ESPN’s WWE WrestlePalooza Launch Sparks Outrage as Cable Subscribers Locked Out – WWE’s $1.6 billion partnership with ESPN was supposed to kick off in grand fashion at WrestlePalooza, but for many fans, the highly anticipated debut turned into a frustrating ordeal. From the moment viewers tried to log in, confusion reigned as ESPN’s new ESPN Unlimited tier—required to stream WWE premium live events—left traditional cable subscribers shut out.
On Fightful’s Backstage Report podcast, Sean confirmed what many suspected: this wasn’t a technical glitch. “There’s also never a plan for ESPN to reach like a last-minute agreement with cable providers to carry ESPN Unlimited,” he said. “They want you to sign up for Hulu Live, because that’s their deal. That’s what they want.” Sean added that ESPN’s approach was deliberate and consistent with statements made on the company’s own media call leading up to WrestlePalooza.
“That’s their goal. Not cable. Not Spectrum,” he emphasized.
This strategy mirrors comments made by ESPN Senior Vice President of DTC, John Lasker, who told reporters days before the event that only Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, DirecTV, Spectrum, and Verizon Fios customers would initially have access to ESPN Unlimited. Others would have to wait as ESPN slowly expanded the tier. “We’re not 100% there today, but over the next couple of months, the vast majority of folks that are subscribed to ESPN through an MVPD will have access to our ESPN Unlimited plan and then therefore have access to all the PLEs to come,” Lasker explained.
Despite those warnings, countless fans were met with login failures, error screens, and missing event listings. ESPN even aired a live SportsCenter broadcast from WrestlePalooza, but the rollout was overshadowed by subscriber outrage.
Sean stressed that this is not a short-term problem but part of Disney’s broader plan to push customers into its streaming bundle of Hulu + Live TV, Disney+, and ESPN+. For WWE fans expecting their regular cable subscription to cover premium events under the new deal, the message is clear—this is the new normal.
ESPN’s WWE WrestlePalooza Launch Sparks Outrage as Cable Subscribers Locked Out
