WWE Announces New Media Rights Deal… On The Same Day Multiple Wrestlers are Released

WWE inks a new deal with NBCUniversal, but also released a number of wrestlers from its roster, including Dolph Ziggler and Shelton Benjamin

One step forward, two steps back.

Such is life for the worldwide leader in sports entertainment.

A time that should have been a celebration for WWE was instead marred by the decision to release a number of wrestlers on the very same day.

Earlier today, WWE announced a new five-year deal with NBCUniversal that will bring SmackDown back to the USA Network, netting WWE roughly $1.4 billion. Sources close to WWE confirmed that Fox was not going to renew their partnership to air SmackDown, so this new deal, which also includes four primetime specials per year on NBC, stands as a massive victory for WWE.

Now that SmackDown has a home, the next goal will be finding a place for Raw and NXT. And the timing is important–and works significantly in WWE’s favor.

As part of Endeavor, which is run by CEO Ari Emanuel, WWE is a global product capitalizing on a media rights frenzy. Because of the ongoing writers’ strike, only a select few properties are currently considered hot.

WWE makes its long-awaited return to Australia for WWE Elimination Chamber: Perth at @OptusStadium in Perth, @WestAustralia on Saturday, February 24, 2024! #WWEChamber

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— WWE (@WWE) September 21, 2023

WWE possesses the ability to create content, and adapt to even a pandemic, without missing shows, and without a union that could halt production. In the stands and in boardrooms, WWE is a popular commodity, which opens real possibilities for the future of Raw and NXT.

But as great as the timing was with the announcement of the new deal with NBCU, it was also a stark reminder that the ones bringing the product to life are always expendable.

At the time this story went live, WWE had released Dolph Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, Elias, Mustafa Ali, Rick Boogs, Top Dolla, Riddick Moss, Emma, and Aliyah.

While none of those talents were currently in a main event spot, they all added value to WWE. Ziggler played a number of roles for the company in an exceptional manner, as had Benjamin. Unfortunately, it is impossible not to think that the aforementioned talent would have enjoyed greater success if more time was dedicated to their story.

The NBCU announcement and the talent releases are not yet directly connected. The merger with Endeavor is what led to multiple releases and layoffs throughout the company, beginning last week with off-camera employees. But it is hard to imagine that WWE would boast about its new billion-dollar deal while simultaneously releasing multiple members from its roster.

Speaking throughout the afternoon with more than a handful of members from the WWE roster, the same message was repeated: it is all part of the nature of the business. There are no promises in WWE, except for an unwavering commitment to stockholders.

Ultimately, today is a day to celebrate. But not solely because of a new media rights deal. The core of WWE’s success is because of its wrestlers, who should be the ones receiving praise today–even if the company feels differently.