• What ESPN Deal Prevents WWE From Doing
The idea of WWE bringing back brand-exclusive premium live events isn’t being held up by creative hesitation – it’s being blocked by the terms of its media rights agreement.
During a recent Fightful Select Q&A, Sean Ross Sapp addressed fan questions about whether WWE might ever return to RAW-only or SmackDown-only PLEs. His answer made it clear that the obstacle is financial, not roster depth or storytelling.
According to Sapp, WWE’s current deal with ESPN is structured around a specific type of event. ESPN pays for PLEs that feature a limited number of matches, typically five or six per show, and does not pay for events that only showcase half of WWE’s roster.
Sapp explained that while the current format has allowed WWE to place more major matches on weekly television, it also removes any incentive to produce additional, brand-specific PLEs. Without extra compensation, expanding the number or type of events wouldn’t benefit WWE under the existing agreement.
He added that unless ESPN agrees to renegotiate or expand the deal to include additional events, WWE is locked into its current approach. As things stand, there’s no financial upside for WWE to revive brand-exclusive PLEs, even if fans want them back.
• Top WWE Official Reacts To Rumors That He Hates Triple H
On his Something To Wrestle With podcast, top WWE official Bruce Prichard addressed rumors that he doesn’t like WWE’s Chief Content Officer Triple H:
“I have nothing to hate him for. And in all the times we worked together prior to coming back, and look, I can’t speak for him, I don’t know, but I do know how he treated me. He always treated me well.
He was a top talent, and obviously married in, but if he had married Betty down the street, he’d still be in the same position he is in today because he still has those qualifications.
He still has that love and that desire for the business. That’s what I appreciate as well. We do share the same love and appreciation for the business. We always did.
Any perceived hard feelings, I don’t know where they would have ever come from, because there weren’t any. Working with him as a talent, for me, I loved it. He was fun to work with.
People want to create animosity, want to create all these things that simply aren’t there, because they’ve never been in that kind of role. They’ve never done it, so they don’t understand what comes with it.”
• Locker Room Was Speechless After Recent Title Change
During an interview with Going Ringside, WWE EVOLVE Women’s Champion Kendal Grey revealed the NXT locker room’s reaction to Blake Monroe losing the Women’s North American Championship to Thea Hail in a botched finish:
“We were all shook. Speechless, all of us. But yeah, big upset for Thea. So happy for Thea, and we’ll just have to see what happens next. Yeah, we were shocked.
Thea’s a good wrestler so, we knew she had it in her but, Blake’s also a good wrestler and she was doing really good and so no one expected it and it happened and now we’ll have to see.
They’re having a rematch soon so we’ll have to see what happens next in that match.”
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