Much of the entertainment industry is currently in shutdown mode due to the WGA writers strike, with hundreds of scribes and supporters picketing in L.A. and New York. The list of TV projects being affected is growing, with delays derailing future seasons of hit shows such as ABC’s Abbott Elementary and Showtime’s Yellowjackets, and viewers are no doubt wondering how widespread the strike issues will be for programming outside of traditional small-screen dramas and comedies, such as WWE’s Monday Night Raw and the pro wrestling world at large.
Thankfully, the organization’s big boss man — no, not that one — was able to address the issue in the best way possible, confirming upcoming WWE events will not be directly affected by the writers strike. While on a call about quarterly results for the company (via Deadline), Nick Khan directly explained why this sector of the wrestling industry will be moving forward unencumbered, while also expressing his support for the creators fighting to make themselves heard. In his words:
Our writers are not members of the guild, so there is no effect on us whatsoever. Of course we are supportive of the writers who are members of the guild and their efforts, and we are hopeful a deal can be reached between them and the other side in short order.
That should come part and parcel with a big sigh of relief from wrestling fans, since we might be in for a summer of repeats and imports by way of fictional content on TV and streaming. Monday and Friday nights will continue to bring in new wrestling fans with Raw and SmackDown, and it doesn’t sound like the pay-per-view schedule will be affected, either.
In this way, the WWE is similar to the Fox News talk show Gutfeld!, which is perhaps the only late night talk show that released a new episode on Tuesday evening. The Greg Gutfeld-hosted series reportedly also doesn’t boast any WGA members among its writing staff, putting it in stark contrast to broadcast fare like The Tonight Show and The Late Show. (One of Jimmy Fallon’s staffers called the host out for not showing more support for his Tonight Show writers, who will now reportedly be paid through the first two weeks of the strike.)
I’m intrigued to see if any former WWE Superstars who made the transition to the acting world attempt to come back to the ring if they’re unable to move forward with other projects during the strike. Probably not someone like The Rock, who has roughly 7,000 projects in his To Do pile that likely also aren’t affected by strike updates, but there’s at least a possibility that some former faves will return to live shows and pay-per-views in a limited capacity. (Whether or not A&E’s Stone Cold Takes on America will face delays, I’ll still just blindly hope for his next return anyway.)
Nick Khan's Update On WWE Negotiations With NBCUniversal And Fox
During the earnings call, Nick Khan dug into the business side of things, laying out lots of financial and stock-centered stats while also talking about the impending merger with the UFC under parent company Endeavor. (To that end, Khan foresees zero issues with corporate oversight, pointing to the lack of pointed changes in Dana White's MMA company after Endeavor took over.) But arguably the more pressing issue for TV viewers involves WWE's ongoing negotiations with its small-screen homes at USA, Fox and Peacock.
With Raw and SmackDown ratings on the up and up in March and April, surrounding the buyout news, one might think neither NBCUniversal nor Fox would balk at continuing the relationship. But in a week where high-rated Fox hit 9-1-1 was shockingly cancelled and picked up by ABC, despite 9-1-1: Lone Star not being part of the move, nothing anymore can ever be certain. Khan did claim the conversations with both corporations have been "productive," and continued by saying:
During the process, you can control a lot of things, but not when you’ll get to an agreement. But we are bullish.
While splitting away from Fox would be unfortunate, SmackDown would be the only main issue, while a break away from NBCU would affect not just Raw's home at USA, but also the pay-per-vews and thousands of hours of content currently only available with a Peacock subscription. Hopefully that deal can be worked out as easily and quickly as the stipulations and requests surround the WGA strike.
