AS I SEE IT
Bob Magee
Pro Wrestling Between the Sheets
PWBTS.com
"....Because it's always the same. When you fire that
first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea
who's going to die. You don't know whose children are going
to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken! How many
lives shattered! How much blood will spill until everybody
does what they're always going to have to do from the very
beginning -- sit down and talk! Listen to me, listen. I just
-- I just want you to think. Do you know what thinking is?
It's just a fancy word for changing your mind.... Peter Capaldi, Doctor Who, 2015
I'll only say this about the apparent success of Paramount
in the WBD sweepstakes. The Ellisons are far more interested
in CNN and turning it into Fox Lite than anything involving
AEW. Their current channels air plenty of programming that's
hardly friendly to the current regime, including South Park
and Star Trek Starfleet Academy. Not to mention there'll be
plenty of regulatory issues from the European Union, the
State of California, and many others. Not to mention that
Tony Khan said at the beginning of this entire process that
he knew plenty of rich people. So a certain segment of
wrestling fans need to get off the ledge, and stay
tuned...it'll be a long process with lots more twists and
turns, and a new contract for whoever owns WBD by then to
negotiate with Tony Khan. If those numbers aren't suitable,
then Tony Khan knows enough about the market to land on his
feet somewhere else and be just fine.
Andy Nemmity of Wrestlejoy said it the best of all: "I
have zero idea how the media stuff goes, but I know a man as
passionate as Tony Khan about wrestling, who has that much
money, and a profitable product, doesn’t really have that
much to worry about."
Jake Sherman of CNBC reported last Thursday morning that
beginning February 26, Xfinity enabled ESPN Unlimited plan
authentication to eligible Xfinity TV customers, unlocking
access to exclusive streaming content on the ESPN App,
including WWE Elimination Chamber this past weekend....and
more importantly, this year's Wrestlemania. The event aired
for Xfinity subscribers Saturday (whether they knew it or
not.)
When WWE PLEs switched from Peacock to ESPN Unlimited in the
United States in September, it was only available free to a
couple of cable and streaming providers. Most cable and
streaming partners added the service as part of
subscriptions since September with Wrestlepalooza, but two
of the popular streaming services remained without into the
New Year: Xfinity and YouTube TV.
That number is now down to one, and it'll apparently remain
that way until fall. That was outlined in a blog earlier in
February, when YouTube posted announcing new streaming
plans, and said that ESPN Unlimited will be coming in Fall
2026, meaning that fans who subscribe and want to watch WWE
PLEs, including Wrestlemania and Summerslam still have to
shell out an additional $29.99 for the next several months
to get ESPN Unlimited. YouTube is launching a dedicated
Sports Plan, among others, for $64.99 a month which will
include FS1, NBC Sports Network, all of the ESPN networks,
and eventually, ESPN Unlimited.
Last Wednesday's Dynamite featured the expected pot
references throughout the show in Colorado. Of all shows,
AEW missed the obvious closed locker room with clouds of pot
smoke coming out with The Rascalz. But more importantly,
there were the "F#&$ Ice" chants when Brody King came
out for his match with Mark Davis. Then the crowd let loose
with its usual "F#&$ Don Callis" chant any time he
comes out to announce a match involving his faction. But in
an amusing touch, the crowd then combined the chants into a
"F#&$ Don Callis...F#&$ Ice too" combination. In
addition, signs popped up with "No Kings but Brody".
It's March. Spring is coming (not soon enough, as I dug out
of 20 inches of snow last Monday)..but it IS coming. With
March comes adjustments in AEW's broadcast schedule with
March Madness and in April the Stanley Cup playoffs, as well
as new AEW content on HBO MAX. Much of this month is
normal, but there are notable exceptions:
March 14
AEW Collision, 8 pm
AEW Collision – Countdown to Revolution 2026, 10 pm
March 15
AEW Revolution: Zero Hour, 7 pm (apparently going back to
this format instead of the Tailgate Brawl for only TNT/HBO
MAX and Zero Hour for everyone else).
AEW PPV Revolution, 8 pm
March 20
All Out 2025 joins the HBOMAX archives. Relive All Out 2025
pay-per-view in Toronto as Mox face Darby Allin in a coffin
match, Kyle Fletcher challenges Hangman Adam Page for the
World Title and the Women’s championship is contested in a
four-way battle.
March 21
AEW Collision – Slam Dunk Saturday 2026, 11 pm (approximate)
March 22
AEW Collision – Slam Dunk Sunday 2026, 11 pm (approximate) .
Last year during March Madness, AEW Collision also got two
major post-March Madness slots for Collision after NCAA
March Madness second round coverage. This year's Slam Dunk
episodes will air on March 21 and 22; with one-hour episodes
of Collision, likely from the March 18 Fresno, CA
Dynamite/Collision taping dual taping. The episodes, each
night at 11pm (or at the completion of March
Madness coverage). In other words, have your DVR ready or be
prepared to watch it on HBOMAX next morning if you live in
the East.
March 27
New challengers emerge for MJF's World Championship as AEW
Dynamite and Rampage from 2023 join the HBO MAX archives.
We'll know more about the schedule changes as we get closer
to April. It's likely we'll see some time and date changes
to Dynamite and Collision.
Until next time...
If you'd like to contact me, you can do so at my
bobmagee1@hotmail.com account or to through Facebook
Messenger at https://www.facebook.com/bob.magee.180, direct
message me at https://twitter.com/BobMage70323520, or
contact me at BlueSky at
https://bsky.app/profile/bobmagee940.bsky.social
