ESPN isn’t just airing WWE premium live events; they’re apparently bringing ideas to the table, too.
That’s the bigger takeaway from the latest update on Night of Champions, where the show ended up with six matches because ESPN wanted more action behind the paywall. According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the original WrestleVotes report was largely accurate, but the real eye-opener is how involved ESPN has been.
“WrestleVotes reported that this show was six matches instead of five due to ESPN feeling that they needed at least four matches not on television to convince people who aren’t ESPN Unlimited subscribers to subscribe. This was largely confirmed to us as accurate and it was noted that ESPN are definitely not silent partners in this deal and are always coming up with ideas.”
That last part says a lot.ESPN is not just taking WWE’s feed and calling it a day. They’re giving input, pitching ideas, and looking for ways to make the paid side of the broadcast feel more valuable. That explains why Night of Champions had six matches instead of five. ESPN wanted at least four matches kept off free TV so non-subscribers had a real reason to pay for ESPN Unlimited.
Night of Champions still delivered plenty, with Sami Zayn winning the Undisputed WWE Championship, Oba Femi and IYO SKY winning King and Queen of the Ring, Seth Rollins beating Bron Breakker inside a Steel Cage, Trick Williams retaining against Ricky Saints, and Tiffany Stratton keeping her Women’s United States Title against Jade Cargill.
The real story isn’t just one extra match, though. It’s that ESPN is already active behind the scenes and constantly bringing WWE ideas. If that continues, fans may start seeing ESPN’s fingerprints on more WWE premium live events going forward.
Do you think ESPN coming up with ideas for WWE shows is a good thing, or should WWE keep full control over its PLEs? Let us know in the comments below.
