AEW’s exclusive negotiating window with Warner Bros. Discovery came and went without the two sides reaching a deal.
But there appears to be a positive development in their ongoing talks, with TNT announcing a new show that will showcase AEW talent.
TNT Overdrive will debut at 10 p.m. ET after AEW Collision this coming Saturday night, featuring talent from the pro wrestling promotion presenting footage of car crashes, chases and extreme sports. A description on the cable channel’s website describes the show as follows: “TNT Overdrive brings adrenaline junkies a collection of the most thrilling moments and exclusive stories from AEW wrestlers Saturdays 10/9c following Collision.”
A brief trailer for the show features several AEW wrestlers, including Will Ospreay, Willow Nightengale and The Acclaimed with Billy Gunn (yes, he still wrestles). You can view that trailer below.
While Overdrive isn’t technically an AEW show, it’s hard to view TNT shoehorning the company’s talent into the program as anything but an encouraging sign for the wrestling promotion’s ongoing talks with WBD on a new media rights deal. Sure, TNT could easily remove the AEW aspect of the show should an agreement not come to fruition. But building Overdrive‘s promotion and slotting it behind Collision on Saturday nights seemingly indicates that WBD is happy — if not eager — to keep AEW on its airwaves.
As one would expect, AEW owner/president Tony Khan has had nothing but praise for WBD throughout their ongoing negotiations. But despite stating in June that a potential deal was “in the red zone,” an agreement has yet to be reached, with Fightful reporting that the exclusive negotiating period between the two sides expired last week.
As such, AEW is free to negotiate elsewhere—something Khan hasn’t shown any inclination to do (at least publicly). In fact, Khan took to social media on Tuesday to publicly thank WBD CEO for hosting him at the Olympics in Paris, where business was presumably discussed.
At this point, the clock is ticking, with AEW’s current deal with WBD reportedly set to expire at the end of the year. But based on the promotion of Overdrive, all indications are that it’s not a matter of “if” but rather “when” a new agreement will be reached.
[TNT]
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.