here’s some further comparison: UFC just announced its new TV rights deal that will have it leave Fox and move to ESPN on a five-year deal that will pay $300 per year.  WWE is blowing that away, something that was unthinkable a few years ago.  

Both Fox and NBCUniversal are paying a premium for WWE programming that has proven to be stable ratings grabbers with “SmackDown” drawing around 2.5 million viewers per week and “RAW” averaging close to 3 million viewers.

The Fox deal in particular is a huge win for WWE with “SmackDown” airing on network television. Imagine the promotion it will receive on other Fox programming such as the NFL — with the network securing the rights to Thursday Night Football beginning next season to go along with its Sunday package of games — and the MLB playoffs. It also further legitimizes WWE as one of the premiere and valuable entertainment companies going today.

While it hasn’t been announced yet, “SmackDown” will likely remain a live show considering that Fox wouldn’t be paying that amount of money for a taped show. I would also expect the blue brand to remain a two-hour show from 8:00-10:00p.m. ET considering that Fox primetime only has that window to make way for local news on its various stations. While Friday night slot is not ideal, WWE will be happy to take it for a lucrative deal on network TV.

As for what this means for fans, expect the same from WWE creative moving forward with nothing drastically changing. The company has found a formula where it draws a steady audience every week for both “RAW” and “SmackDown” that has landed them massive deals for its TV rights.

Fans that have been frustrated with WWE storylines (and everyone has a right to feel that way following the ridiculous segment on “RAW” this past Monday involving Bobby Lashley’s “sisters” and Sami Zayn) are going to continue feeling that same way because WWE has no reason to change things up. In fact, they have more than $400 million worth of reasons to keep doing what they’ve been doing.

While TV is more important than ever before in the WWE landscape, I think they’ll continue to push their monthly events on the WWE Network. Fox and NBC Universal are paying for the same type of TV content WWE has been putting out while the company has been building to its monthly shows. There’s no need for that to change unless ratings take a drastic downturn.

I think it will be business as usual on that front with WWE heavily promoting its monthly, co-branded events to sell WWE Network subscriptions and make even more money. In fact, word got out this week that WWE is moving up the start time for its pay-per-views to 7:00 p.m. ET starting with next month’s Money in the Bank. The plan is expanding the shows to more than three hours with the big four — WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, SummerSlam and Survivor Series — going even longer.

WWE is cashing in from all of the work it has put in over the past few years with its more PG-friendly product to make itself attractive to a wider audience and with advertisers. It’s paying off in a huge way.

And who’s to say it ends here? When you look at the deals for “RAW” and “SmackDown”, you have to wonder if WWE is shopping NXT around to different cable stations.  That could be a nice, reliable hour of programming that could draw about a million viewers each week for USA Network or maybe FS1. If WWE hears the right numbers, you can bet it will make a deal.

Let’s all hope that the wrestlers get a big pay increase considering how much money WWE is about to rake in. All of the talents deserve more for their tireless work, putting their bodies on the line while traveling countless miles around the world to entertain fans. WWE has no excuse not to give it back.

Honestly, WWE should be doing a lot more that includes medical benefits and retirement funds along with finally paying road expenses such as hotels and rental cars. It’s amazing that wrestlers still have to pay for those things.

Let’s start small with these suggestions. Give the wrestlers a daily per diem while on the road that can used for hotels, rental cars, and food in whatever way each person wants. Give each of them a substantial raise while also cutting down on house shows to only Saturday and Sunday except for overseas tours that are much more profitable.

WWE doesn’t make much on those shows and they’re more expendable now considering the enormous money the company is about to make from TV rights. WWE is no longer a traveling company; it’s a television production company. Cutting down on house shows would also give wrestlers another day off per week with “RAW” talent working on Saturday — Monday and “SmackDown” superstars working each week from Friday — Sunday.

One more thing: at the start of 2018, WWE stock was selling at $31.41 per share. On Wednesday, it closed at $57.21.

Money in the Bank update

The entire card for the June 17 event is almost in place.

Two spots remain in the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match with six participants already in including Braun Strowman, Finn Balor, Bobby Roode, Rusev, The Miz, and Kevin Owens.

One of those will be decided next week when Samoa Joe faces Daniel Bryan who earned the opportunity following a win against Jeff Hardy on “SmackDown” as the two delivered a very good match. Joe versus Bryan will bring back memories of their incredible encounters during the early days of Ring of Honor that helped the promotion stand out with strong, hard-hitting wrestling that it comes to be known for.

The other spot will go to one of the members of The New Day who teased making a decision this past week during Miz TV before holding off on the big reveal. The smart money still feels like it will go to Big E put don’t be surprised if it goes to Kofi Kingston with the story being The New Day working towards the veteran finally become WWE Champion.

Only one slot remains open in the women’s ladder match with Lana beating Billy Kaye in a ten-second match. The idea behind it is that both she and her husband Rusev could each win their respective matches and the briefcases to become simultaneous champions. Count me among those that don’t see it happening.

Shinsuke Nakamura announced on “SmackDown” that his WWE Championship match against AJ Styles will be a Last Man Standing match. The stipulation made sense a few weeks ago following Backlash when both couldn’t answer a ten count but not so much now since Nakamura pinned Styles just last week. A simple no-disqualification match would do the trick since it would allow the “King of Strong Style” to hit Styles below the belt as many times as he wanted.

Injury updates

Don’t expect to see The Viper for a few months.

WWE announced that Orton recently underwent meniscus surgery on his left knee, which he worked through dating back to late last year. No timetable for his return was given but expect him to be out of action for a few months.

Shane McMahon finally had surgery last Friday for an umbilical hernia that he was diagnosed with before WrestleMania. Think about this — Shane-O-Mac wrestled not once but twice … with a hernia.

That includes the tag team match with Daniel Bryan against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn at WrestleMania and again at the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia where he connected with several of his Coast to Coast move before being thrown off the top turnbuckle and through the announcer’s table.

Yes, Shane McMahon flew through the air from the top turnbuckle through the announcer’s table while suffering from a hernia.

He is some kind of a maniac.

News and notes

— Mauro Ranallo is the subject of a new documentary titled the “Bipolar Rock ‘N Roller” that will show in stunning detail his lifelong battle with mental illness. It’s a gritty, fascinating look into the NXT broadcaster who also handles play-by-play duties for Showtime Boxing and Bellator MMA. Many times it takes you to a place that is very unsettling when you see what he goes through on a day-to-day basis. That’s exactly what Ranallo wants to accomplish in hopes of helping others who suffer from mental illness.

The documentary debuts on Showtime this Friday night at 9:00 p.m. ET.

— Former wrestler Tom Magee is lucky to be alive after he was recently assaulted by as many as six men outside his home in Mar Vista, Calif. over a parking spot. The 59-year-old, who worked with the WWF in the '80s, suffered multiple facial fractures, a broken eye socket, a broken jaw, and a concussion. Police have arrested two men and charged them with assault with a deadly weapon and are continuing their investigation. Best of luck to Magee during his recovery.

— For all of you Mizaniacs (is that a thing?) out there, the new “Miz and Mrs.” reality show will debut July 24 at 10:00 p.m. ET on USA Network. The entire season is only six, 30-minute episodes that follow Miz and Maryse up to the birth of their daughter Monroe Sky Mizanin.

— Watch an impassioned Marty Scurll cut a promo about the importance of New Japan’s junior heavyweight division. This is how it’s done and why Scurll is quickly becoming one of the best all-around talents in wrestling.

— A great perspective and lesson from WWE’s Mustafa Ali — who is Pakistani — in response to someone on Twitter. Please everyone, stop the hate.

— Chris Jericho is letting loose on Tetsuya Naito leading up to their match at NJPW Dominion on June 9. Jericho is already one of the best talkers around but has taken it to another level in New Japan where he can be unfiltered and really let loose. Warning — earmuffs kiddos!

— Don’t blame HBK!

Brian Fritz can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrianFritz and listen to his Between The Ropes podcast on iTunes.

Brian Fritz

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Brian Fritz is a contributor with The Sporting News covering the NBA and NFL who previously worked at BasketballNews. He is a 20-year veteran of sports talk radio in Orlando, Florida, after graduating from the University of Central Florida. He now resides in Durham, North Carolina.