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WWE Starts New Release Spree Amid Restructuring

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Ahead of Clash in Paris PLE, WWE continues its pattern of roster adjustment with talent releases.

However, of late, the Stamford promotion has been under a different leadership in TKO, and the change is noticeable.

Fightful Select has reported that instead of releasing on-screen talents, WWE has let go several backstage staff working in production and social media.

While currently around a dozen staff members have been released, it has yet to be confirmed whether or not the the process has ended.

It is also to be noted that the recent releases have less to do with budget cuts and is more in relation to eliminating a few current roles or shifting people into other roles.

WWE Set For Early ESPN Debut

A press release issued by ESPN on August 6 stated that it had signed a lucrative five-year deal with WWE valued at $1.6 billion.

This partnership would allow the Stamford-based company to utilize ESPN’s online service to stream its premium live events starting early 2026.

Some fans welcomed this news, owing to ESPN’s superior streaming quality, as others expressed outrage due to its streaming service being considerably more expensive than Peacock’s.

Meanwhile, Peacock has seemingly completed its quota of PLE numbers on its platform, allowing WWE to test out ESPN before their deal goes under way early next year.

Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer confirmed that Clash in Paris will be the last premium live event to air on Peacock.

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.

The World Wrestling Entertainment also announced that ESPN will host its first-ever Wrestlepalooza event on September 20, which also means that it will clash with AEW’s All Out.

Wrestlepalooza was a pay-per-view event used by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in the 1990s.

John Cena, who is in his retirement tour, will headline Wrestlepalooza.