Major Update:
Spike TV announced today in a press release that they have closed negotiations with WWE about renewing a deal.
We are now under the assumption that RAW, Heat, Velocity and Experience will be moving to the USA network in September of this year.
"After several months of negotiations, we have decided to end our discussions about extending our relationship with WWE beyond September 2005," wrote Spike TV in a press release. "Moving forward, Spike TV will expand its investments in original programming and new acquisitions for its core audience."
USA appears to be the only major cable option for Raw, as TNT, TBS and FX have all confirmed no negotiations.
And:
We have some major news that has the possibility of changing the landscape of pro wrestling as we know it. In a press statement released this week, SpikeTV announced, "After several months of negotiations, we have decided to end our discussions about extending our relationship with WWE beyond September 2005. Moving forward, Spike TV will expand its investments in original programming and new acquisitions for its core audience."
Wherever RAW winds up, With WWE leaving SpikeTV in September, that leaves a HUGE opening in Spike's Monday night primetime slot. There is a lot of speculation that TNA representatives will be meeting with SpikeTV and Viacom very shortly about the possibility of TNA taking over RAW's timeslot.
At this time, it is unknown whether or not WWE and SpikeTV have a no-complete clause whereas SpikeTV could not air another wrestling program in RAW's timeslot for a certain period of time. If this is not the case, SpikeTV can begin airing a weekly Monday night TNA show immediately and steal the momentum left behind from RAW. As hard as WWE would try to alert their fans that they were switching networks, there would still be a large portion of their audience that would tune into SpikeTV the week after RAW was gone out of habit.
Theoretically, if WWE's contract with Spike ended immediately following the end of the last RAW broad cast, TNA could air "Monday Night Impact" RIGHT AFTER RAW was over. This would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for TNA to seize that opportunity and reignite the Monday Night Wars. We will have more on this blockbuster story as it develops.
whoa. A return of the monday night wars. This is just what we needed. Seriously, WWE had some of it's best moments during it's war with WCW and TNA can now step up to the plate and show us what they are made of and force WWE to do the same.