AEW NEWS - DECEMBER 2025

[Casey]

Yeah it needs to be noted that Netflix isn’t buying any of the TV channels that WBD have. They’re all being merged into one company and spun out so the can be sold as one big group of channels.

[Stefanie Sparkleface]

3 hours ago, DMJ said:

Combining them into one streaming platform at one price might be good for the consumer - and bad for AEW as this would almost definitely lead to AEW getting dropped sooner than later - but wouldn't it be better financially for Netflix to maintain HBO Max separately and basically just take people's money 2 ways? 

It really depends on the market analysis as well as a cost/benefit analysis. Running two different streaming services requires different implementation/branding and infrastructure, so it could be done, but Netflix would likely rather have tiered levels of service on their already beefy infrastructure than running two different services. By getting Warner Brothers' vast library, that becomes a matter of "if you pay for the ad-supported tier, you get this, if you pay for the standard tier, you get this, if you pay for the 4K tier, what the heck we'll throw in HBO and selected Warner Brothers archives", then at that point the 4K tier becomes a higher value proposition than just a higher resolution and a couple of extra screens.

Netflix is at a certain point where content acquisition is more about retaining customers month-to-month rather than bring in new ones, so adding in value like HBO's shows and Warner Brothers' theatrical releases first could be the carrot to keep Netflix. On top of that they generate revenue by licensing out older content to other platforms to Pluto and Tubi that you might not subscribe to a service for but you'd watch if it was free (like a lot of companies are doing with pre-2000 content).

There's still a lot of ways this could unfold, of course, but I wouldn't be too surprised to see them go that direction.

[RazorbladeKiss87]

5 hours ago, twiztor said:

i don't really see the issue with Netflix buying WBD. Sure, in the general sense i don't like it when big companies merge and all that, but it's not like Netflix was been gobbling up production houses/movie studios en masse. 

on a selfish note, anything that keeps the dream alive that the 1987 cartoon TigerSharks may someday be released, SOMEWHERE, IN/ON ANY FORMAT is fine with me. streaming? i'll sign up for your app. bluray? i'll preorder it immediately. vhs? i'll dust off my vcr. some obscure japanese computer? i'll find some way to play and convert it. i just want to watch all 26 of these episodes alongside Thundercats and Silverhawks.

https://archive.org/details/Tigersharkscartooncollection

Theme song rules 

[twiztor]

3 hours ago, RazorbladeKiss87 said:

https://archive.org/details/Tigersharkscartooncollection

Theme song rules 

that link is a good start but there are still a good way off from all the episodes being available

https://lostmediawiki.com/The_Comic_Strip_(partially_found_Rankin/Bass_animated_TV_series;_1987)

[Niners Fan in CT]

Cable TV is dying.  Cable subs nationwide are down to around 62 million in the United States from a peak of over 100 million.  Meanwhile, HBO Max (which is 3rd or 4th depending on which metric you are using) has nearly as many subs in the United States as regular cable.  Netflix has over 80 million subs in the U.S. alone.  

Streaming has almost completely taken over now.  Wherever AEW lands on television,  they will NEED to have a streaming deal as well.  If it's not on HBO,  then Amazon would be a great alternative. 

One key thing to keep an eye on, this deal is far from approval status.  Trump and his DOJ wanted this to go to Paramount because of how close the Ellison family is with Trump.  They wanted another huge propaganda arm.  This deal will be challenged.  Paramount is already bitching loudly. 

By the time all of this is worked out,  AEW's current TV/streaming deals will have expired. 

[zendragon]

I saw in the WSJ article that 75% of HBO Max subscribers also subscribe to Netflix

[Shartnado]

On 12/5/2025 at 4:34 AM, Brandon Bones said:

And Joe winning being something of a curveball too might be indicative of the current booking mood.  Could invite a “flailing hot shot booking” accusation.
 

But the idea of Eddie Kingston winning the AEW title isn’t someone being unrealistic.  

If it wasn't for Swerve coming back at the end of Full Gear, one could even say that the reason Joe got the belt might just be a way to get it on Eddie now that he is finally back? Although now that Swerve came back it probably isn't in the cards, but who's to say, we'll find out soon enough, either way!

[ExcellenceofAirPollution]

Why is Swerve targeting Joe anyway?  Last we saw of him before his injury he lost to Okada and then Nana was attacked by Wardlow.  He should be going after the Callis Family....

They're advertising an appearance for Collision tonight so maybe we'll get an explanation

[JLowe]

On 12/2/2025 at 5:54 PM, Niners Fan in CT said:

Taken from a post from someone on the last day of November.  I'm not sure why anyone would think Mercedes isn't going to do the job for her titles.  She lost to Toni Storm clean and then Statlander clean.  Tony himself has repeatedly said that she has nothing to do with her wins/losses in AEW and the RevPro owner said the same thing.  People hating for no reason. 

Might have been me? I’ve been out of town for a week without my iPad. I am sure she’ll do the job for the AEW/ROH/RevPro/NJPW level of belts. I do wonder whether AEW would want her doing a job for some of the random European titles. I guess they don’t have to be clean and could involve other AEW talent.

[Niners Fan in CT]

2 minutes ago, JLowe said:

Might have been me? I’ve been out of town for a week without my iPad. I am sure she’ll do the job for the AEW/ROH/RevPro/NJPW level of belts. I do wonder whether AEW would want her doing a job for some of the random European titles. I guess they don’t have to be clean and could involve other AEW talent.

She doesn't have to do 13 jobs.  Some of the titles are tied to one another (or in the case of the Owen belt, not exactly a "title" at all) and she can drop them in a triple threat match if need be.  She shouldn't lose to someone random, in the case of RevPro they have some women who Mercedes is already involved with, like Kanji. 

[ExcellenceofAirPollution]

She can lose half the belts in one trip to Europe.  I don't see it as a big deal, and if I were the Polish promotion I'd want her to be champ as long as she wants

[tbarrie]

2 hours ago, ExcellenceofAirPollution said:

Why is Swerve targeting Joe anyway?

Presumably because Joe has the men's world title. And I like the idea that he redebuted with video of a house burning down because he was planning to challenge Hangman, and when Joe won he just rolled with it.

[zendragon]

If Eddie never wins is it a situation like the DO or The Best Friends where we look back and say they should have tag or trios belts at some point

[The Natural]

Hey! EW: The last episode. I'll miss this.

[ExcellenceofAirPollution]

I didn't watch it that often, but it was always entertaining when I did.  Wonder why it's ending

[Casey]

12 hours ago, zendragon said:

If Eddie never wins is it a situation like the DO or The Best Friends where we look back and say they should have tag or trios belts at some point

I think the difference in those examples is that they never won *any* titles. Eddie won the first Continental Classic and held three titles at the same time at one point. 

[Go2Sleep]

On 12/7/2025 at 1:26 PM, ExcellenceofAirPollution said:

I didn't watch it that often, but it was always entertaining when I did.  Wonder why it's ending

I'm sure they've interviewed everyone worth a damn by now.

Best moment was CJ Perry asking "Is this shoot or kayfabe?" and RJ's response "I don't know what those words mean."

Edited December 9, 2025 by Go2Sleep

[TheVileOne]

Maybe they think the show has run its course. Nevertheless, it was a good, consistent fixture for the last several years, and RJ City did some great stuff with it, specifically, getting Ricky Steamboat to read off heel insults.

RJ City is super talented and smart, so I hope he can put something else together at some point. 

[just drew]

RJ has come up with some pretty good creative for AEW. I wonder if he's taking on more of that. 

[The Green Meanie]

Sad that it ended, but happy that it happened.

[HarryArchieGus]

On 12/1/2025 at 9:09 AM, Dolfan in NYC said:

We wish you a merry Christmas...  we wish you a merry Christmas..

...and a happy Oz year.

I wish they gave this bunch a little more credibility with their weekly open challenges. This trope feels more than a little worn out after however many weeks between them and Caster. I'd love to see them bully some rookies and ROH talent and grab a few wins. Not to say any one of them shouldn't be squashed by the right person, but maybe not every week. 

Edited December 13, 2025 by HarryArchieGus

[JLowe]

I don’t have a way to paste skeets here, but saw on Bluesky that Leila Gray tore her ACL last week on Collision, and just saw one saying that Bobby Lashley suffered a significant injury and will be out for quite a while. 

[ExcellenceofAirPollution]

skeet skeet skeet

 

[The Natural]

RJ City liked my Facebook comment about how I'll miss Hey! (EW) and my thanks for the show giving me laughs when I have depression. Thank you, RJ City!

[The Natural]

NJPW have announced that Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada will main event Wrestle Kingdom 20 in Tanahashi's retirement match. Right call. The fourth time Tanahashi vs. Okada headlines Wrestle Kingdom: 7, 9, 10 and 20.