Over the past week, claims have circulated on social media that AEW (All Elite Wrestling) was informed by WBD (Warner Bros. Discovery) that it would not exercise the option for the 2028 media rights deal.
This agreement between the two parties is currently set to run through 2027, with the option year available.
John McCullen shared a story on Twitter (X), citing a claim from agent Nick LoPiccolo. He alleged that AEW was made aware of WBD’s impending sale so the wrestling promotion could create a “contingency plan” in case the new owners decided not to exercise the option.
Both AEW and WBD issued statements contradicting these claims. The report noted, “Both AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery have refuted multiple industry sources’ claims that Warner Bros. Discovery informed Tony Khan and AEW in the summer of 2025 that the plan was for WBD to be sold and that other parties would be making decisions regarding further programming. The assertion that WBD CEO David Zaslav personally informed Khan about the upcoming sale was vehemently denied, with clarification that no showrunners, including Khan, were informed.”
The confusion surrounding the initial claims was partly due to the fact that the first report originated from LoPiccolo, who has been openly critical of AEW President and CEO Tony Khan and the organization itself. However, the report wasn’t entirely negative for AEW, as it is common knowledge that once WBD is sold, they will no longer be responsible for AEW programming decisions.
WBD entered into a merger agreement with Paramount Skydance this year, following a dramatic bidding war with Netflix. This deal, which shareholders approved at the end of last month, is scheduled to close in the third quarter of 2026, pending regulatory approval. This means AEW will have approximately 12 to 16 months to secure a new media rights deal, either with Paramount Skydance or another entity.
