And So It Begins: TKO is “Furious” that CM Punk is “leaking” TV rights details
Anonymous No.12651172 View ViewReport Quoted By:
From Ibou of Wrestlepurists:
>A rumor started easier this week that WBD was interested in signing the WWE and, more dramatically, booting all AEW programming from their networks
>This caught fire online especially as wrestling journalist Nick Hausman elevated the story and claimed that Punk had, indeed, made a major impact on TV rights negotiations
>Wrestlepurists can now confirm that WWE and TKO officials did meet with WBD leadership, as is to be expected during TV negotiations, but there is absolutely no basis to the idea that WBD was going to air WWE programming or that they intended to remove AEW to do it. Indeed, this rumor appears to come directly from Nick Hausman vis Reddit before being reposted in countless locations
>TKO management was furious that closed door negotiations were being discussed online and, reportedly, felt that the leaked reports “diminished the value of WWE without CM Punk”.
>The original post’s extremely positive spin on Punk “set off some alarms” within TKO who quickly used their online PR team to find the original post and reach out to Hausman, who admitted that he “embellished some details” in an attempt to “keep one of [his] sources happy”.
>TKO then spoke to Punk early on Friday December 15th to discuss their policy regarding “leaking” information.
>There is no heat on Punk right now but we are told he is “being watched” as there’s some concern he may have jeopardized negotiations with other networks in an effort to “get back at” AEW