RAW is leaving the USA Network, because SmackDown is going to that channel. The longest-running weekly episodic television show in history is actually leaving cable altogether, as they are jumping to Netflix. There is a lot to unpack with this story, and it gives WWE an interesting situation as well.
WWE’s deal with Netflix shook the pro wrestling world for many reasons. The groundbreaking arrangement will also leave the red brand in a strange transition state after their deal with the USA Network expires.
WWE’s Lack Of A Plan
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that WWE doesn’t have anything arranged at this time for RAW’s final months in 2024. Their deal with the USA Network is up in September, and there is no home for the red brand until their Netflix deal starts in January next year.
“RAW will end on the USA network on the last week of September, and it will debut on Netflix on the first week of January 2025, so we have three months where we don’t know anything. On the investor’s call, it was brought up — the three months — and one thing that was very clear is that they have no idea. They expect that it will be somewhere, they told me that they’d have something to announce relatively soon, and now here we are, and not only do they not have anything to announce, but when they did their perspective of 2024, you know as far as money and profits, their predictions of 2024 were lower.”
Looking Ahead For WWE Television
It was then noted that since WWE has nothing in line for RAW during October, November and December 2024, those three months are left without any note next to them on the budget sheet, so they are going to draw no television money at this point.
WWE is in a tough spot here, because any network would love to have RAW, because it would draw a lot of viewers. The problem is that the show would be entering the situation with the intention of going to Netflix as soon as 2025 starts.
WWE NXT is also leaving USA Network, as the CW is picking up that weekly show in October. As of this writing, we still have no official announcement of WWE’s plan for October through December this year when it comes to RAW.
WWE may already have a television arrangement in line for RAW for the last three months of the year. If that is true, then that begs the question about why WWE hasn’t announced those plans yet. At this point, it is affecting WWE’s overall earnings to leave three months blank before their jump to Netflix.
SEScoops will keep a close eye on this story for more updates. You never know what will happen next in the pro wrestling world, especially when it comes to television rights deals.
