The new World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins, has commented on the new partnership between WWE and ESPN. Speaking on ESPN\'s \"Get Up,\" Rollins called the deal \"huge for us as an industry\" and a step in \"legitimatizing\" what WWE superstars do as both artists and athletes.
Rollins appeared on the Thursday morning sports talk show to discuss the news that WWE\'s premium live events will begin airing on ESPN platforms in September, much earlier than the originally announced 2026 start date.
“The fact that we’re here teaming up with ESPN, it’s like my two favorite things in the world — sports and WWE — coming together. It’s huge for us as an industry,\" Rollins said.
He went on to explain why he believes the partnership is so important for the perception of professional wrestling as a whole. \"Professional wrestling has been a part of Americana for many, many, many years... and as we start to dip our toe further into the mainstream and really integrate ourselves into the mainstream, this is a huge step for us legitimatizing what we do as artists, as athletes,\" he stated.
\"For me personally, to be a part of the ESPN family is huge. I’m looking forward to this partnership and everything that is brings,” Rollins added.
The new partnership will officially kick off with the first-ever WrestlePalooza premium live event on Saturday, September 20, from Indianapolis, Indiana. The show will be the first WWE PLE to air on ESPN\'s new direct-to-consumer streaming service.
