WWE is now less than two weeks from its inaugural Wrestlepalooza spectacular. The historic happening will mark the beginning of a significant Premium Live Event streaming deal with ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer service, but new details on plans for that day have left many in the WWE Universe with more questions.
World Wrestling Entertainment originally planned to kick off 2026 with the new ESPN PLE deal, but SNME contract development and an intriguing behind-the-scenes situation led to the deal being fast-tracked. Set for Gainebridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Wrestlepalooza will mark the return of the name originally used by Paul Heyman’s original ECW from 1995-2000.
Wrestlepalooza was previously announced to air live on Saturday, September 20 at 7pm ET, and “streaming exclusively on ESPN and on Netflix internationally.” Doors at Gainebridge Fieldhouse are listed to open at 5pm, with a local start time of 6:30pm ET, which allows room for a 90-minute Countdown to Wrestlepalooza pre-show.
Fans have expressed concern over Wrestlepalooza broadcast details in recent weeks, and now PWInsider has confirmed that the event will stream only on the ESPN app. A change to that plan is always possible, but it would take place “very late in the game,” according to the report.
While Wrestlepalooza I is only planned for the ESPN app as of this Monday, it will be archived for on-demand viewing as soon as the live stream wraps up. There will no longer be Peacock broadcasts as the ESPN-WWE PLE era officially begins on September 20.
WWE Wrestlepalooza Updated Lineup
WWE currently has four matches announced for its inaugural Wrestlepalooza PLE. The big event will feature the final Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena match, plus AJ Lee’s comeback match.
Coming out of tonight’s RAW, the updated Wrestlepalooza card looks like this:
- John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar
- AJ Lee and CM Punk vs. Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch and World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins
- The Usos vs. Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker
- Vacant Women’s World Championship: IYO SKY vs. Stephanie Vaquer
Wrestlepalooza will also mark The Usos’ official PLE reunion in standard tag team action. Jimmy and Jey defeated A-Town Down Under on RAW in March, but Wrestlepalooza will feature their first two-on-two PLE match since defeating Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa at Money In the Bank 2023.