WWE Announces Wrestlepalooza PLE - ESPN Deal Starting Early (WWE News)
Wrestlepalooza takes place on 20 September opposite AEW's All Out pay-per-view.
WWE fired out a press release via their corporate website announcing a brand new PLE for 20 September. Previously, news had leaked that the company planned to host a show on that date opposite AEW's All Out 2025 pay-per-view, but nobody quite knew what it'd be called. Now, following WWE's announcement, it's official that the 20 Sept show will be called Wrestlepalooza.
Previously, the original ECW hosted 4 Wrestlepalooza shows between 1995-2000 (they skipped 1996 and 1999).
The PLE will take place inside the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Of course, the nearby Lucas Oil Stadium hosted this year's Royal Rumble event in February. For the sake of comparison, Lucas Oil drew a crowd of over 70,000 earlier this year - the Gainsbridge Fieldhouse has a capacity of around 19,000 for concerts and just over 17,000 for basketball.
It's a lot smaller, but then this is a 'B' level PLE compared to the Rumble, so not many will be surprised by that.
Currently, John Cena is the top name announced for Wrestlepalooza. WWE's press release revealed that he'll headline the new show opposite somebody else. That "somebody else" is expected to be none other than Brock Lesnar. 'The Beast Incarnate' made his controversial return at SummerSlam in early-August, entered the ring following Cena's loss to Cody Rhodes, then blasted the soon-to-retire reborn babyface with his signature F5 finishing move.
It seems a given that they'll clash in Indianapolis next month, but nothing has been officially confirmed at time of writing. It might be by the time some read this news item.
ESPN Becoming Exclusive US Home For WWE PLEs
WWE also included word that Wrestlepalooza will be the first ever exclusively presented via ESPN. Their deal with the sports giant is set to begin earlier than scheduled. Look above at the flashy graphic and you'll see, "starting in 2026" at the top. Both WWE and ESPN have brought that date forward to include this brand new PLE on 20 September.
In addition, all upcoming events like Crown Jewel on 11 October and Survivor Series on 29 November will be aired via ESPN as well. That process will then continue into the new year with supershows like Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 42. It's important to note that this only really affects the domestic United States market and its customers.
Fans worldwide will still be able to grab WWE PLEs via other subscription models such as Netflix.
Other stars announced for the card include Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, CM Punk, Becky Lynch and Drew McIntyre. More names will be tacked on in due course as the format begins to take shape. Stay tuned to upcoming episodes of WWE Raw and SmackDown for more on that.