WWE news, rumors: Fox deal reportedly includes weekly TV studio show, CM Punk trial update
The dominant news story surrounding WWE as of late is, without question, the reported agreed-upon deal that will send SmackDown Live to Fox in October 2019 for an astonishing $1 billion over five years. While the deal still needs to be finalized, details are beginning to emerge that show how Fox was able to land professional wrestling on its network. One particular promise named in the negotiations is where we begin our look at some of the biggest WWE headlines for Wednesday, May 30.
Fox promises WWE weekly studio show
Wednesday morning, The Hollywood Reporter dropped a report which reveals the recent negotiations in great detail. There were many interesting tidbits in the report -- including Stephanie McMahon and Triple H being at the forefront of the talks -- but one small detail seemed to stand out to WWE fans the most. During the pitch to WWE, the man responsible for putting Fox broadcasting on the map, Rupert Murdoch, assured WWE executives that they would not only be embraced by their new broadcasting home, but a weekly studio television show would be added to the deal as well.
The elder Murdoch insisted NBCU was "embarrassed by your product." Fox, he said, would fully embrace WWE, with SmackDown promos airing across sports programming every night of the week, along with a weekly studio show on FS1.
With SmackDown Live being the brand on the move as part of this deal, the quick assumption to make is that "Talking Smack" could be revived in some form. The post-SmackDown Live talk show aired weekly on the WWE Network and was an instant hit with the fans for the realism that it brought to the table, but was unceremoniously cancelled for reasons still unknown. A potential date and time for the weekly FS1 show was not included in the report, but Fox and WWE have ample time to figure all of that out. Renee Young, who headed up "Talking Smack," of course has already volunteered her services for the potential FS1 show.
Whatever the case ends up being, this entire report from Wednesday makes it crystal clear why WWE ultimately decided to partner up with Fox for the foreseeable future.
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