WWE Announces Wrestlepalooza To Kick Off WWE Partnership With ESPN

August 20, 2025 Off By Tim Jarrell

WWE on ESPN starts in September.

There have been a lot of news and rumors going around regarding WWE airing on ESPN. We knew that WWE would be moving all PLEs from Peacock to ESPN starting next year. Yet it looks like WWE has figured out a way to make the move earlier.

On Wednesday, WWE announced that they will be running a PLE from Indianapolis called Wrestlepalooza. The show itself has been announced as airing on ESPN and this will kick off all WWE PLEs moving to ESPN. WWE sent out the following press release:

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.

Earlier in the day, Bryan Alvarez reported that this would be the case before WWE made the official announcement. Alvarez said with WWe running Evolution, the second night of SummerSlam, and other extra show, it filled the quota that WWE was required to provide Peacock.

As far as WWE shows moving to ESPN, it will air on their next direct-to-consumer service that will cost $29.99 a month. WWE PLEs will be included in the subscription at no extra cost. If you do not want to pay that fee and have a Netflix subscription, you can watch all WWE shows on Netflix with a free VPN. Check out the video below on how to get a free VPN.