ESPN Launches WWE Vertical

Thursday morning, pro wrestling and mainstream sports fans alike were surprised by the news that ESPN.com had launched a dedicated website section devoted specifically to WWE.

The ESPN-WWE relationship is relatively new and has its share of detractors. The sports outlet - the most comprehensive resource of its kind - first forged a partnership with the wrestling giant last fall, when it was announced that the promotion's programming would be featured on ESPN's flagship news broadcast, SportsCenter, and that the network would host interviews with WWE superstars.

Immediately, many sports fans objected to the idea that the network would cover wrestling, which is often viewed by the mainstream as non-competitive at best and ridiculous at worst. The coverage still continued unabated, but soon, pro wrestling fans also found reason to deride it - the network's WWE coverage was pure fluff, with stories clearly approved by the company for the purpose of a symbiotic relationship rather than crafted with an eye toward actual news.

This new vertical - which can be found at http://www.espn.com/wwe/ - looks to continue that trend. Though mainstream stories such as Roman Reigns's and Brock Lesnar's drug test failures and Jimmy Snuka's trial receive mention, most of the articles are non-critical show recaps, interviews with stars, and statistical information.