WWE Wrestlepalooza: current card, how to watch the PLE in the UK, and where did the name originate from?
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WWE marks their arrival on ESPN with a brand new PLE - which UK fans can watch this weekend live on Netflix
- A new PLE is set to take place this weekend on the WWE calendar.
- WWE Wrestlepalooza marks the start of the company’s new deal with sports network ESPN.
- But fans in the UK and Ireland won’t need to sign up to a new streaming platform to watch - here’s when and where you can see John Cena take on Brock Lesnar and more.
The WWE’s new broadcasting partnership with ESPN begins this weekend, with a brand new Premium Live Event set to take place in Indianapolis, Indiana - WWE Wrestlepalooza.
The event will become the first PLE screening on the US sporting network, after a landmark five-year media rights deal was agreed upon in August. The agreement now makes ESPN platforms the exclusive U.S. domestic home for all of WWE's Premium Live Events, previously held by streaming service Peacock.
The five-year deal is reportedly valued at over $1.6 billion, which is a significant increase from WWE's previous five-year deal with Peacock, which was valued at $900 million. This new agreement works out to an average of $325 million per year for WWE, an increase of approximately $145 million in annual income compared to the Peacock deal.
But while the events will be on the new ESPN streaming platform, a select number of marquee PLEs will also be simulcast on ESPN's traditional linear (cable) channels.
Which means that for the inaugural event, the WWE are pulling out all the stops on the same day as AEW presents their latest big event, All Out, from Toronto, Canada. John Cena is set to make his first and last appearance at the event as he takes on fellow OVW graduates, Brock Lesnar (making his first in-ring appearance since 2023), while the animosity between CM Punk and Seth Rollins has spilt over into their personal lives, with their respective partners now involved.
Plus, there are two title matches taking place, one of which is for the recently vacated Women’s Championship, previously held by Naomi after cashing in her Money in the Bank contract.
Not to worry, though, UK and Ireland viewers - you won’t need ESPN to watch it this side of the Atlantic. Here’s everything you need to know about the WWE’s brand new Premium Live Event.
What time is WWE Wrestlepalooza starting in the UK this weekend?
It won’t be quite the early night this time around, but certainly not the latest either - UK and Ireland fans looking to watch the new PLE live need only to head over to Netflix, when the show broadcasts live from 11:30pm BST on September 20, with on-demand repeats available shortly after broadcast.
What matches have been announced so far for WWE Wrestlepalooza?
While there is one more episode of WWE television left to air (WWE Friday Night SmackDown), the current card for Wrestlepalooza this year looks as follows - as always, though, the card is subject to change.
WWE Wrestlepalooza - current matches announced
- John Cena v Brock Lesnar
- Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) v Drew McIntyre
- For the vacant Women’s World Championship: IYO SKY v Stephanie Vaquer
- CM Punk and AJ Lee v Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch
- The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso) v The Vision (Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker)
Where did the WWE get the name ‘Wrestlepalooza’ for their newest Premium Live Event?
While the name is a nod to the popular travelling music festival, Lollapalooza, the actual name and IP once belonged to that of Extreme Championship Wrestling, headed by current WWE personality Paul Heyman.
Heyman would regularly engage in the interests of the ‘teenage’ fans that followed early ECW, once stating that they were the “grunge” to other companies’ “glam rock,” during a time when alternative music was on the brink yet again of being mainstream accessible.
The first Wrestlepalooza event under the ECW banner took place in 1995, followed by events under the same name in 1997. 1998 and 2000. After the WWE purchased ECW in 2003, the attained the assets and intellectual property of the company, including the name ‘Wrestlepalooza.’
This isn’t the first time, however, that the company has used a PPV name for one of their own new shows; the WWE has previously used former WCW event titles, including Halloween Havoc and The Great American Bash, for their NXT brand.
All Elite Wrestling brings its hard-hitting TV tapings to the UK this winter, with two major shows lined up for British fans. AEW Collision hits Cardiff’s Utilita Arena on Saturday 13 December, while AEW Dynamite comes to Manchester’s Co-op Live on Wednesday 17 December. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster – prices start at just £31.50.
Both events are part of AEW’s December UK tour, which follows their sold-out Forbidden Door show at London’s O2 Arena. The Cardiff event will be a televised edition of AEW Collision, while the Manchester show will feature a live taping of AEW Dynamite, the company’s flagship programme.