D-Von Dudley Warns AEW Could Suffer Same Fate as ECW Amid WBD Sale Talks

D-Von Dudley isn’t convinced AEW’s future on TBS and TNT is guaranteed—and he’s drawing some uncomfortable parallels to ECW’s downfall.

While Tony Khan recently told fans there’s nothing to worry about regarding AEW’s TV deal amid Warner Bros. Discovery’s possible $82.7 billion sale, D-Von has a very different view. On the Duke Loves Rasslin podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer recalled how ECW was booted from TNN in 2000 when WWE took over the network, effectively killing Paul Heyman’s promotion.

“Yeah. Well, I remember ECW being under TN—or was it called TNN? It went from TNN to Spike TV, yeah, right? And I remember there was controversy with that because WWE… was transferring over to TNN and it knocked off ECW. They couldn’t do it anymore. So, they wind up canceling the contract with ECW.”

D-Von explained how the network move left ECW scrambling for exposure—something he worries AEW could face depending on how the WBD acquisition plays out.

“We lost our TV deal. That was one of the biggest things that ECW had to show for with all the hard work… for us to be knocked off because the WWE was coming to TNN… I think that really broke ECW.”

He then asked the real question on fans’ minds: “Does that hold true with AEW if that happens?” That’s where Tony Maglio of The Hollywood Reporter stepped in—and he didn’t sugarcoat the situation. According to Maglio, AEW could absolutely end up in trouble depending on who buys WBD and how they handle the company’s wrestling content.

“Yeah, I think — I mean, listen, Devon — the history of wrestling, in terms of its physical geographical territories and its TV territories, they’re really one and the same. And you’re absolutely right.

There have been several wrestling promotions that basically got screwed because a network landed what it viewed as a better wrestling promotion — ‘better’ meaning bigger, at least in their eyes, for distribution purposes.

So AEW — I do think they could end up as a victim of this. And I say could instead of may because it feels more hypothetical. The words are similar, but it really depends on what Netflix and HBO Max do.”

Maglio made it clear that while nothing is set in stone, the wrong buyer—or the wrong bundle deal—could really shake AEW’s current standing.

“Right now, Netflix executives are saying all the right things. They’re saying they don’t have plans to merge Netflix and HBO Max. Whether that’s true long-term doesn’t really matter. What matters is how things look right now. They can’t present themselves in a way that allows someone to say, ‘See, they’re becoming a monopoly.’ They still have regulatory hurdles to clear, so they’ll say whatever they need to say publicly.

Now, do I think HBO Max and Netflix will merge into something like ‘Netflix Max’? No, because everyone recognizes the value of the HBO name. But do I think they’ll be bundled together and tied together in a lot of other ways? Absolutely.”

This comes just days after Tony Khan tried to calm concerns during the ROH Final Battle media scrum. Khan stated AEW’s deal with WBD runs until the end of 2027, and that the company will be airing “hundreds more episodes” on TBS, TNT, and Max. He also played down panic over Netflix’s involvement, noting that all bidders for WBD are already NFL media partners he’s worked with.

“First of all, it’s early to comment on anything that’s still pending. Without getting into anything that hasn’t been finalized yet, I just want to say we have a great partnership with Warner Brothers Discovery, and it will continue for many years to come.

We still have years left on our current agreement with TBS and HBO Max. There’s been wrestling on TBS since 1971—even though there was a 20-year gap in that history—and I’m proud to be continuing that legacy. We’re going to do hundreds more episodes of Dynamite.

“I can tell you for sure that at least until the very end of 2027—going into 2028—we’re going to be here for years to come. That’s over two more years with AEW on TBS, TNT, and HBO Max.

All of the bidders for Warner Brothers Discovery are also media partners of the NFL—and they’re great media partners of ours. Everyone in the running is someone we already work with on the NFL, so I have a lot of respect for all of them.”

Even then, D-Von’s concern isn’t unwarranted. Wrestling fans remember what happened to ECW—and in an industry where TV deals can make or break a company, history might be getting ready to repeat itself.

Do you think AEW is really at risk of losing its TV deal, or is D-Von Dudley just being cautious? Could another network shake-up hurt Tony Khan’s momentum? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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