WWE Granted Extension to Respond to ESPN Streaming Lawsuit

The class action lawsuit accusing WWE of misleading fans over ESPN app access just took its next step.

According to PWInsider, WWE has been granted an extension to respond to the lawsuit. Originally filed on January 9 in U.S. District Court in Connecticut, the suit centers on how WWE marketed access to its premium live events after moving them to ESPN’s streaming service. WWE now has until April 13, 2026 to formally respond in court.

The lawsuit, brought by Michael Diesa of New Jersey and Rebecca Toback of New York, alleges that WWE gave fans the impression they could watch premium events like WrestlePalooza via the ESPN app as long as they had an existing ESPN subscription through cable or live TV streaming. But many fans discovered they still had to pay an extra $29.99 monthly fee to access the events—despite already paying for ESPN.

WWE is the sole defendant in the case. The lawsuit purposely avoids naming ESPN or parent company Disney to circumvent arbitration and class-action waiver clauses found in Disney’s user agreements.

At the heart of the complaint are statements from WWE President Nick Khan and a press release dated August 6, 2025, both of which suggested no additional payment would be required. On a podcast, Khan said:

“You subscribe to [ESPN Flagship], you get WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, all of our other premium live events, with no upcharge.”

The plaintiffs argue this misled subscribers who thought they already qualified. While ESPN has since worked out access deals with many providers—including Cox, Verizon Fios, DirecTV, Spectrum, and Hulu + Live TV—customers with providers like Xfinity or YouTube TV were left paying extra during the WrestlePalooza rollout window (August 6–September 20). The suit represents users in that group and claims over $5 million in damages.

WWE has not commented on the case and did not respond to media inquiries. The next court battle will likely focus on whether WWE can be held responsible for ESPN’s technical and contractual limitations—and whether its public messaging rises to the level of deceptive marketing.

Do you think WWE should be held responsible for how its ESPN streaming rollout was handled—or should the blame fall on Disney and the providers? Let us know what you think.