One of the more interesting stories that’s been swimming around the rumor mill is WWE’s interest in running independent programming on the Network. Today, we got a lot more detail on what could be taking place.
According to the Wrestling Observer (subscription required), a deal with UK promotion Insane Championship Wrestling–which we previously reported on–is already completed, and could be officially announced as soon as this week.
The deal reportedly involves WWE paying an annual fee of $50,000 for the programming on a three-year deal, which would end in 2020.
A deal with another UK promotion, Progress, is reportedly also completed, and could be part of the same announcement. Over The Top Wrestling has also been mentioned.
WWE has also reportedly been in contact Revolution Pro for a similar deal, but the latter promotion features a lot of talent from Ring of Honor and New Japan, who would likely not be allowed on WWE Network programming.
The programming is not expected to be on the Network live stream, but rather available on demand.
What are your thoughts on WWE getting into the indie broadcast business? Is it good for wrestling, or is Vince McMahon trying to build a monopoly? Let us know in the comments, or on Facebook!