Fight Grid
BREAKING: (9:06 am est)
Major report out of Newark, New Jersey; on the eve of EAW mega-event ‘Pain for Pride Festival’ it has been announced that the Fox network has acquired the all-female brand, EAW Empire, for a 2 year, $1B broadcast deal that will last until mid 2020. From what has been gathered, Empire will retain it’s original time slot of Thursday Night prime time airings and will continue to be aired live.
This is not the first time EAW has done business with Fox; in the year 2015 the “Dynasty Wrestling” incarnation of Friday Night Dynasty moved over to the Fox Sports 1 network for Season 9 before switching back over to the USA network with NBC Universal. This current deal with Fox however is reported to be the most lucrative deal in the history of EAW, and may heavily influence negotiations when the current television contracts for Showdown, Dynasty and Voltage expire at the end of Season 12.
It has also been reported that Fox officials are high on the prospects of having EAW Hall of Famers Cameron Ella Ava, Kendra Shamez and Madison Kaline as a focal part of the Empire product due to the familiarity of their names. Officials are also excited to promote talent they view as potential future transcendent stars, with the names Astraea Jordan and Kassidy Heart being brought up quite a few times. Fox officials have also expressed desires to work closely with Stephanie Matsuda and Empire GM Flannery McCoy to establish ambassador roles, as they are believed to represent core values in women’s wrestling as well as being the two individuals “most in touch with the core audience.”
The reaction out of EAW Headquarters is said to be exceedingly optimistic, and many changes are to be expected entering the next EAW season following the 2018 EAW Draft. Check back with EAW Fight Grid for any future updates.
