WWE PLE To Debut On ESPN, Peacock Deal Ends Early

A major change is coming to WWE.

On August 6, it was announced that WWE’s Premium Live Events will be moving to ESPN from Peacock in early 2026. The monster deal is worth a staggering $1.6 billion across five years and will only impact fans in the United States.

However, this was followed by speculation that PLEs could move to ESPN earlier than planned.

This was later confirmed by Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live. He stated that Clash In Paris will be the last WWE PLE to be broadcast on Peacock.

“The WWE deal with Peacock for PLEs is going to wrap up with Clash In Paris. It appears all future events are going to be airing through ESPN.

So apparently what happened was they had the deal with Peacock and they were contracted to x number of pay-per-view (PLE) dates. And so because this year had two nights of SummerSlam, which is an extra PLE, the second night, and because they added the women’s Evolution show – and there might have been another show or two that they added, but I know for sure it was the second night of SummerSlam and Evolution – they have reached their quota.

So the final show on Peacock is Clash In Paris, and then everything’s going to be moving to ESPN.

What that means for Peacock through the end of this deal, which is, I think it’s like the middle of 2026, still a lot of questions that need to be answered, such as what’s going to happen to the library. I know there’s been a lot of discussion that the library may end up going to YouTube. I’m sure there are a lot of other people in the running as well. But that is a question yet to be answered.

And there is a possibility that different shows will air on Peacock between now and the end of the deal – Saturday Night’s Main Events might end up on Peacock.

NXT, I don’t know. That’s a question as well. As far as I know, they may continue to air on Peacock.

All I know for sure is WWE PLEs, Clash In Paris, that’s it, then they’re going to be going to ESPN.”

WWE Wrestlepalooza Coming To ESPN

Off the back of that report, it’s now been officially announced that ESPN will broadcast the first-ever WWE Wrestlepalooza event on September 20th. The event is set to take place at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The announcement means that WWE will go head-to-head with AEW All Out. It’s long beeen rumoured that the company was looking to counter All Out with a clash between Brock Lesnar and John Cena.

You can find the official press release below.

WWE® PREMIUM LIVE EVENTS TO DEBUT ON ESPN PLATFORMS IN THE U.S. BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 20 WITH FIRST-EVER WRESTLEPALOOZA®

John Cena to Headline Massive Main Event at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis

Tickets for Wrestlepalooza On Sale Friday, August 22 at 10am ET/7am PT
Presale Access for Wrestlepalooza Begins Tomorrow at 10am ET/7am PT

August 20, 2025 – ESPN and WWE today announced that WWE Premium Live Events will debut on ESPN platforms beginning September 20, earlier than previously announced.

The first WWE PLE to kick off the ESPN partnership will be the first-ever Wrestlepalooza on Saturday, September 20, 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 20, 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, October 11, and Survivor Series® on Saturday, November 29.

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.

“On September 20, WWE and ESPN are coming together for a can’t-miss event to kick off our new partnership,” said WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque. “The biggest Superstars in WWE. The biggest brand in sports media. Are you ready?”

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.

Additionally, official Wrestlepalooza Priority Pass packages are now available through WWE’s exclusive partner, On Location, offering fans premium seating, hospitality events featuring Superstar appearances, exclusive photo opportunities, and more. Fans can buy packages now to secure access before the general public. To learn more about Wrestlepalooza Priority Pass packages or to purchase, please visit: https://onlocationexp.com/wweindy.

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.

ESPN will launch its new DTC streaming service and a set of new features on an enhanced ESPN App on Thursday, August 21. Fans can visit http://stream.espn.com/ for more information on ESPN DTC options and pricing.

It was intially reported on August 18 that WWE was set to run and event under the Wrestlepalooza name in September. The name had previously been used by ECW through the mid-to-late 1990s.

H/t to Wrestle Talk