All Elite Wrestling’s television presence is getting a makeover.
The company’s flagship show, “AEW: Dynamite,” will be moving from TNT to TBS in January of 2022, and a new hour-long show, “AEW: Rampage,” will debut on Friday, Aug. 13 at 10 p.m. on TNT, Warner Media announced Wednesday. AEW will still have a small presence on TNT after both shows move as part of a new television deal, the company’s third in less than a year and a half with WarnerMedia.
“While we’re looking forward to our arrival on TBS, we’re not saying goodbye to our original and current home of TNT, which will air four new special supercard events annually,” AEW president Tony Khan said in a statement. “Plus, the financial upside to our new agreement will give us the opportunity to continue to invest in and grow AEW to serve the most important people in our industry: our fans, our wrestlers, our staff and our sponsors.”
AEW has been on TNT since Oct. 2, 2019, and has experienced ratings success, being one of the top Wednesday shows on cable weekly in the 18-49 demo. WarnerMedia already having the rights to the NBA (which airs on TNT) and recently acquiring the rights to NHL games did factor into moving Dynamite to TBS. Wednesday has traditionally been a night to air the NHL. Pro wrestling was a staple on TBS dating back to NWA in the 1980s and concluding with WCW’s “Thunder” until 2001.
“Both TBS and TNT have an incredibly storied history with wrestling, so the idea of us being able to put more AEW onto TBS is a natural fit,” said Brett Weitz, general manager of TBS, TNT and truTV, on a conference call. “Did the NHL have anything to do with it? Sure. NHL had something to do with it. NBA had something to do with it, the COVID schedule, the ton of preemptions.”
Khan’s promotion has been contracted for a second show with Warner Media since last January, when their original TNT deal was extended to 2023. The launch of the show was likely delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, leading to the absence of fans at live events. AEW also offers “AEW Dark” and “AEW Dark: Elevation” weekly on YouTube.
Placing “Rampage” initially on Friday night at 10 p.m. means it will start right after “WWE Friday Night SmackDown” on Fox concludes. Weitz said the permanent home and time slot for the show has not been determined and the company’s expanded wrestling footprint does not mean it is trying to dethrone WWE as the industry leader.
“I don’t view it as an us-versus-them type of thing,” Weitz said. “I think this is a world where they can absolutely work together and the rising tides lift all boats. To me, this is an opportunity to deliver more wrestling to wrestling fans.”
Dynamite’s move comes after AEW won the Wednesday night ratings war with WWE’s NXT brand. NXT moved from Wednesdays to Tuesdays last month, which has led to a big uptick in ratings for Dynamite. On May 5, it was the number one show on cable in the 18-49 demo for the first time ever and in April hit 1.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched Dynamite since its debut brought in 1.4 million viewers.
“What we’re doing is we’re really delivering to our audience, to our wrestling audience,” Weitz said. “Good for NXT for moving off of Wednesday nights, better for us, but we continue to deliver an incredible show and more wrestling is better for wrestling fans.”
