It’s been known since January that the WWE is looking to move their product to FOX. It was revealed then that Triple H had a meeting a few months prior to discuss the move with FOX Sports executives. FS President Eric Shanks, talent producer Jacob Ullman, and Colin Cowherd would attend an episode of Smackdown Live in February, possibly looking into the potential of bringing the product to their network.
The move to FOX revolves around the UFC. Should they fail to negotiate a new deal, WWE will step in to fill that slot. The latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stated that those negotiations aren’t going well. While the UFC is looking for $450 million annually, the latest deal from FOX is less than half of that, with the latest offer being for $200 million. At the moment, UFC is averaging $120 million a year with FOX.
It’s believed that a deal with WWE is more important to FOX than keeping UFC. The supposed plan is to have Monday Night Raw on FOX, while Smackdown Live will appear on FS 1. According to the Observer, $200 million is an amount that WWE would be happy with, and FOX believes that they would draw better ratings than the UFC.
