WWE PLE’s streaming on ESPN always felt a little bizarre to me. They don’t show it much anymore, but in theory, ESPN is an outlet that’s about real sport. WWE isn’t.
WWE is a simulated real sport, but at it’s core it’s a show. It’s more of a Netflix drama than it is an exciting NFL game. So, when ESPN rolls out the red carpet for WWE ahead of PLE’s, it’s awkward. It’s strange. It’s two worlds intersecting that shouldn’t be.
Does anybody care?
ESPN doesn’t care. In fact, having a controlled “sports” product under their umbrella is the best thing that ever happened to them for the direction that talking head network is going.
WWE cares even less than they do. Why? Both sides are in the first year of a five-year partnership that will see all the major WWE events streaming live on the ESPN app. Oh yeah and that partnership? It’s worth $1.6 billion to WWE.
Yeah, I’d let seven more worlds intersect if it meant that kind of money.
Business is business. When ESPN offers more than a billion dollars to run your product on their platform, the answer is “yes” and the awkwardness can be soothed by fawning over all the zeros on the checks.
The oddball partnership means wrestling fans have to sit through Stephen A. Smith interviewing Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns. It means Scott Van Pelt reading SummerSlam results. Hopefully soon it’ll mean Joe Buck and Troy Aikman reading Wrestlepalooza promos on Monday Night Football.