Significant Progress in AEW-WBD Negotiations

AEW’s exclusive negotiating window with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has closed without reaching a deal. However, there seems to be a positive twist in their talks. TNT has announced a new show that will feature AEW talent.

The show, titled **TNT Overdrive**, will premiere at 10 p.m. ET after **AEW Collision** this upcoming Saturday. It will showcase AEW wrestlers presenting footage of various high-octane activities such as car crashes, chases, and extreme sports. According to TNT’s website, **TNT Overdrive** will bring “adrenaline junkies a collection of the most thrilling moments and exclusive stories from AEW wrestlers Saturdays at 10/9c following Collision.”

A brief trailer for **TNT Overdrive** has been released, featuring several AEW wrestlers such as Will Ospreay, Willow Nightengale, and The Acclaimed with Billy Gunn. You can watch the trailer below.

While **TNT Overdrive** isn’t technically an AEW show, its inclusion of AEW talent is seen as a positive sign for the wrestling promotion’s ongoing negotiations with WBD regarding a new media rights deal. Even though TNT could remove the AEW component if a deal isn’t finalized, the promotion and scheduling of **Overdrive** right after **Collision** suggest that WBD is keen to retain AEW on its network.

AEW owner and president Tony Khan has expressed only positive sentiments toward WBD throughout the negotiations. Despite stating in June that the deal was “in the red zone,” an agreement still hasn’t been reached. Fightful reports that the exclusive negotiating period between the two parties expired last week.

This means AEW is now free to negotiate with other potential partners, although Tony Khan hasn’t shown any public inclination to do so. In fact, Khan took to social media on Tuesday to thank WBD CEO for hosting him at the Olympics in Paris, where it is presumed that business discussions took place.

As the year comes to a close, the urgency for a new agreement grows, given that AEW’s current deal with WBD reportedly expires at the end of this year. Nonetheless, the promotion of **TNT Overdrive** indicates that it’s not a question of “if” but “when” a new agreement will be reached.

Source: TNT