AEW’s television future may have just hit a pressure point — and it all stems from corporate merger talk.

During a recent discussion on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer broke down what the proposed Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger could mean for AEW. While much of the conversation centered around expanded streaming reach, one particular scenario stood out — and it directly involves the fate of AEW Collision.

>“On paper it’s a good thing for AEW and for UFC because the subscription base for HBO Max and for Paramount Plus has very little overlap.”

>“When they talked about UFC, they did not talk about AEW. They talked about sports. And AEW is listed as entertainment, not sports.”

>“When they talked about UFC, one of the things that they talked about was the idea that we can put UFC back on cable.”

That distinction matters. UFC was positioned as a key sports asset. AEW wasn’t part of that same conversation. Then came the moment that raised real eyebrows. Executives floated the idea of putting UFC back on cable television — specifically mentioning TNT and Saturday nights.

>“They’re only a couple weeks in… and that immediately told me — no one has said this or will admit this — that they already realized that they made a bad deal.”

Collision currently airs Saturday nights on TNT — the exact slot being discussed for UFC programming. Meltzer laid out multiple possible outcomes. Some could help AEW. But one scenario stands out as the worst case.

>“The worst case scenario is, you know, they just go, ‘Hey, we’re gonna put the UFC on. It’s gonna draw more viewers than AEW,’ and get rid of Collision.”

There are softer landing options — UFC as a lead-in to boost Collision numbers, or moving AEW to another night like Thursday or to TBS. But corporate mergers are often followed by cost-cutting and programming consolidation. In that environment, lower-rated shows become vulnerable.