In their never-ending quest to make even more money, WWE and TKO announced a new deal with ESPN last week that will bring every WWE PLE to ESPN’s streaming service in 2026. It’s a move that works out great for WWE. Fans, however, are left with the bill and questions about how much money is too much to spend.
I do not doubt that ESPN’s new service, which will cost $29.99 per month, will be good. If you’re a fan of the NFL and NHL, there’s even more value. The streaming service will also air college sports and some NBA content. All of this on top of ESPN’s regular programming. But if you’re a WWE fan who doesn’t like mainstream sports, your hobby just got a lot more expensive.
The Cost Of Fandom
Ten years ago, it was easy to watch WWE. Both Monday Night Raw and SmackDown were on cable, and you could catch both on Hulu if you had cut the cord already. Every pay-per-view was aired on the WWE Network, which famously cost $9.99 per month. The network, a streaming service, also held the entire WWE vault and a surprisingly good amount of original programming.
American fans began to notice the change when the WWE moved its PLEs and vault content to Peacock in 2021. The cost was still manageable, but the user experience suffered. How the vault content was organized was a dramatic step down from the WWE Network. The rest of the world didn’t have to suffer with us, though. They still have to have the WWE Network. When the calendar turned to 2025, that changed. Netflix became the international home of Monday Night Raw, PLEs, and the vault.
WWE was once very fan-friendly when it came to consuming their product. Now, watching Monday Night Raw, Friday Night SmackDown, and the monthly PLE costs over $50 per month in the United States. The counterargument is that buying pay-per-views was more than that in the past. Yes, and people used to walk to school uphill both ways in three feet of snow. That hasn’t been the model for over 10 years, and WWE has trained us to expect accessible content at an affordable price. They shouldn’t balk at fans rejecting their capitalist heel turn.
If this is their direction in the future (and it is), then the secondary PLEs had better elevate in quality. I could justify watching five matches, including two good ones, when I was paying $12 for Peacock. For more than double the cost, the quality should be raised.
Hollywood Versus YouTube
What better way to solidify John Cena’s face turn than to put him in a feud with Logan Paul? The influencer is both the most loathed wrestler by fans and the poster boy for where TKO is taking WWE. When Paul interrupted Cena on SmackDown last week, it was clear that they’ll be facing off at Clash in Paris in a couple of weeks. I like Logan Paul’s ability in the ring, but he hasn’t evolved much, and he’s getting stale both in the ring and out of it. Can he deliver with John Cena, almost two decades his senior? Cody Rhodes is a master in the ring and was able to make Cena shine at SummerSlam. Logan Paul isn’t Cody Rhodes.
WWE was making its way through Quebec, so Sami Zayn got a lot of good TV time. I’m starting to actually believe that the powers that be are getting ready to push him to the big belt. He got a hero’s welcome in his home province of Quebec and had strong matches on both SmackDown and Raw. He’s made the best out of some bad storylines for years. It’s time to give him a great run at the top of the card.
They’re absolutely, positively not friends, but the Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss team is great fun right now. The most impressive miracle WWE has pulled in 2025 is finding a way for Flair to be cheered mere months after she was heavily booed in the lead-up to WrestleMania. The segment where Charlotte gave Bliss the Charlie doll to be Lily’s tag-team partner was great. The whole thing reminds me a little of the Rock n’ Sock Connection. Let’s get more of this, WWE.
What’s Your Vision?
Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Paul Heyman are some of my favorite talents in WWE. However, I feel like the Bloodline 2.0 act is going to get aggravating quickly. I mean the constant run-ins and interference in every single match. And Seth Rollins is not going to the airport when he said he was. Like we all knew he wasn’t going to do. Can we find different ways for them to do heel things? Not just a repeat of the four-year heel group. On the flip side, the Tribal Thief gimmick is one of my favorite things in WWE right now.
Rollins has worked himself into a pickle with his antics. Adam Pearce announced a Fatal 4-Way for the World Heavyweight Championship at Clash in Paris. In it, Rollins will defend the strap against LA Knight, Jey Uso, and CM Punk. There’s no chance Rollins drops the belt in Paris, but this match should set up other things for Punk to do until he begins the real chase in 2026.
The Best Of The Rest
- Drew McIntyre’s social media game is elite. His trolling of Punk after SummerSlam was what makes WWE great.
- Cena said he’s never picked his opponents when asked if he wanted to face Lesnar. It might be the best acting he’s done all year.
- Becky Lynch was a great choice to be the Intercontinental Champion. She is not only elevating that belt, but there are always solid matches for it, and she’s involved with creating better stories for other talents, like Bayley and Lyra Valkyria.
- WWE fans in the United States have a few months to learn how to use a VPN if they don’t know yet. Use the time wisely.
At Least They Tried
- Does anyone else remember when SmackDown used to be the wrestling show that actually had a lot of matches? We didn’t see the first match until almost 30 minutes into the two-hour show last Friday.
- I like what they’re doing now more, but I feel like the amazing heel turn by The New Day was still largely wasted.
- Having just 2-3 weeks to build to a PLE is taking a toll on the quality of storytelling.
WWE Power Rankings
These aren’t about who’s the best — it’s about who had the best week in terms of performance and fun factor. Feel free to disagree.
- Seth Rollins
- Sami Zayn
- John Cena
- Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss
- The Bron Brons
- LA Knight
- Logan Paul
- Iyo Sky
- Drew McIntyre
- Cody Rhodes
