Spike TV sent out a press release earlier today announcing they have closed negotiations with WWE regarding renewing their five-year contract.
It is believed to now be a formality that WWE Raw and the rest of the weekend cable shows, Heat, Velocity and Experience, will be moving to the USA Network in September.
“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.”
This is a huge blow to the network, as Raw was, by far, its most popular program and led to it be the No. 4 rated network when it came to the coveted 18-34 and 18-49 demographics.
USA appears to be the only major cable option for Raw,as TNT, TBS and FX have all confirmed no negotiations nor interest in the show.