First WWE Premium Live Event Under ESPN’s $1.6 Billion Deal Revealed

The first major WWE event under its massive new streaming deal with ESPN has been revealed — and it’s the biggest show of the year.

According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, WrestleMania 42 will officially launch WWE’s five-year, $1.625 billion streaming agreement with ESPN. That means WWE’s biggest spectacle of 2026 will also be the debut Premium Live Event on ESPN’s upcoming $29.99/month platform.

“This morning it was announced that WWE is moving to ESPN for their premium live events starting in 2026. It’ll start with Mania in 2026. WrestleMania 2026 and 10 PLEs held over 12 nights — so that counts two nights of WrestleMania, two nights of SummerSlam. That’s the plan for now. But they could increase it. But that is the plan for right now, yeah.”

The deal includes 10 annual PLEs stretched across 12 nights, with WWE continuing its two-night formats for WrestleMania and SummerSlam. Meltzer also mentioned the significance of the platform shift.

“Give us all the details: 10 different events. $325 million a year. It’s a great deal because ESPN is really the place when it comes to sports fans.”

While ESPN’s new standalone service launches August 23, 2025, WWE content won’t appear on it until WrestleMania 42 in 2026. With fans currently paying $10.99 on Peacock, the jump to $29.99/month — or $299 annually — will hit wallets hard.

Still, for ESPN and WWE’s parent company TKO, the numbers add up. ESPN is betting big on WWE’s fanbase to drive up subscribers, and TKO is walking away with more than $325 million a year in return.

WWE is starting a new chapter, but it begins with a price hike — and a marquee launch for ESPN’s next big streaming gamble.

Are you ready to pay nearly triple just to watch WrestleMania 42 and other WWE PLEs on ESPN? Drop your thoughts and reactions in the comments below.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.