Freddie Prinze Jr. Says He Knows WWE Is Talking To Disney And Amazon

Freddie Prinze Jr. has predicted that Amazon could emerge as the frontrunner to secure WWE's media rights deal, which is set to expire in 2024. Speaking on his "Wrestling With Freddie" podcast, Prinze revealed he learned about Amazon's growing interesting WWE programming when he pitched the idea of his wrestling promotion to the tech powerhouse. 

"I know for a fact that Amazon is interested in wrestling because I was talking to them about my federation," Prinze revealed. "That's where I think it's going to go. They're gonna offer way more money than they offered me [laughs] that's for sure. They've already jumped into the live sports format with NFL Thursday Night Football." 

Freddie pointed out how Amazon rarely releases viewership numbers from its shows, which could not necessarily bode well for WWE's popularity. "The downside is, if it goes to Amazon, how many people stop watching wrestling?" As for the upside of WWE going to Amazon, Prinze Jr. argued WWE could start producing more adult content — something WWE CEO Nick Khan recently spoke about. However, if WWE's media rights were to be acquired by Disney, the possibility of an edgier program can almost instantly be ruled out.

"That's the concern for wrestling fans," Freddie stressed, citing the example of "Deadpool" being acquired by Disney. "If Disney has its hands on WWE, we were just trying to get to a more Rated-R type of content — even WWE has talked about it. And now you're gonna go to a place where no adult content is allowed? Maybe it's an extreme view on Disney, but they turn sports into soap operas."

WWE's five-year deals with Comcast and FOX are set to expire in October 2024. According to New York Post, WWE's exclusive negotiating window with its current partners has expired, meaning WWE is free to open talks with other media companies who might be interested in the rights to "WWE SmackDown," "WWE Raw," and "WWE NXT."