ABEMA and WWE come to terms on a deal.
After nearly two years, WWE is going to air domestically in Japan. ABEMA signed a deal with WWE to exclusively broadcast Raw and SmackDown starting in October.
Raw will air every Tuesday at 8 PM starting October 3rd and SmackDown will air every Saturday, starting October 7th at 8 PM. There is going to be Japanese play-by-play for these programs and the shows will air free of charge.
WWE’s Premium Live Events will broadcast in Japan.
On September 29th, a special broadcast about WWE coming to ABEMA will air. Keiji Muto a.k.a. Great Muta noted that he’ll be there as an Ambassador of ABEMA wrestling. Muto was present at WWE Payback in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was brought to the front row for the main event between Shinsuke Nakamura and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. He was inducted into the company’s Hall of Fame this year.
In late 2021, J Sports and WWE’s 20-year partnership came to an end. J Sports had been airing Raw and SmackDown live in English, plus one hour highlight versions of the shows. There would be versions of Raw and SmackDown that J Sports would be present with Japanese subtitles.
