Official Wrestling News Thread

So lemme get this straight.. ESPN will start doing PLE’s and they are going away from Peacock in 2026? Will Netflix still broadcast them everywhere else? I’ve been using the VPN watching on Netflix.

Also from what I read if you able to watch ESPN on cable or whatever select PLEs will be on there… so people are gonna be watching the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania on ESPN for free. Wild.
 
We've been asked about rumors that Roman Reigns was beaten down on Raw to write him out to film the forthcoming Street Fighter film.

In speaking with Hollywood sources, The Street Fighter film does not begin production until September and Reigns is slated to work for three weeks on the set, starting on 9/2.

As long as the production runs on time, we are told Reigns would finish his commitments the week of 9/26.

So, there's still some time for Reigns to make additional appearances if WWE creative dictates before he's needed for filming.

Cody Rhodes also has a role in the film.
 
Chi-Town B said:
$30 for HBO/Disney/Hulu bundle

$20 for Netflix

$20 for Paramount

I get Amazon Video for free

$115 for Directv

That's a lot for tv watching
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How is this more than paying for DirecTV and monthly PPV in the Attitude Era?

DirecTV was at minimum $159 per month for their Premium Package. The PPVs were all $49.99 and they were monthly add-ons if you wanted to watch them.

WWE is only on Netflix, Peacock, and wherever you can get USA. If you have YoutubeTV for USA that's $89. Netflix is $26.99 for their highest package. Peacock is $21.99 for their highest package.

So right now today, you can watch all of the WWE content for a minimum of $137.98. That's still cheaper than what the Premium Package of DirecTV used to be.

If we're talking strictly WWE content, it's cheaper to consume right now than it was in 1997-2005.

Even when they move to Disney next year, it's $29.99 for PLE's when Peacock is $21.99 for PLEs right now. You also get more content with the ESPN bundle as well.
 
Iceberg_Taylor said:

Details on Hurt Syndicate and frustrations within AEW from and regarding them​

There have been rumors about The Hurt Syndicate, specifically MVP, and the tag title run around them.

A recent Twitter Space from The Wrestling Binder's JCup2013 that indicated a number of issues that Fightful Select has also heard discussed over a number of months. On the Space, it was claimed that MVP had rubbed a lot of people the wrong way resulting in heat, which is something that had been echoed by a number of talent for the last couple of months.

We haven't particularly heard anything regarding Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin specifically, but it has been well known backstage that MVP dislikes Speedball Mike Bailey, and a number of talent say that MVP made that clear, and that he didn't want Hurt Syndicate losing to JetSpeed. To be clear, we were never told it was in the cards for them to lose to JetSpeed. Nobody that we spoke to knew a specific reason for MVP's dislike of Mike Bailey. Of the numerous people on the talent roster we spoke to, they said that this year was the best they've seen the locker room in years, and that most of the roster just dismisses issues.

There have been a number of creative pitches, and we should be clear that the following are claims we've heard within the company, and we aren't sure how far they've got. One of the pitches was for FTR to win at All In to start a redemption story. FTR was pitched to face Swerve and Ospreay as well, but Ospreay's injury derailed all of his creative plans after All In. FTR would then go on to face Cope & Christian down the line. The claim internally was that Hurt Syndicate said no to losing to FTR at both All In and Forbidden Door.

Instead, MVP had stated that the team preferred to lose the championships to younger teams or talent. MVP's personal preferences were that of Gates of Agony, The Outrunners and Private Party. There was also discussion that they would have been open to losing to Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay, but we were told that due to Ospreay's neck injury, that wasn't much of a consideration.

When checking in the company about the preferred teams of Hurt Syndicate's to lose to, it was noted that Hurt Syndicate has already beaten all three teams. The frustration from the locker room is that the team are heels that do cool moves, beat up everyone, and give fans fives on the way out.

We've not heard anything regarding the element of Hurt Syndicate leaving the company at this point. The trio have multi-year deals with a number of years left on the deal.

There were hints to us that MJF and The Hurt Syndicate were originally supposed to last longer, but we're told there isn't heat between MJF and Hurt Syndicate. Specifically, we were told MJF and Hurt Syndicate have no issues behind the scenes.

Anything else mentioned that has been rumored, we can't speak to.
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SRS does damage control…
 
WWE reached a huge deal with ESPN to air their PLEs, which has led to plenty of thoughts, confusion, excitement ... emotions!

WWE and ESPN announced at the crack of 6 AM on August 8that the two sides had reached a deal to air WWE PLE events starting in 2026. The deal will happen as a part of a new ESPN direct-to-consumer service, which will air all of the PLEs. Select PLE events will also air on ESPN's cable channel. It was noted if you have ESPN through a cable service, you will have access to the DTC service by simply logging in.

When we asked about the status of the WWE archives and the lack of commitment to where those will be, we weren't given a firm answer. However, it was noted that it is believed that WWE has an advanced deal with Google because of their Youtube presence, and that the Vault Youtube channels could see a far grander utilization.

Recently, ESPN also acquired the rights to NFL Network, which Fightful Select confirmed with an ESPN rep is a part of the new DTC service.

The deal is five years in length and we were told that it is expected to kick off ahead of WrestleMania 2026. The deal will carry the company ahead of what is expected to be WrestleMania 2031. This is likely a strategic move so that when WWE looks to renew their PLE deal or shop it elsewhere, WrestleMania 2031 would be one of the first things new customers would get. The deal is reported by CNBC as being for $325 million per year.

Here's what an ESPN rep told Fightful when we asked.

"NFL Network, including both linear and digital rights, will be owned and operated by ESPN and fully integrated into ESPN DTC upon launch, alongside traditional pay television distribution. Think of it as SEC Network. ESPN would also own broad rights to the RedZone brand and distribute the NFL RedZone Channel to pay TV operators for continued inclusion into their sports packages (this is separate though, won’t be this season) “The transactions are subject to the parties’ negotiation of definitive agreements, various approvals including by the NFL team owners, and customary closing conditions

Subscribers to ESPN via any traditional TV provider (including cable or satellite) will be automatically granted access to the full ESPN DTC service via authentication in the existing ESPN app, without paying the $29.99/month fee.

So for example.. if you subscribe to DirecTV, you will just need to sign in via the ESPN app and you will have access to everything that ESPN platforms has to offer, including WWE PLE’s."

As of press time, TKO stock was down 2.69% since the announcement.

To put it plainly:

  • ESPN's deal will replace Peacock and start in 2026. No content will remain on Peacock as of now.
  • Select PLE events will air on traditional ESPN, but all of them will air on a new ESPN DTC (app/streaming service) that will launch for $29.99 a month.
  • There are no details on the future of the archive. It is believed WWE has an advanced deal with Google because of their Youtube presence, and could highlight it more there.
  • The current DTC service, ESPN+, has long had a bundle option with Hulu and Disney+. It was also announced that Hulu is full integrating into Disney+....but both will still be able to purchase those two standalone. Potential bundle announcements should be coming in the next week.
  • We were told to expect some commercial integration into the ESPN broadcasts.
  • The ESPN DTC service will include WWE PLE, as well as NFL Network integration.
  • The ESPN-WWE deal is five years and starts ahead of WrestleMania in 2026, and is expected to end before WrestleMania 2031.
  • The WWE PLEs, and most all other WWE content will remain on Netflix internationally. You can use NordVPN.com/Fightful,change your virtual location and get access to all of that content now, or next year when things change. You won't need a different or special Netflix account.
 
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