Longstanding AEW show could be axed

AEW is reportedly closing in on a $170 million-per-year TV rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery. The deal would see Tony Khan's company air on the network twice per week between TNT, TBS and truTV. 

According to Dave Meltzer, who was writing in a recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter, that could mean "Rampage" is set to be axed from the company's lineup. The third-string show has been suffering from declining ratings over the past year or two and has unofficially become a developmental show that is pre-recorded rather than airing live.

"Ourand’s report was that AEW would air on TNT, TBS, and TruTV twice a week," Meltzer wrote. "Now if there are only two shows, Dynamite and Collision, and three stations listed, that would seem to indicate that Tru would get reruns or simulcasts. Tru is being rebranded as a sports station from 8-11 p.m. each night...This would confirm what another source indicated to us this past week that Rampage would not be continued and that the third show, likely called AEW Shockwave given AEW just filed for a trademark for that term, would be the show being shopped around to FOX and likely others."

Before launching a replacement for "Rampage," Khan may want to rethink his entire TV strategy. AEW has struggled to maximize its TV time since launching "Collision." Storylines only appear to progress on "Dynamite," with a stronger focus on in-ring performances reserved for its Saturday show. As such, casual fans have minimal incentive to watch anything other than the flagship program each Wednesday.

By revamping the company's approach, Khan could incorporate a stronger storyline focus across both his shows while potentially using whatever it replaces "Rampage" with as a sports-based offering for the die-hard fan base. That way, AEW would give casual fans more reason to stay locked into "Collision," thus maximizing its partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery moving forward.

Regardless of what Khan decides to do with "Collision," it would make sense to cut ties with "Rampage." The show doesn't add anything to the promotion's offering and hasn't drawn an interested audience for over a year. Saving that money and reinvesting into something new and exciting would likely be the better option. 

Whether Khan can sell a brand-new show to another provider remains to be seen, but it's better than shopping "Rampage" after allowing it to crumble.