Fans in the United States are going to have to change up their subscription plans, as WWE PLEs, such as WrestleMania, are making a move to the new streaming service ESPN+.
WWE and ESPN made the announcement on Wednesday, August 6, 2025. In 2026, several annual PLEs, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and Money in the Bank, will now be produced exclusively for ESPN platforms in the United States.
“WWE has an immense, devoted, and passionate fan base that we're so excited to super-serve on our new ESPN DTC platform,” said ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro. “This agreement, which features the most significant WWE events of the year, bolsters our unprecedented content portfolio and helps drive our streaming future.”
The move is the latest acquisition by ESPN. The NFL recently agreed to sell NFL Media to the media conglomerate, including their coveted NFL Network.
Now, WWE PLEs will join ESPN+'s programming, beginning in 2026. The streaming service will launch on Thursday, August 21, 2025. Subscriptions will start at $29.99/month.
What does the ESPN move mean for WWE WrestleMania and other PLEs?
WWE moving their PLEs to ESPN means that fans will now need to subscribe to a new streaming service in the United States. Previously, they streamed on Peacock for United States customers. They would stream on Netflix in international territories.
It sounds like all PLEs will be on the streaming service. They named the annual events like WrestleMania, but expect B-level PLEs to only be available on ESPN+ as well.
ESPN+ comes with a heftier price tag for subscribers. It sounds like the WWE PLEs will only be available on the new streaming service. Before the Peacock streaming deal, the PLEs, which were called PPVs (pay-per-views), were able to be bought on-demand when the show aired.
Business has been booming for WWE, who just held their first-ever two-night SummerSlam. They are also returning to Las Vegas for WrestleMania 42 after a record-breaking weekend in April 2025.
Meanwhile, ESPN+ has been bulking up their programming. Adding WWE PLEs is yet another high-profile addition to their lineup.
