The brand-new streaming deal between WWE and ESPN kicks off in earnest with Wrestlepalooza, but it’s been a bumpy ride to say the least.
There’s already growing confusion and some frustration around the Sept. 20 event taking place in Indianapolis about just where WWE fans can watch the inaugural event. The short answer is this: American fans can only watch it the event on the new ESPN Unlimited direct-to-consumer streaming option.
How to Watch WWE Wrestlepalooza on ESPN Unlimited
When: Saturday, Sept. 20
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV/stream: ESPN Unlimited
Fans who have become accustomed to watching WWE’s premium live events on Peacock will now have to move over to ESPN Unlimited. The Peacock deal ended with the Clash in Paris PLE, and the move to ESPN’s app comes after the two behemoths announced a new five-year worth $1.6 billion in August. The deal will make ESPN the exclusive home of WWE’s biggest shows.
How Much Does It Cost?
The ESPN Unlimited plan gives viewers access to all of the network’s linear offering like ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and more. The Worldwide Leader in Sports promises 47,000 live events per year with the offering. Wrestlepalooza and the rest of the WWE PLEs will not be broadcast on the linear ESPN channel.
For the app, it’s a steep price for some. The ESPN Unlimited plan will cost fans $29.99 per month, or you can pay $299.99 per year.
Here’s where it gets tricky, confusing and downright frustrating for some viewers, though.
Do Cable Subscribers Have Access?
As many, including Awful Announcing, have pointed out, traditional cable customers are positioned to have access to ESPN Unlimited as part of their cable package.
“But unfortunately for some,” Awful Announcing’s Drew Lerner wrote, “their pay TV bundles still don’t have access to the premium tier of ESPN’s app as was promised.”
For some traditional cable subscribers who have the ESPN networks, they’ll be able to log in and authenticate to watch.
However, two massive groups of viewers will be significantly and negatively impacted by this: Comcast and YouTube TV customers. As of Sept. 17, neither has a distribution deal in place with Disney (which owns ESPN). As Awful Announcing approximates, that’s more than 20 million pay TV customers.
Put even clearer: If you have a cable deal with Comcast or YouTube TV, you will not be able to watch Wrestlepalooza — or any of the WWE’s PLEs — unless you pay the extra $30 per month for the app.
The following cable providers already get “ESPN Unlimited Plan as part of their pay-TV package,” per ESPN: Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV (streaming only), Fubo TV, Spectrum TV
WWE Wrestlepalooza Match Card
WWE, as it typically has in the past, is building this major transition around a huge card. The main event will feature John Cena taking on Brock Lesnar, renewing a rivalry that has spanned decades, as Cena’s retirement career nears its end.
Here’s the full card (subject to change):
Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer (Women’s World Championship match)
The Usos (Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso) vs. The Vision (Bron Breaker, Bronson Reed)
CM Punk and AJ Lee vs. Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch
Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre (WWE Championship match)
John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar
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