Posted in: Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: aew, double or nothing, itv, wrasslin, wrestling

AEW Partners With ITV to Air Double or Nothing PPV in UK

Published Wed, 08 May 2019 13:05:09 -0500

Pro wrestling fans are eagerly awaiting news on an American TV deal for upstart wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling, but fans in the UK got some good news Wednesday as AEW announced a deal with UK television network ITV to air Double or Nothing on the ITV Box Office channel. A press release laid out the details of the deal, which will also see the Double or Nothing pre-show, Before the Bell, air on ITV4, potentially driving viewers to purchase the PPV.

AEW is expected to announce an American TV deal sometime in the new future, and this new relationship with ITV could open the door for AEW's as-yet-unannounced regular wrestling program to air in the UK as well. Check out the press release below for all the details.

ITV ANNOUNCES AEW "DOUBLE OR NOTHING" WRESTLING EVENT FOR ITV BOX OFFICE

— All Elite Wrestling's Highly Anticipated PPV Show will Ignite the Screen with Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, The Young Bucks, Cody, SCU, and more —

LONDON, UK, (May 8, 2019) – ITV, the largest commercial television network in the UK, announced a partnership today with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), the new wrestling promotion headlined by members of The Elite, to broadcast the highly anticipated DOUBLE OR NOTHING event on its ITV Box Office channel.

Fans across the UK can look forward to seeing all the drama, action and entertainment live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on the night of Saturday 25 May going into Sunday 26 May. DOUBLE OR NOTHING, which sold out in under 30 minutes, features an electrifying card packed with stars including the headline clash between Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho. The wrestling world will rock as Cody takes on his brother Dustin Rhodes, The Young Bucks battle the Lucha Bros for the AAA World Tag Team Championship, Hangman Adam Page clashes with PAC, and Britt Baker, Nyla Rose and Kylie Rae compete in a three-way match.

Additionally, before the live pay-per-view event begins at 1:00 a.m. GMT, Sunday, May 26, the hourlong live pre-show special BUY-IN will air for free on ITV4 at midnight. BUY-IN includes the first ever "Casino (Battle) Royale," which will see 21 competitors including Jimmy Havoc, Billy
Gunn, MJF, Michael Nakzawa, Jungle Boy, Glacier, Sonny Kiss, and Joey Janela entering the ring in waves of five wrestlers every three minutes followed by one final entrant, lucky number 21, all fighting it out in the ring until there is one winner, whose reward will be a future title shot against the first ever AEW World Champion. BUY-IN will also feature a pair of high-flyers squaring off one-on-one as the UK's own Kip Sabian will face Sammy Guevara.

"We're delighted to announce this partnership with AEW, whose entry into professional wrestling is already making a massive impact on the industry and promises to deliver an electrifying event later this month, and a fantastic experience for our viewers and wrestling fans in the UK," said Niall Sloane, Director of Sport, ITV. "Joining forces with AEW for this event is faithful to ITV's More Than TV strategy to develop direct relationships with viewers through big events available on its platforms."

"We've stated since our launch that we want to make this the greatest time ever to be a professional wrestling fan, and part of this plan is to make our product as accessible as possible to a global audience," said Tony Khan, President/CEO of AEW. "Since our launch in January, we've signed the best talent, sold out our debut show in record time, and we've built relationships and formed bonds with the best media partners like ITV. This collaboration with ITV is so important to AEW, ITV is the best in the UK, they were always my first choice to be our international PPV partner for DOUBLE OR NOTHING, and we're looking forward to a great show."

In addition, a special pre-event show "Before the Bell" will air for free on ITV4 and ITV Box Office in the build up to the DOUBLE OR NOTHING broadcast. Details about how to access DOUBLE OR NOTHING on ITV Box Office can be found at www.itvboxoffice.com.