Report: WWE staying with NBCUniversal with deal 'near' completion

Although the official announcement has yet to be made, Variety.com is reporting -- and keep in mind WWE has used that outlet to break news to many times before -- that WWE and NBCUniversal are "near a new deal" to keep the pro wrestling company airing its programming on USA and SyFy, respectively.

That means Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown are staying put.

From the report:

Although financial details of the deal have not yet been disclosed, analysts on Wall Street believe WWE has been able to double the licensing fees for its shows. In 2013, it earned $160.9 million from broadcast rights around the world, and $139.5 million in 2012. Just how long the shows will air on NBCUniversal's channels under the new pact also has not yet been revealed.

As of Thursday morning, a new contract had not yet officially been signed, but sources close to the talks said it should be completed shortly.

The official announcement could be made later today when NBC holds its upfronts in New York to announce its fall cable schedule. Because WWE is touring Europe at the moment, they won't have a big presence as in year's past but the Bella twins are set to appear.

There's still plenty of new information to come, like how long the deal will run, how much higher a fee WWE commanded, and whether or not SmackDown will move to Tuesday as a live show.

Stay tuned.