WWE and ESPN shocked the wrestling community this past Wednesday with the news that WWE’s Premium Live Events were moving to ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer service sooner than expected. The news came to light when WWE confirmed that the first PLE to stream on the ESPN app was going to be Wrestlepalooza on September 20. The next day, on Thursday morning, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins spoke about this move on ESPN’s Get Up.
How Does Seth Rollins Feel About The Move?
While speaking on Get Up, The Visionary shared that he was “stoked” to become part of the ESPN family because, instead of growing up watching Saturday morning cartoons, Rollins was all about SportsCenter. He said:
“I’m stoked, man. I’m stoked to be a part of the ESPN family,” Rollins said. “For me personally, a lot of people had the Saturday morning cartoons or the morning cartoons before school — I grew up watching SportsCenter. That’s what kind of sports fan I was. I grew up watching replays of SportsCenter in the morning before I went to school. So the fact that we’re here teaming up with ESPN, it’s like my two favorite things in the world — sports and WWE — coming together. (h/t: F4Wonline)
As noted, WWE’s move was originally slated for early 2026, and now this Sunday’s Clash in Paris will be the last main roster WWE PLE to stream on Peacock. It was previously reported that WWE NXT PLEs will still be airing on Peacock, along with Saturday Night Main Event.
Seth Rollins Feels This Move Will Further Legitimize WWE
Rollins later talked about how this move further brings WWE into the mainstream and legitimizes it. Rollins isn’t wrong with that move, since when people think about ESPN, they think about football or baseball, and adding WWE next to these popular sports gives it a boost. He said:
“And it’s huge for us as an industry. Professional wrestling has been a part of kind of Americana for many, many, many, many, many years in different iterations. And as we start to dip our toe even further into the mainstream and really integrate ourselves into the mainstream, this is a huge step for us, legitimizing what we do as artists, as athletes. Like I said, for me personally, to be a part of the ESPN family is huge. I’m looking forward to this partnership and everything that it brings.”
Rollins is set to be part of the Wrestlepalooza PLE, though his opponent has yet to be announced. Beforehand, on August 31, Rollins will defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Clash in Paris against Jey Uso, LA Knight, and CM Punk. So there is a possibility that the current champion could be making his ESPN debut without a title.
