The wrestling world has been buzzing today with news that AEW renegotiated their deal with WarnerMedia for the shift of Dynamite from TNT to TBS in 2022. It was also revealed that AEW will be adding a third hour of weekly programming with a show called Rampage. That new venture is set to debut Friday, August 13 at 10 pm on TNT.
Tony Khan chatted with Dave LaGreca and Mark Henry on the Busted Open podcast to provide more details. Khan said with a grin that the move from TNT to TBS included very fair financial considerations. Both shows will air on TBS in 2022. He also hyped the idea of quarterly supercards to air on TNT. The most intriguing tidbit to my ear was Khan promising that Rampage will be a core property equivalent to Dynamite.
"I didn't wanna do 3 hours of Dynamite...it came up about a 3rd hour & I said, 'I really believe on doing it another night'."
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) May 19, 2021
Talking to @davidlagreca1 & @TheMarkHenry, @TonyKhan broke major news on the future of @AEW Television #AEWDynamite @tntdrama @TBSNetwork #AEWRampage pic.twitter.com/41Pj0qJf32
Tony Khan: We knew that another show was coming this year, and I’ve been saying it for a long time that we were going to add another night. One hour. And I didn’t want to do three hours of Dynamite. They asked at one point if I wanted to do three hours of Dynamite when it came up about doing a third hour. And I said I really believe in doing it on another night.
This time slot, I think, is really good for the fans to keep a great night of wrestling fresh on Friday nights. And, so, at 10 pm, you’re going to have a great option to come watch Rampage.
And I promise Rampage isn’t going to be a secondary show. Rampage is going to be the partner of Dynamite, the equivalent to Dynamite. We have these two strong franchises Dynamite and Rampage, and they are our weekly core properties.
And then we’ll have our peripheral properties, probably the equivalent of what you would have seen partially a developmental show, partially a syndicated show. And I think that’s what you’ll get on Elevation and Dark. But for Rampage and Dynamite, those will be our core properties on TNT the rest of this year.
That is encouraging to hear. It is easy to say that Rampage and Dynamite will be equals, especially before Rampage even debuts, but I tend to give Khan the benefit of the doubt in this case due to how the TNT Championship has been handled. AEW has been very clear not to treat it as a secondary title, and it shows. Top names have held the belt and wrestled in the main event slot on Dynamite. They created a separate niche for the TNT belt that feels different from the world title scene yet still important. Carrying that same attitude over to Rampage will certainly be key.
One hurdle may be when AEW chooses to film Rampage. If they do a double session on Wednesdays with Dynamite, then spoilers will be out in the open from fans in attendance for Dynamite. That could affect viewership for Fridays. There is also the grind of energy required to film three excellent hours of television in one sitting. Not to mention AEW still plans on producing Elevation and Dark. They currently have the perk of Khan’s connections to do as they please in Daily’s Place. That might be a different story when renting different venues each week as AEW tours nationwide with live fans.
Will you be tuning in to Rampage if it has the same quality as Dynamite?