• Bret Hart Told Top WWE Star That His Style Is “Lazy Sh*t Wrestling”
During an interview on The Masked Man Show, Bret Hart revealed that he criticized Gunther’s wrestling to his face. Here’s what The Hitman said:
“I don’t want to sound like I’m tooting my own horn all the time, but the best wrestling has to pretend to be real. I mean, that’s what I did. I tried to make it as real as I could. Contrary to that Gunther guy – I hate wrestlers that hurt each other on purpose. I hate it when you’re out there getting beat up and hurt by a guy for real.
[The chops] look like sh*t. They make a big slap sound. But they hurt. It’s not supposed to be real. Like I’m not supposed to really wake up with a really sore chest the next day. So I have no respect for guys that hurt each other all the time.
And it’s just to me, lazy sh*t wrestling when guys like Gunther, and I’ve told him this to his face – it’s bullsh*t. Like when you’re hurting somebody for real, you’re unprofessional. And I wrestle guys, never hurt anybody.”
• WrestleMania Could Take Place In Saudi Arabia In 2027
Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, tweeted the following today: “A huge entertainment event I signed a while ago in 2027, a big surprise I’ll announce soon… (Your happiness is our goal)”
A fan asked: “WrestleMania, Abu Nasser?” Turki replied using smiling emojis.
This has begun speculation that Saudi Arabia might host WrestleMania in 2027, which would be WrestleMania 43. WrestleMania 42 in 2026 will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.
For the first time ever, Saudi Arabia will host a big 4 WWE PLE next year: Royal Rumble 2026. WWE gets paid $50 million per premium live event in Saudi Arabia. One would assume they might get paid extra to host the Big 4 PLEs, especially WrestleMania.
RELATED: Cody Rhodes Defends WWE’s Decision To Go To Saudi Arabia Despite Middle East Tensions
• WWE Has Huge News For Fans With New $1.6 Billion Deal
Beginning in 2026, ESPN will become the new U.S. destination for WWE’s premium live events – including WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and SummerSlam – in a deal that further blurs the lines between traditional sports and sports entertainment.
According to sources familiar with the arrangement, ESPN will pay $1.6 billion for 5 years (an average of $325 million annually) to stream WWE’s premium live events in the U.S. The content will appear on ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer platform, priced at $29.99/month, with some events also airing on its cable networks.
This agreement replaces the previous deal WWE had with NBCUniversal’s Peacock, which paid approximately $180 million per year for streaming rights to the same slate of events. The new partnership significantly increases WWE’s U.S. media rights valuation and offers ESPN a major tentpole property as it shifts further into streaming.
The collaboration didn’t happen overnight. WWE and ESPN have grown increasingly aligned over the past few years, and Mark Shapiro – President of TKO Group (WWE’s parent company) – sees this next step as a natural evolution. Drawing from his own background as a former ESPN executive, Shapiro suggested that if WWE wanted to break further into mainstream sports consciousness, ESPN was the right partner to do it with.
ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro also acknowledged that WWE’s appeal isn’t limited to hardcore wrestling fans. He noted that even if ESPN weren’t launching a streaming platform, they still would have pursued the rights. For ESPN, WWE offers something few sports properties do: a younger, more diverse, and more female-skewing audience – demographics the network is actively seeking to grow.
On WWE’s side, President Nick Khan added that nearly 40% of their fan base is female, and around half of the live event attendees come as families with children. In his view, WWE’s ability to attract multiple generations makes it an ideal fit for ESPN’s platform, which serves a broad spectrum of viewers.
This ESPN partnership is one piece of a much broader media strategy from WWE. Earlier in 2024, the company signed a 10-year, $5 billion deal with Netflix for global streaming rights to WWE RAW, beginning this year. Netflix also carries WWE’s premium events outside of the U.S.
Meanwhile, SmackDown remains under contract with USA Network, with that deal set to run through 2029, according to insiders.
For Disney, this move adds firepower to its streaming business, as ESPN recently reported quarterly revenues of $3.93 billion – up 1% domestically. WWE’s fanbase, which bridges sports and entertainment, offers a strong value proposition for both traditional broadcasting and digital expansion.
Also Read: List of Notable Names Who Attended Hulk Hogan’s Funeral
