ESPN Boss Says They Tried to Land WWE Raw, SmackDown & Archive Rights in the Past

ESPN’s longtime interest in WWE programming runs deeper than most fans realize.

During a recent interview with sports media reporter Richard Deitsch, ESPN president of content Burke Magnus revealed that the network previously tried to lock down WWE’s most valuable properties—including Monday Night Raw, Friday Night SmackDown, and even the WWE Network’s archive library.

“I took a couple of runs at the Raw and SmackDown packages and the WWE Network previously,” Magnus admitted. “I’ve had a great appreciation for this content for a long time.”

He didn’t dive into specifics about how close they came or the timing of these talks, but it’s clear ESPN has had WWE on their radar well before the current five-year deal that began with Wrestlepalooza on ESPN.

Even though he’s not following current storylines closely, Magnus respects the massive scale WWE has built over the years.

“I have a full appreciation for what they’ve built over there in terms of a great form of entertainment,” he said. “Clearly, the results speak for themselves in terms of how many fans they pack in arenas and stadiums. It’s remarkable.”

With ESPN now officially tied to WWE, the focus has shifted to how the sports giant will cover WWE’s entertainment-driven news. Magnus confirmed those internal conversations are happening.

“Everything has been presented in relation to the launch of the relationship,” he explained. “There will be coverage but in the context of what WWE is.”

Magnus also touched on their desire to retain crossover star Pat McAfee, who recently sat in on the desk at Wrestlepalooza and remains a key personality on College GameDay. His contract wraps in May 2028, and Magnus made it clear they want him to stick around.

There’s also speculation that ESPN could make another move on WWE’s archive content, especially with Peacock’s domestic streaming rights set to expire at the end of the year. If that happens, the library of past WWE content could finally end up where ESPN wanted it all along.

Do you think ESPN should take over WWE’s archives after Peacock’s deal ends? And would you want to see Raw or SmackDown on ESPN someday? Sound off in the comments and let us know what you think.