ESPN Debunks False Report About Contract With WWE

Triple H astatine a WWE PLE

WWE

ESPN has swiftly denied a study from BJ Bethel of SEScoops.com that suggested the sports news elephantine has already decided it would not beryllium renewing its existent five-year woody pinch WWE.

“Only one-year into ESPN’s five-year woody to aerial World Wrestling Entertainment events connected its Unlimited app, the web won’t beryllium renewing the statement erstwhile it expires. Multiple sources told SEScoops the woody faced aggregate problems,” publication the faulty tweet.

The communicative went connected to statement that “one root said location were virtually nary discussions betwixt the 2 companies erstwhile the app was launched and WWE PLEs began airing connected it. That changed recently, pinch ESPN promoting WWE content, making the PLEs disposable connected lesser tiers and airing the first hr of shows connected linear networks, overmuch to the chagrin of sports fans.”

ESPN Denies BJ Bethel’s Faulty Report About WWE Deal

ESPN Head of Communications Ben Cafardo issued a beardown denial, going arsenic acold arsenic to opportunity that Bethel ne'er moreover checked pinch ESPN earlier moving the story.

“There is nary truth to the study that we person decided not to renew. They ne'er checked pinch america earlier publishing and had they, we would person told them that was wholly false,” wrote Cafardo.

A pro-AEW newsman who favors affirmative narratives complete facts, BJ Bethel has a strained narration pinch credibility. He is astir known for penning a dubious report successful 2025 astir HBO Max garnering 500,000 further views for AEW Dynamite. This communicative was wide rejected wrong the wrestling community, pinch wrestling newsman Andrew Zarian outright saying this was not a actual number.

WWE signed a $1.6 cardinal deal pinch ESPN past August. As a result, WWE became the crown jewel of the caller ESPN Unlimited subscription service, which airs WWE Premium Live Events for $30 a month. WWE typically airs the first hr of PLEs for free connected ESPN and ESPN 2, nevertheless this was not the lawsuit for SummerSlam. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter suggested that ESPN removed the free hr of WWE PLEs from ESPN Unlimited owed to unhappiness pinch its viewership, and this would apt beryllium the scheme moving forward.

“The logic for not doing it, obviously, has to beryllium they must beryllium unhappy pinch the magnitude of signups that they’re getting aliases the viewership that they’re getting connected ESPN Unlimited,” said Meltzer.

Dave Meltzer’s stream-of-conscious guesswork proved to beryllium incorrect arsenic Awful Announcing reported that ESPN would proceed to simulcast the first hr of WWE PLEs connected its linear networks.

Though ESPN continues to guidelines by WWE and its billion-dollar partnership, location surely person been whispers of the worldwide leader successful sports being underwhelmed by the worldwide leader successful sports entertainment.

“ESPN, by the way, truthful unhappy pinch the deal," said character and erstwhile WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. connected his “Wrestling pinch Freddie” podcast. I was talking to a friend of excavation who useful for Disney, and he was conscionable like, ‘Yo, they amended make their money backmost connected this deal.’ He conscionable said, ‘They’re hot.’” WWE contented was ubiquitous during WrestleMania 42 week, prompting criticism from sports fans online who watch ESPN for its sum of traditional, “real” sports specified arsenic basketball, lucky and baseball.

It is imaginable that ESPN and WWE could spell their abstracted ways by the extremity of this deal, but aft ESPN’s caller remark connected Bethel’s report, that determination hasn’t been made yet. Despite the contention that follows pro wrestling everyplace it goes, ESPN and WWE’s little narration has already amplified the astir feel-good infinitesimal successful sports of 2026.

WWE Superstar Danhausen cursed, past uncursed, the New York Knicks, starring to the downtrodden franchise’s magical tally to topple the Spurs successful the NBA Finals. Danhausen appeared connected ESPN passim the Knicks’ title surge, and the infinitesimal led to accrued viewership and merchandise income for WWE, ESPN and moreover the NBA, which partnered pinch WWE to waste Danhausen t-shirts astatine the NBA Store.

Both WWE and ESPN staged wide layoffs this year, starring to unrest and bad will pinch iconic figures from some brands being released from their contracts. The cost-cutting is simply a reminder that, contempt being A-list brands, WWE and ESPN are businesses that worth profit supra each else. WWE and ESPN person 4 years to fig retired a hit that will beryllium champion for each parties involved. Both are manufacture leaders successful their fields, truthful they should person much than capable resources to make the astir retired of yet different lucrative woody for WWE aft WWE’s PLE package near Peacock.