WWE Announces Wrestlepalooza as First ESPN-Era PLE – WWE has officially confirmed that the company’s first Premium Live Event under the new ESPN partnership will be Wrestlepalooza, set to take place in Indianapolis this September.
The debut Wrestlepalooza will emanate from Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday, September 20, marking the beginning of WWE’s new streaming era. The show will be the first WWE PLE to stream live on ESPN’s upcoming direct-to-consumer service, which launches this week.
While the ESPN deal was originally not scheduled to begin until 2026, WWE is finishing its PLE commitments with Peacock at the end of this month. That change has allowed Wrestlepalooza to be added to the schedule, kicking off the new streaming agreement ahead of plan.
“On September 20, WWE and ESPN are coming together for a can’t-miss event to kick off our new partnership,” Paul “Triple H” Levesque said in a press release. “The biggest Superstars in WWE. The biggest brand in sports media. Are you ready?”
Although no matches are official yet, it is expected that the event will be headlined by John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar. ESPN’s promotional material lists Cena, Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, CM Punk, and Drew McIntyre for the card, though Lesnar has not been advertised at this time.
Tickets for Wrestlepalooza go on sale to the general public this Friday, August 22, at 10 a.m. EST.
The WWE-ESPN PLE deal is reported to be worth $1.6 billion, or $325 million annually. In addition to ESPN’s streaming platform, select events are expected to be simulcast on television. The new service, priced at $29.99 per month or $299.99 annually, will also carry Crown Jewel in October and Survivor Series in November. Some existing ESPN cable subscribers will gain access at no extra cost.
For international fans, Netflix remains the broadcast home for WWE PLEs, with Wrestlepalooza streaming on the platform outside of the United States.
WWE Announces Wrestlepalooza as First ESPN-Era PLE
