Tag: Max

Daily Update: Jazz, HBO Max, Swerve Strickland

Posted on by Joseph Currier

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  • Max, the streaming service that AEW is simulcast on, announced that it will be changing its name back to HBO Max starting this summer.
  • AEW, Reebok, and Champs Sports are collaborating together for a Swerve Strickland sneaker that will be released on May 28. Reebok’s Allen Iverson’s Answer 3 sneaker is the base of the shoe with customization based on Strickland’s Killmonger gear from when he won the AEW World Championship at Dynasty 2024.
  • Will Ospreay would like to see more tournaments in AEW: “Tournaments are the heart of pro wrestling. It gives people opportunities to tell their own stories and potentially have someone to climb up the card with shocking wins. Love to see in AEW do a king of trios, Tag League, Women’s Continental Classic or cruiserweight/Jr cup”
  • Ricochet appeared on The Battleground Podcast.
  • Thunder Rosa and Hologram took part in Mexican Heritage Night at Tuesday’s Chicago Cubs vs. Miami Marlins game.
  • ECW founder Tod Gordon was the guest on a new episode of Talk is Jericho.
  • NJPW’s English-language website posted part two of its interview with Best of the Super Juniors competitor MAO.
  • Ninja Mack reacted to The Pat McAfee Show playing his viral back handspring spot from BOSJ: “Yo, @PatMcAfeeShow Thank you. I’m just casually watching the Pat McAfee show like I do every day. The next thing I see is a [ninja] flipping down your screen and you talking about New Japan Pro Wrestling. Yall are amazing, @PatMcAfeeShow every day for life. Let’s go”
  • As part of a new “experiences” feature being offered by Airbnb, fans can pay to meet CMLL wrestler Retro and get tips from him in the ring at Arena Mexico.
  • Nikki & Brie Garcia also have an Airbnb experience where people can sample their wine and watch a live taping of their podcast.
  • Women’s Wrestling Talk uploaded an interview with Saraya.
  • Irish wrestler LJ Cleary, a free agent, is now fully based out of Orlando, Florida and is taking bookings with his U.S. work visa approved.
  • Matt Cardona turns 40 years old today.

AEW to add more archive content to Max library

Posted on by Josh Nason

Two months after beginning to make early archive content available on the Max streaming service, AEW will add even more coming up in just a few weeks.

First reported by PWInsider Friday, the remaining 30 pay-per-views from 2020 through 2024 will arrive on Saturday, March 1st. At that point, all AEW PPVs and special events (like 2019’s Fight for the Fallen and Fyter Fest) in the company’s history will be available to stream.

The next shoe to drop is the availability of the full archive of Dynamite, Collision and Rampage episodes which is currently limited to 2019, late-2024, and every show since January 1, 2025 when the new AEW/WBD contract began. The rollout plan for that content is still not known.

Also unknown is the date when current day PPVs will be able to be purchased via Max at a discount and the discount they will be offered at. It’s also unknown what the window of time will be between a current day PPV airing and then it becoming available to stream on Max for those that didn’t purchase it.

Logan & Jake Paul to star in reality show on Max

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: WWE

Despite a social media tease earlier this week, the Paul brothers won’t be fighting in a ring anytime soon.

Instead, Jake and Logan Paul announced Thursday that they will start in a new reality show about their lives called Paul American that will debut on the Max streaming service on Thursday, March 27th.

The hype clip seen below shows the two talking about how they understand how to create viral media by being villains and bad guys. Their mother, girlfriends, and other relatives are also shown in the promo. Logan is shown competing in WWE while Jake is shown boxing, indicating there will be some behind-the-scenes footage of both industries.

The 29-year-old Logan will be part of this Saturday’s WWE Royal Rumble, competing in the men’s Rumble match. He hasn’t wrestled since losing the United States Championship to LA Knight at last August’s SummerSlam.

He and his fiancee, Nina Agdal, welcomed their first child in September.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn0y1yzUSWw&ab_channel=Max

Chris Jericho: AEW’s Max deal is ‘the way of the future’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Chris Jericho believes AEW content streaming on Max is an important step for the company.

As part of AEW’s new media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, Dynamite and Collision are now both simulcast live on Max in addition to their regular television channels. AEW pay-per-views will also be available to purchase on Max starting at some point this year.

Jericho told The Takedown that he believes streaming deals like this are the way of the future. He thinks cable television will “pretty much go away” at some point, so having a foothold on Max is key for AEW.

“Well, it’s kind of the way, the way of the future,” Jericho said. “I think cable television as a whole will pretty much go away at some point, because there is so much emphasis on streaming. Just the quality of the picture, the fact you can watch it whenever you want to. All of those things are such a positive. So even though we have such a great relationship with Warner Brothers and TNT and TBS, I think it’s very important that we were able to move on to Max.”

Viewership information for the Max simulcasts of Dynamite and Collision has not been made publicly available. Last week, Fightful reported that AEW content “has been among the top streamed live sports events” on Max since the Dynamite and Collision simulcasts began.

“The whole business is based on television revenue nowadays. Before it was pay-per-view and it was live attendance, and it was all that sort of thing, and now it solely rests on the television deal you can get. We’ve had ups and downs as far as ratings and demos go, but we still always do really, really well on cable. If we’re not number one or two, we’re in the top five, and at the very least the top 10, and that’s out of 1000s of shows.

In his interview with The Takedown, Jericho said that — with AEW’s new media rights deal in place — the promotion can now really concentrate on furthering the things it does well and improving the things that can be improved.

“The whole business is based on television revenue nowadays. Before it was pay per view and it was live attendance, and it was all that sort of thing, and now it solely rests on the television deal you can get. We’ve had ups and downs as far as ratings and demos go, but we still always do really, really well on cable. If we’re not number one or two, we’re in the top five, and at the very least the top 10, and that’s out of 1000s of shows,” he said.

“So, it’s a very valuable property and I think we all knew that within AEW and anybody Tony surrounds himself with, but there’s a lot of pundits and critics that still to this day don’t see how valuable AEW is and how much it’s growing. The television deal is $185 million a year. I mean, that’s next level. That’s pretty much four times that we were getting. So, I think that there was a sigh of relief, not that we didn’t know we could get it, but just now that it’s locked in, now we can get to work and really concentrate on the things that we need to concentrate on, both to continue upward ascension in some areas and to improve in others.”

Jericho is the current Ring of Honor World Champion in addition to competing on AEW programming.

WBD announces details on AEW content library availability on Max

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In a press release on Thursday, Max promoted AEW’s upcoming arrival to the streaming service and provided some details on what library content will be available at launch.

AEW Dynamite and Collision will be simulcast live on Max starting with the Fight for the Fallen edition of Dynamite from Asheville, North Carolina on New Year’s Day 2025. The shows will still air live on their regular broadcast homes (TBS and TNT respectively) in addition to this new way to watch.

Dynamite and Collision will also be available to watch on demand on Max after their live airings.

The press release notes that all Dynamite episodes from 2019 — along with all AEW pay-per-views from that year — will be available for Max subscribers to watch when AEW launches on the service on January 1. In addition to that, so will the past couple of months of AEW television programming. The remainder of the library will be added “on a rolling basis.”

“AEW Dynamite, AEW Collision, AEW Rampage and all AEW pay-per-view library content through the end of 2024, representing more than 700 hours of AEW action, will be made available on Max on a rolling basis,” the press release said. “At launch, all AEW Dynamite episodes and pay-per-views from the company’s inaugural 2019 year will be available, as well as more than two months of the most recent AEW programming that aired across WBD’s networks (select episodes will be made available shortly after launch).”

The Max component is part of AEW’s new media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery. It will include AEW PPVs being distributed on Max starting later in 2025, but a date has not been set for that aspect yet because Max is still developing the technology for it. Further information will be announced in the coming months.

“As previously announced, AEW and WBD will also collaborate to distribute AEW live pay-per-view events on Max, with all marketing and promotions of those PPV events exclusively centered on Max,” WBD stated. “AEW PPV distribution on Max will begin later in 2025, with additional information and pricing to be shared in the coming months.”

AEW and WBD are promoting this as a new era for the promotion with the start of the Max deal:

The Latest: AEW PPVs reportedly heading to Max & more wrestling news

Posted on by Denise Salcedo


Welcome to another episode of The Latest with Denise Salcedo breaking down the biggest wrestling news headlines of the week so far.

Topics:

–Report: AEW PPVs to stream on MAX in 2025

–Miro reportedly has requested AEW release

–Britt Baker to make in-ring return on fifth anniversary edition of AEW Dynamite

— WWE SmackDown potentially moving to three hours in January 2025

— Chelsea Green vs. Michin dumpster match official for October 4 WWE SmackDown

— Eric Young Discusses WWE and TNA Partnership, plus TNA Wrestling’s recent sellout success 

Report: AEW PPVs to stream on Max in 2025

Posted on by Ian Carey

AEW’s pay-per-views will reportedly have a new home in 2025.

According to Andrew Zarian on today’s Mat Men podcast, they will stream on Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service MAX beginning in January, and possibly even sooner.

“They will be on MAX in January,” Zarian said. “They could do it sooner but I do know that they are planning on January. I do know that pay-per-views are going to be on there. They don’t have an exclusivity on the pay-per-views, so it will also be available other places. It’s like WWE is, you can still order those pay-per-views that are available on Peacock.”

Our own Dave Meltzer has a premium article up on the site for subscribers analyzing the reported deal. Meltzer noted that PPVs streaming on MAX is part of the package with WBD.

“Those close to the situation have confirmed MAX being part of the PPV package, although it’s not detailed yet as to what form this will take,” Meltzer wrote.

Longtime sports business journalist John Ourand reported recently that AEW and WBD are set to announce a new media rights deal as early as next week. During a recent appearance on Busted Open Radio, Tony Khan wouldn’t confirm the reports but did say he’s certain AEW will be on TBS and TNT for a long time.

“I know they have been reporting things that are very interesting. There are a lot of reports and rumors. I have not confirmed and Warner Brothers has not confirmed anything officially,” he said, adding he has not leaked any info. “I think we have a really exciting future there. I can say with 100% certainty, AEW and TBS and TNT are here to stay for a long time.”

‘The Iron Claw’ to begin streaming on Max next month

Posted on by Joseph Currier

“The Iron Claw,” A24’s critically acclaimed biopic on the Von Erich family, is coming to streaming next month.

The movie will be available to stream on Max starting on Friday, May 10. This comes five months after “The Iron Claw” was released in theaters in December 2023.

Starring Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich, “The Iron Claw” tells the story of the Von Erich family tragedy and how Kevin survived after the deaths of his brothers. Jeremy Allen White (Kerry Von Erich), Harris Dickinson (David Von Erich), Holt McCallany (Fritz Von Erich), Maura Tierney (Doris Von Erich), Stanley Simons (Mike Von Erich), and Lily James (Kevin’s wife Pam) also had featured roles in the film. 

Sean Durkin was the director of “The Iron Claw.” AEW star MJF played a small role in the film and has an executive producer credit.

A24 Films and HBO announced a multi-year deal last December to make Max the streaming home of A24’s movies.

The Iron Claw has an 89 percent positive rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. It was not nominated for any Academy Awards.

Wrestling Observer Live: The Rock returns to WWE TV

Posted on by Andrew Zarian

 am back with another Sunday edition of Wrestling Observer Live, talking about the top stories in professional wrestling.

The big story this week is The Rock’s return to WWE SmackDown which followed his appearance on the Pat McAfee Show where he revealed that he was supposed to headline WrestleMania 39 with Roman Reigns. I discuss all this and the possibility that we might finally get this match at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia.

I also follow up on my report from this week’s Mat Men Podcast on the likelihood that AEW will be streaming on Max soon with an expanded pay-per-view schedule.

Plus, I give my thoughts on Saturday’s AEW Collision and a preview of this week’s Wednesday’s Grand Slam from Queens, NY, taking place on Dynamite and Rampage.

Click Here To Listen (sub needed) or watch above on YouTube (sub needed)

Tony Khan: My dream is for the AEW library to be available on Max

Posted on by Josh Nason

While there has still been no public-facing news on his content library finding a domestic home in North America, AEW head Tony Khan made it clear that he wants it to be in the WBD universe.

Among the topics covered in his interview with PWInsider, Khan told Mike Johnson it would be “my dream” for his entire catalog of AEW and Ring of Honor content to end up on WBD’s Max streaming service.

“Right now, AEW All Access is available on Max, which is very cool, and hopefully, that is a step in the right direction getting our stuff streaming. We have a great library. All together with everything I own, it’s thousands of hours of great wrestling. The AEW catalog has grown so much considering we bootstrapped and started this thing from scratch four years ago. I believe the streaming service will happen. As to where it is and what platform it is, that’s something that I believe largely will be influenced by Warner Brothers,” he said.

With the addition of AEW Collision earlier this summer, AEW content is now contractually exclusive to WBD properties in North America while AEW historical content can be seen on AEW Plus through FITE.

In talking about this month’s All In at London’s Wembley Stadium, Khan also continued his recent claims about AEW’s dominance in the UK, saying that “our tv ratings make us by far the number one wrestling company across in the UK on television.”

“(Being on ITV) puts our shows in front of the most eyeballs of any wrestling show in the UK where we are number one. Now, we’re also the number one live event wrestling company with the success of AEW All In,” he said.