The new era of WWE PLEs has CM Punk excited.
On September 20, ESPN becomes the exclusive U.S. domestic home of all WWE PLEs, with CNBC reporting that the network will pay an average of $325 million per year for five years.
During an appearance on ESPN’s First Take, CM Punk shared his thoughts on the announcement, noting his excitement at being part of a household brand.
“I’m really excited. You know, we had a great relationship with Peacock, that’s going to continue in the form of Saturday Night’s Main Event. But anytime you can rub elbows and be on the same platforms like with ESPN, Netflix, stuff like that — those are just giant, household, you know, synonymous brand names. Synonymous with excellence, like CM Punk, like WWE. So I think it’s going to be a great partnership. Looking forward to it.”
-CM Punk
As mentioned by Punk, WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event shows will now stream exclusively on Peacock, the previous home of WWE’s PLEs in the United States. The Hollywood Reporter also recently revealed that NXT’s Premium Live Events are set to remain on Peacock.
WWE’s partnership with ESPN kicks off on September 20th with Wrestlepalooza in Indianapolis, with John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar and WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre reportedly planned for the event, according to PWInsider Elite.
In terms of what’s next for CM Punk, the former World Heavyweight Champion will look to recapture as he takes on Seth Rollins, Jey Uso, and LA Knight at WWE Clash in Paris on August 31st.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the WWE’s partnership with ESPN as soon as we hear more.
H/T to the Wrestling Observer for the transcription.
