We knew that both WWE and ESPN would make as big a deal out of the start of their new premium live event partnership as they possibly could.
For WWE, that meant bringing back Brock Lesnar and AJ Lee, and generally loading up the card for the Sept. 20 Wrestlepalooza PLE in Indianapolis that kicks off their ESPN Era. For the Disney-owned sports brand using this to push their new subscription streaming service, it means a star-studded week of “cross-platform coverage” leading up to Saturday’s show.
ESPN
detailed that today in this press release:
Welcome to Wrestlepalooza®: ESPN to Provide Wall-to-Wall WWE Coverage All Week Culminating with First WWE Premium Live Event Streaming Exclusively on the ESPN App in the U.S. September 20
First-Ever Wrestlepalooza® Exclusively Available to ESPN Unlimited Plan Subscribers on the ESPN App
- ESPN to Produce ESPN Wrestlepalooza® Special and Road to Wrestlepalooza® On-site Pre-event Shows in Indianapolis Featuring Pacers Star Tyrese Haliburton
- SportsCenter with Host Elle Duncan Hits Indianapolis Ahead of Wrestlepalooza®
- Robust ESPN Social Media Prescence at Wrestlepalooza®
- WWE Superstar Appearances on ESPN Programming Throughout the Week
Welcome to Wrestlepalooza®: ESPN today announced its wall-to-wall, week-long WWE coverage plans to culminate with its first WWE Premium Live Event Wrestlepalooza® streaming exclusively for fans with a subscription to the ESPN Unlimited plan – either directly or through a traditional pay TV package – on the ESPN App in the U.S. on Saturday, September 20, at 7 p.m. ET. The WWE PLE is the first in ESPN and WWE’s new, recently announced partnership.
WWE’s pre-and post-event shows for Wrestlepalooza® will also be available on the ESPN App. The PLE pre-show begins at 5 p.m. and the post-event show commences immediately following the conclusion of Wrestlepalooza®. The updated card is below.
ESPN in Indianapolis
ESPN will produce two of its own Wrestlepalooza® pre-event shows. ESPN Wrestlepalooza® Special will air Friday, September 19, from 3-4 p.m. on ESPN2 and the ESPN App. Peter Rosenberg will host the special alongside guest analyst and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton. The show will feature appearances from WWE Superstars.ESPN’s coverage continues Saturday, September 20, when ESPN produces Road to Wrestlepalooza® – an on-site, pre-event show available on ESPN social media platforms, including YouTube, as well as on the ESPN App from 3 to 5 p.m. Road to Wrestlepalooza® will lead into WWE’s pre-show for the PLE starting at 5 p.m. Actor and musician O’Shea Jackson, Jr. and TJ Jefferson, the hosts of “No Contest Wrestling,” will co-host Road to Wrestlepalooza® where they’ll be joined by a variety of guests, including ESPN media personalities and WWE Superstars.
SportsCenter with Elle Duncan hits the road
ESPN will travel its signature news and information show, SportsCenter, to Indianapolis for part of its 6 p.m. show on Friday, September 19. SportsCenter Anchor Elle Duncan will be on site to set the stage for ESPN’s inaugural WWE PLE. Pacers star Haliburton will join Duncan on the set. The segments will also include WWE Superstar appearances.ESPN Social
The ESPN social media team will have a significant on-site presence in Indianapolis for Wrestlepalooza® on September 20. Katie Feeney, ESPN Sports and Lifestyle Content Creator, will provide first-person POV content as she attends her first WWE PLE event. ESPN’s social media specialists will also document the event, including the fan reactions and atmosphere inside and outside the arena.More cross-platform coverage
WWE Superstars are scheduled to appear across ESPN shows and platforms throughout the week leading into the inaugural ESPN WWE PLE. Superstar appearances are scheduled to be made by WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch, AJ Lee, CM Punk, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso, Drew McIntyre and Bron Breakker.ESPN Radio will air Hall of Fame’s Countdown to Wrestlepalooza® on Friday, Sept. 19, from 10 p.m. to midnight. The two-hour program will be hosted by WWE Hall of Famer Booker T and ESPN Radio’s Brad Gilmore, featuring analysis, insider stories and a preview of Wrestlepalooza®.
ESPN’s Wrestlepalooza® week coverage began on the September 14 edition of Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown and Sunday Night Baseball as WWE Superstar Jey Uso tossed the ceremonial first pitch at historic Fenway Park, live on ESPN prior to the New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox game.
Wrestlepalooza® Card
Main Event: John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar
Undisputed WWE Championship Match
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyreMixed Tag Team Match
World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins and Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch
vs.
CM Punk and AJ Lee“Main Event” Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso vs. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed
Women’s World Championship Match
IYO SKY vs. Stephanie Vaquer*Card subject to change
All of ESPN. All in One Place.
ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans within the ESPN App. Designed to give fans more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, the ESPN App provides a unique viewing experience that includes integrated game stats, multiview options, a synchronized two-screen feature, a vertical video feature called Verts and a personalized SportsCenter For You, as well as ESPN BET information, ESPN Fantasy sports, commerce, and more. These new features are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a traditional pay TV package. Bundling options available for fans include a limited time offer for the ESPN DTC Unlimited plan with Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99/month for the first 12 months. For more visit stream.espn.com.
Halliburton is the name ESPN and WWE are hoping will bridge the gap between wrestling fans (especially the ones who aren’t fans of “sportsball”) and sports fans (especially the ones who still like to ask wrestling fans if they “know that stuff is fake”). The Indiana Pacers star is currently rehabbing an injury he suffered in the NBA Finals. In the past couple years, he and fellow WWE fan/New York Knicks’ rival Jaylen Brunson have appeared for WWE, and Halliburton was just on The Pat McAfee Show with Triple H hyping Wrestlepalooza.
As it pertains to another function of Wrestlepalooza — as counterprogramming to AEW’s All Out PPV, Saturday in Toronto — it’s worth mentioning that while AEW moved the show to the afternoon (main card starts at 3 p.m. Eastern) to avoid going head-to-head with WWE’s PLE, ESPN is assuring there will be lots of WWE-related programming running opposite AEW’s show in Toronto.
Thoughts?
