WWE Premium Live Events Moving To ESPN Early
Just ahead of the launch of the new ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming service, Disney has announced that WWE Premium Live Events will debut on ESPN platforms beginning September 20th 2025, months earlier than previously announced.
The first WWE PLE to kick off the ESPN partnership will be the first-ever Wrestlepalooza on Saturday, 20th September 2025, live from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis – host city of the 2025 Royal Rumble, which set the event’s all-time attendance record. Wrestlepalooza will stream live on the new ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming service, beginning at 7pm ET/4pm PT.
On September 20th 2025, ESPN becomes the exclusive U.S. domestic home of all WWE PLEs, with all PLEs available to ESPN DTC subscribers with the unlimited plan. Additional upcoming WWE PLEs this year include Crown Jewel on Saturday, 11th October 2025, and Survivor Series on Saturday, 29th November 2025.
The ESPN DTC service will stream all WWE PLEs annually, in their entirety, with select simulcasting on ESPN linear platforms. Marquee PLEs include WrestleMania and SummerSlam – both two-night events – as well as Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, Money in the Bank, among others.
WWE PLEs will be available to all ESPN DTC subscribers with the unlimited plan. WWE PLEs will be available via the ESPN hub on Disney+ for bundled subscribers. Internationally, WWE PLEs will continue to be available on Netflix.
Wrestlepalooza will feature a blockbuster headline attraction with John Cena, as well as Undisputed WWE Champion “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch, CM Punk and Drew McIntyre in major matches throughout the night. This event, held in partnership with Indiana Sports Corp, will mark the last time Cena wrestles in Indianapolis.
WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque said in a statement regarding the news of WWE moving to ESPN early:
“On September 20, WWE and ESPN are coming together for a can’t-miss event to kick off our new partnership,. The biggest Superstars in WWE. The biggest brand in sports media. Are you ready?”
WWE also announced that tickets for Wrestlepalooza will go on sale starting Friday, August 22 at 10am ET/7am PT via Ticketmaster.com. Presale for Wrestlepalooza tickets will begin tomorrow/Thursday at 10am ET/7am PT.
Roger’s Take: It was a big surprise to see ESPN become the home to WWE PLEs, but it’s even more interesting that this deal will kick off a few months earlier, rather than in 2026. It’s unclear why the shows are moving from Peacock early, but this is great timing for the launch of the new streaming version of ESPN.
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