WWE Launching ESPN Era Far Earlier Than Expected (And With Surprise PLE)

Earlier this month, WWE announced a landmark partnership with ESPN that will move some of the biggest events of the year to a new home. The new deal will move WWE’s premium live events like the Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, and WrestleMania to ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service, but the initial announcement stated the launch date for the new partnership would happen sometime in 2026. That’s not the case any longer, as WWE and ESPN have just announced that they are kicking off the new era far earlier than expected, and the launch will take place at a surprise new premium live event.

The new partnership won’t be starting in 2026 any longer, and instead will actually begin this September. To launch this new era, WWE will also introduce a brand new premium live event to the equation, as September 20th will be WWE’s first-ever Wrestlepalooza, and it will take place at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. WWE’s Royal Rumble took place at the Fieldhouse as well, and this will be the second event as part of WWE and Indiana’s previously announced partnership that will also bring a future SummerSlam and WrestleMania to the state.

Since this is falling in September, WWE will also make sure John Cena is in the mix, allowing him to add a previously unannounced stop to his farewell tour this year. Those who want to attend Wrestlepalooza can take part in presale access when it begins on August 21st at 10 AM ET. Tickets will go on sale for Wrestlepalooza on Friday, August 22nd at 10 AM ET. The event will stream live on ESPN’s direct-to-consumer streaming service on September 20th at 7 PM ET.

The new launch date also means that ESPN will have its first WrestleMania ahead of schedule, as WrestleMania 42 will stream on the new service as opposed to having to wait until WrestleMania 43. This will also mean that fans will get the remainder of this year’s events on the service, including Crown Jewel (October 11) and Survivor Series (November 29).

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As for who will be at the event, in addition to Cena, WWE teased that several other superstars will be in attendance, including Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, CM Punk, and Drew McIntyre. Other assumptions for appearances would include Rhea Ripley, Stephanie Vaquer, Tiffany Stratton, Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, AJ Styles, Judgement Day, Chelsea Green, Penta, Jade Cargill, MFTs, and, of course, Roman Reigns, but we’ll just have to wait and see who ends up being at the show.

“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?”

The new ESPN DTC service will launch on an enhanced ESPN App on Thursday, August 21st, and you can head here for more information.

Are you excited for Wrestlepalooza and the new ESPN partnership? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things wrestling with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!