New WWE, ESPN Partnership Kicks Off With First-Ever WWE-Branded Wrestlepalooza

New WWE, ESPN Partnership Kicks Off With First-Ever WWE-Branded WrestlepaloozaFive-year deal makes ESPN the exclusive U.S. destination for WWE premium live eventsBy Mark J Burns, SVG Contributor

Friday, September 19, 2025 - 10:56 am

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ESPN has provided comprehensive coverage of the WWE all week as part of a new five-year partnership between the sports-broadcast giant and the global entertainment brand. The coverage will culminate in the first WWE premium live event dubbed Wrestlepalooza.

The event, on Saturday starting at 7 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, will be livestreamed on the new ESPN direct-to-consumer app in the U.S. exclusively for fans subscribing to the ESPN unlimited plan, either directly or as a pay-TV subscriber.

We couldn't be happier to super-serve WWE fans in a manner in which they, candidly, have never been served before, says Matt Kenny, programming and acquisitions lead, ESPN. As a company, we're storytellers at heart, and there's no shortage of compelling storylines that play out across the WWE universe. We're thrilled with where we are, what we have in store this week, and how we're going to walk hand in hand with WWE as we usher in this new era for the WWE.

He notes that audience expansion is a big priority for the broadcaster. We want to get younger. We want to get more diverse. We want better gender diversity on our platforms. We believe WWE is a big part of that solution as we move forward in our new direct-to-consumer world.

With the Wrestlepalooza festivities, ESPN is producing special onsite pre-event shows in Indianapolis, including an ESPN Wrestlepalooza special airing today at 3 p.m. on ESPN2 and on the ESPN app. Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton will serve as a guest analyst alongside host Peter Rosenberg.

Meanwhile, SportsCenter will air from Indianapolis on Friday at 6 p.m. Anchor Elle Duncan will be joined by Haliburton, and other WWE superstars will make appearances. That's pretty special, says Kenny.

Tonight, ESPN Radio will air a two-hour program starting at 10 p.m., with WWE Hall of Famer Booker T and Brad Gilmore providing analysis, insider stories, and a general preview ahead of the inaugural Wrestlepalooza.

Says John Lasker, SVP, direct to consumer, ESPN, We aren't starting from zero here. ESPN has been covering the WWE for a very long time. Some of these athletes have been on our shows. We do have a section on ESPN.com. We've recognized the power of WWE and, in particular the crossover in fandom that exists from fans of WWE that are also sports fans.

On Saturday, the two-hour Road to Wrestlepalooza, which will lead into WWE's pre-show for the PLE at 5 p.m., will be available on ESPN's social-media platforms along with the ESPN app. Actor O'Shea Jackson Jr. and T.J. Jefferson, hosts of No Contest Wrestling, will co-host Road to Wrestlepalooza, joined by special guests, ESPN personalities, and WWE superstars. ESPN's Katie Feeney, a recently hired sports and lifestyle content creator, will be part of ESPN's onsite social presence, providing a first-person perspective.

This Saturday night, just on our own networks, there's a lot of great college football games going on, says Lasker. We get excited about the features and functionality, and one of those is multiview: fans are going to be sitting there on Saturday night and watching Wrestlepalooza and Miami vs. Florida at the same time and can sort of super in and super out as they wish. Our hope is that it's going to drive more interest and engagement in the WWE and vice versa, that WWE fans that are coming to us get to experience and become fans of the other sports content that we'll be able to present to them.

There's growth and opportunity, he continues, and excitement in terms of how we serve sports fans irrespective of the competitive set. The more sports fans that are on our platform Saturday night watching various things is good for all of us.

Declining to provide specific metrics or figures for declaring the ESPN and WWE partnership a success, he emphasizes continuing to expand ESPN's overall audience with new subscribers as well as creating more content and programming value for existing subscribers.

When asked whether ESPN would have interest in a WWE talk show or debate-style programming similar to NFL Live or Baseball Tonight, Lasker says, WWE is now sort of infused in the bloodstream here. He notes that the broadcaster is still in the infancy stages of its agreement with the WWE: the official first event is this weekend.

Just like we cover other sports, he adds, you should expect that we'll have regular coverage of WWE throughout, and that is the opportunity. What evolves from there over five years, who knows? I'm excited to see what that becomes.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2025/09/19/new-wwe-espn-partnership-kicks-...
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