LogFAQs > #970778024

sull56ivan2010 posted...

I'd argue Fox or Amazon. NBC is too focused on Dick Wolf. Disney would have too many rules and restrictions.

Fox is currently disappointed with the WWE - SmackDown is on Fox on Fridays and hasn't been getting the ratings they were promised. They're supposed to renegotiate the deal this year and rumors have been that they'd either demand a cheaper deal or would drop WWE entirely (part of why WWE is rushing to get a sale before then). They're extremely unlikely to want to pony up the $6 billion plus minimum that Vince is supposedly holding out for.

Disney might theoretically be a strong option, but they're currently in their "buy billion dollar franchises and fuck them up until they become million dollar franchises" phase, so that might not be the best choice for WWE after all. Doubly so because Disney probably wouldn't be inclined to put WWE shows on either ABC or ESPN, so it likely gets relegated to Disney+ exclusive which potentially cripples it. In addition, Disney probably isn't going to want to pay more for WWE than they did for Star Wars.

NBC is probably the most likely option. WWE has had some form of deal with them for decades for TV space, and the entirety of the WWE Network is currently being licensed to Peacock, so there's incentive for them to make a play for WWE. The only real major change would probably be SmackDown getting pulled away from Fox and shifted back to the USA network.

People have also suggested Amazon, Netflix, or Discovery/Warner/HBO, but all three have had their own problems as of late, and probably wouldn't be able to pony up the amount of cash Vince is going to demand without severely handicapping themselves (Discovery's already taken on huge debt to acquire Warner, which is why they've been firebombing so much stuff on HBO Max to salvage some cash).

Unfortunately, the Saudis are the best option for Vince - which may literally be the only thing that actually matters. It's been implied the Saudis will probably be willing to overpay for the company (meaning they'll be willing to pay more than anyone else), and they're also the ones most likely to allow Vince to keep running things afterwards. And since they'd probably take the company private again, Vince would pretty much be immune to public opinion and the accusations of sex abuses. The Crown Prince isn't going to give a shit about that sort of thing.

That's the main reason why a lot of people assumed the rumors were true - like it or not, the Saudis make the most sense as buyers. At least when you factor in the premise that the deal won't be what's best for the WWE as a company or as an entertainment product but what's best for Vince.