ESPN completes massive WWE deal bringing WrestleMania to network next year

WWE is making another monster streaming deal to broadcast its biggest live events, and this time they're moving to ESPN.
WWE star Cody Rhodes has the championship belt during Wrestlemania XL Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field
WWE star Cody Rhodes has the championship belt during Wrestlemania XL Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
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WWE has seen a resurgence in recent years as a younger generation of wrestling fans are being introduced to the entertainment brand, and now there's more opportunities ot watch the sport than ever before.

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While WWE has dabbled in several different streaming deals in the past, their latest venture could be the biggest one to date as ESPN has come to terms on a five-year deal with WWE that will bring all of the sport's biggest live events, including WrestleMania, to their direct-to-consumer streaming service in 2026.

WWE has recently been hosting its biggest events, including the recent SummerSlam, on NBC's Peacock streaming platform. Meanwhile, Monday Night Raw moved to Netflix in January 2025, which was another massive movement for WWE as the streaming network aimed to move more into live sporting events.

Next year's new streaming deal with ESPN will likely debut with Royal Rumble in January before the network creates buzz for its first-ever WrestleMania shown on its digital platforms.

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