Tag: wrestlepalooza

How WWE performed on Netflix in 2025: Raw, PLEs, SmackDown & Unreal

Posted on by Josh Nason

In case you missed it, Netflix released viewing data for the second half of 2025 earlier this week, revealing how WWE performed among its fellow content peers.

The following highlights and notes come from their biannual “What We Watched” report which was released in concert with their fourth quarter earning report.

Unreal

In the second half of the year, the highest ranking show overall for WWE was the first season of Unreal which brought in 4.9 million global views and 22.8 million total global hours viewed, putting it at 407th overall. The show was available worldwide.

PLEs

September’s first-ever WWE Wrestlepalooza brought in 1.9 million total global views and 5.7 total million global hours viewed to lead the pack for the second half.

November’s Survivor Series WarGames was right behind it with a reported 1.8 million global views and 5.3 total million global hours viewed.

Evolution was the worst performing at just 900,000.

ShowTotal Global Views
Wrestlepalooza1,900,000
Survivor Series: WarGames1,800,000
SummerSlam night 21,700,000
SummerSlam night 11,500,000
Crown Jewel: Perth1,400,000
Clash in Paris1,300,000
Evolution900,000

For the year, last January’s Royal Rumble finished the year in the top spot at 3.2 million global views, beating out night two of WrestleMania (2.9 million), WrestleMania night one (2.5 million), and March’s Elimination Chamber (2 million) with Wrestlepalooza finishing fifth overall.

The worst performing was July’s Evolution followed by Clash in Paris (1.3 million) and Night of Champions (1.3 million).

Of note, these numbers are worldwide minus the U.S. where PLEs were either on the Peacock or ESPN streaming service.

Raw and SmackDown

The best performing edition of WWE Raw in the second half was on November 17 with 3.5 million total global views, edging out the August 4 episode that did 3.4 million. 13 episodes were above three million overall with the lowest bringing in 2.2 million for the December 29 episode. However, since the numbers are as of December 31, that was only based on three days.

The highest ranking episode of the year by far was the Netflix debut on January 6 with 7.1 million total global views.

SmackDown, available worldwide but not in the U.S. on Netflix, saw the majority of its second half episodes finish in the 700,000 to 1.3 million range. The highest was the September 5 edition (1.3 million total global views) which also was the best performing for the year, beating out several 1.1 million episodes.

NXT

Available worldwide but not in the U.S. on Netflix, nearly every PLE had 200,000 global views with their weekly TV in the 100,000-200,000 range. The best performing was the September 16 Homecoming episode at 300,000.

Here’s the analysis for the first half of the year.

WWE accused of deceptive marketing with ESPN launch in new class action lawsuit

Posted on by Josh Nason

The rollout of WWE premium live events on ESPN’s straight-to-consumer streaming platform this past September was not without its critics — a rollout that has now brought about a class action lawsuit.

First reported by Post Wrestling and Brandon Thurston on Friday, the lawsuit filed Thursday in Connecticut’s U.S. District Court accuses WWE of being deceptive in their marketing of the new union when claiming all ESPN subscribers would have access to WWE PLEs without an additional fee.

Only WWE is named in the lawsuit and not ESPN. The reason, Thurston surmised, was that “By only suing WWE, the plaintiffs are trying to avoid the arbitration and class action waiver provisions that they note are in Disney’s subscriber agreement.”

ESPN (Disney) has previously stated they expect to eventually sign deals with all cable/streaming adjacent providers that carry ESPN which would give subscribers access to their new streaming platform at no additional cost. TKO head Mark Shapiro has also stated that is their expectation as well.

As of this writing, that is not the case with several major providers, meaning those subscribers must pay $30/month for access to the ESPN streaming platform and the WWE PLEs.

The plaintiffs are looking to represent any U.S.-based customers who a) were existing ESPN subscribers between August 6 prior to September 20’s Wrestlepalooza and b) paid for ESPN’s new service in that timeframe. Those who are subscribers of DirecTV, Fubo TV, Hulu + Live TV, Spectrum and Verizon FIOS are ineligible for the lawsuit due to their ability to both authenticate and get access in that timeframe.

The lawsuit, brought about by two consumers, claims more than $5 million are at stake with eligible consumers getting a cut if they win the case. In the suit, it was estimated that “WWE content drove roughly 95,000 to 125,000 signups during the proposed class period.”

The next step is for WWE to respond legally.

WOR: Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame discussion kickoff, lessons from last Saturday

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back with the Friday edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about all the big news from today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Additionally, John Muse and Ethan Tyler joined us to talk about the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame candidates in the US (modern and historical) and Japan.

Here were some of the things we discussed before getting to the Hall of Fame conversation:

  • AEW All Out buyrate
  • Lessons from last Saturday
  • WWE Wrestlepalooza interest
  • NXT & AEW Dynamite ratings

Next week, we’ll go over the rest of the ballot.

Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube

Here’s the extra 25 minutes of superchat questions that weren’t on the original audio version.

Wrestling Weekly: What’s next after AEW All Out & WWE Wrestlepalooza?

Posted on by Victor Sosa

Image: AEW

The Friday Wrestling Weekly with Vic Sosa and Les Thatcher has arrived.

Coming off a well received AEW All Out and Wrestlepalooza that didn’t get WWE the greatest review from their new PLE partner, we look at what’s on the horizon for both companies.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

Clarification on Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena WWE Wrestlepalooza finish

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer clarified some rumors surrounding the finish of Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena at WWE Wrestlepalooza.

The match — which was Lesnar’s first time competing since 2023 — saw Lesnar pick up a dominant victory reminiscent of his win over Cena from SummerSlam 2014. While there are rumors that Cena was originally intended to win until a late change in plans, Meltzer says there were never any serious discussions about Lesnar losing.

“We were told that was not the case, and that Lesnar was not brought back to lose his first match. There are always discussions and the idea may have been broached for Cena to win, as most expected, but it was never a serious discussion or ever the planned finish,” Meltzer wrote.

“The match was all about making Lesnar as strong as possible, getting a last match with Cena, and the feeling Cena more than anyone, is bullet proof no matter what they do with him. They are spending a ton to get Lesnar and the idea is to make him a monster and have someone slay the monster. It would be more valuable saving the big and first Lesnar loss for Jacob Fatu or Bron Breakker, unless Cody Rhodes needs a challenger and if they feud, in the end, Rhodes does have to get a win.”

Lesnar vs. Cena opened the Wrestlepalooza card as the first match of WWE’s new PLE era on ESPN. There was a reunion between Lesnar and Paul Heyman as Heyman did Lesnar’s ring introduction for the match. Heyman currently manages The Vision — a faction with Breakker, Bronson Reed, and World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.

WWE is reportedly not planning for there to be another Lesnar vs. Cena match before Cena retires. After Wrestlepalooza, Cena only has five dates left on his WWE retirement tour. Up next for Cena is a match against AJ Styles at Crown Jewel: Perth on October 11.

WOL: Updates on Tiffany and Jey, weekend show news, more!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Filthy Tom Lawlor is back with tons to talk about including multiple injury updates, backstage notes from AEW All Out and WrestlePalooza, full reviews of both shows, and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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AJ Lee reflects on WWE Wrestlepalooza return: ‘I guess I still got it’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

AJ Lee is expressing gratitude for everyone who helped with her WWE return.

After a decade away from the ring, Lee returned to competition in a mixed tag match last Saturday at WWE Wrestlepalooza. She made an Instagram post today reflecting on the moment and showing appreciation for everyone else who was involved in the match. She thanked her husband CM Punk, their opponents Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins, referee Jessika Carr, producer TJ Wilson, her dog Larry, and all of the fans.

“A chaotic fairytale so far. I’m proud of myself for being scared but doing it anyway, after ten years of retirement, on one month’s notice. I guess I still got it,” Lee wrote. “I’m so grateful to Rebecca, Colby, Jess, TJ, and my hot husband Phil for taking such good care of me. And Larry for sharing his dressing room. I’m feeling all the love and support from you guys, my wonderful weirdos, it means the world.”

The mixed tag match ended with Lee using her Black Widow submission on Lynch to get the victory. What’s next for Lee remains to be seen, but her challenging Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship would appear to be the logical direction.

The 38-year-old Lee has officially signed a new contract with WWE in her return. She was a three-time Divas Champion during her first run with the company, where Lee was one of the most popular characters on WWE programming. A neck injury contributed to her decision to retire in 2015.

Outside of the ring, Lee is a writer and mental health advocate.

ESPN grades WWE Wrestlepalooza a ‘C,’ Ricochet responds

Posted on by Joseph Currier

ESPN has given out a middling grade to the first WWE show of its new PLE era.

In his review of the event, ESPN combat sports writer Andreas Hale graded Wrestlepalooza as a “C,” praising the Women’s World Championship between Stephanie Vaquer and IYO SKY but saying that everything else was “either underwhelming or a setup for a future match.” Hale gave out the following grades:

  • Brock Lesnar defeats John Cena: C-
  • Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed defeat The Usos: C
  • Stephanie Vaquer defeats IYO SKY to become the new Women’s World Champion: B+
  • CM Punk & AJ Lee defeat Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch: C
  • WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defeats Drew McIntyre: C

“The excellent Vaquer vs. Sky match saved this show from being truly average. It was a phenomenal display inside the squared circle. Everything else was either underwhelming (the short Rhodes-McIntyre match) or a setup for a future match (Lesnar dominating Cena),” Hale wrote. “For a card that promised to have epic moments, it fell a little short of expectations.”

ESPN said prior to Wrestlepalooza that its wrestling writers would have full independence in their coverage, and there would be a “separation of church and state” despite the network’s relationship with WWE as the promotion’s new PLE broadcast partner in the United States.

After the WWE-ESPN PLE deal was announced, ESPN’s website took down its AEW-dedicated page before later putting it back up, though there has never been much coverage in the section.

Wrestlepalooza and AEW All Out took place on the same day, with All Out moving its start time to the afternoon after the WWE competition was added.

AEW star Ricochet posted a tweet responding to ESPN’s Wrestlepalooza grade:

The WWE-ESPN PLE deal is a five-year agreement. Up next is Crown Jewel: Perth on October 11. That PLE has a special start time of 8 a.m. Eastern, streaming live on the ESPN app in the United States and Netflix internationally.

WOR: All Out, WrestlePalooza, CMLL Aniversario

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including full recaps of AEW All Out, WWE WrestlePalooza, the CMLL Anniversary Show, the AEW press conference, WWE’s next big PLE match, and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:
Start: General thoughts on WWE Wrestlepalooza & AEW All Out
9:15: AEW All Out recap, Tony Khan press conference notes
52:46: WWE Wrestlepalooza recap, Tiffany Stratton update
1:08:19: Dave’s CMLL Anniversary show thoughts

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WWE crowns new Women’s World Champion at Wrestlepalooza

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Stephanie Vaquer is now in possession of her first WWE main roster gold.

In the biggest moment of her WWE career so far, Vaquer defeated IYO SKY at Wrestlepalooza to become the new Women’s World Champion. A beautiful-looking Spiral Tap from the top rope won Vaquer the belt, which had been vacant after Naomi had to relinquish the title last month due to her pregnancy.

The story of the Vaquer vs. SKY match centered around SKY sustaining knee damage from multiple dragon screws by Vaquer. When SKY missed a moonsault near the finish, she landed knee-first before taking the Spiral Tap from Vaquer.

Vaquer and SKY showed respect to each other after the pinfall. Along with that, Vaquer got to share a special moment with her father at ringside. He traveled from Chile to Indianapolis to watch his daughter become champion.

WWE chose Vaquer and SKY as the two competitors for tonight’s match because both were owed title shots prior to Naomi being forced out of action. Vaquer earned her title shot by winning a battle royal at WWE Evolution this summer.

Before signing with WWE in 2024, Vaquer was a star in Mexico as the CMLL Women’s World Champion. She held the NXT Women’s Championship and NXT North American Championship earlier this year prior to being called up.

WWE confirmed during Wrestlepalooza that Vaquer will face the WWE Women’s Champion at Crown Jewel: Perth on October 11. Neither of their belts will be on the line, but the winner will become the Women’s Crown Jewel Champion for 2025.

Tiffany Stratton — the current WWE Women’s Champion — is defending her title against Nia Jax and Jade Cargill in a triple threat match on SmackDown this coming Friday.

Big reunion takes place at WWE Wrestlepalooza

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Brock Lesnar might have his advocate back by his side.

After the two interacted last night on SmackDown, a reunion between Lesnar and his former manager Paul Heyman took place at WWE Wrestlepalooza. Heyman made a surprise appearance before the opening match and introduced Lesnar for his bout against John Cena.

“Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Paul Heyman. Introducing the 17-seeing, GOAT-slaying, Cena-conquering, former NCAA, UFC, WWE undisputed heavyweight champion of the world — the last real asskicker, Brock Lesnar,” Heyman said.

Heyman did not stay at ringside for the match itself.

Lesnar went on to pick up a dominant victory over Cena, reminiscent of when they faced each other at SummerSlam 2014. Tonight marked Lesnar’s first WWE win in over two years. He returned to the company at SummerSlam last month for the first time since his name was mentioned in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE.

Following their match, Lesnar laid out Cena again and attacked the referee.

Whether this renewed alliance between Lesnar and Heyman will be a lasting one remains to be seen. At the moment, Heyman manages The Vision — a faction that includes World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed.

In their interaction on Friday’s SmackDown, Lesnar ran into Heyman backstage and said they should talk. Breakker and Reed were standing next to Heyman as that happened.

WWE Wrestlepalooza notes: New signature intro, Triple H, Pat McAfee

Posted on by Joseph Currier

– The start of a new era for WWE began with a new signature intro.

At the start of Wrestlepalooza on Saturday night, WWE debuted a new version of its “Then. Now. Forever. Together” opening video. Still voiced by Paul “Triple H” Levesque and featuring footage of WWE legends and current stars, the video ends with the Las Vegas crowd from WrestleMania 41 doing Jey Uso’s “Yeet” motion.

– WWE then played its Wrestlepalooza cold open celebrating the company’s new partnership with ESPN. After that, Levesque made an appearance and welcomed everyone to the ESPN PLE era.

“What you are about to witness is the final form of sports an entertainment,” he said. “If tonight is your first night, let me welcome you to WWE. Let me welcome you to ESPN. Let me welcome you to Wrestlepalooza.”

– Pat McAfee — a hometown hero in Wrestlepalooza’s host city of Indianapolis — then joined Michael Cole & Wade Barrett on commentary for the start of the show. Before his appearance tonight, McAfee had been away from WWE since June. He was in Miami this morning for his duties on ESPN’s College GameDay before making the trip to Indy.

WWE reveals Wrestlepalooza hype video

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has released a new hype video celebrating the start of a new era for the company.

Starting with Wrestlepalooza tonight, WWE PLEs will be broadcast on ESPN’s new streaming service. It’s a partnership that will now see WWE’s biggest events featured alongside ESPN’s sports offerings. While there are differences between WWE matches and those traditional sports, this opening video for Wrestlepalooza celebrates the WWE & ESPN relationship as a natural marriage between two companies that were once upstarts and have risen to the top through their storytelling.

“Wrestling isn’t a metaphor for the national condition, but a reflection of it. As are all games we play,” Paul “Triple H” Levesque said while narrating the video. “Sports is entertainment. Always has been, always will be.”

The WWE-ESPN PLE deal is for five years and will include select future events being simulcast on ESPN’s traditional TV channel. Wrestlepalooza is only airing on the streaming app.

To promote the PLE, the cast of ESPN’s College GameDay made predictions for John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar this morning in addition to their regular college football picks.

Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis is hosting Wrestlepalooza tonight. The main card has a start time of 7 p.m. Eastern.

WWE Wrestlepalooza (Saturday, September 20) —

  • WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Drew McIntyre
  • Mixed tag match: AJ Lee & CM Punk vs. Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins
  • Stephanie Vaquer vs. IYO SKY for the vacant Women’s World Championship
  • The Usos vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed
  • John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar

John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar to open WWE Wrestlepalooza

Posted on by Joseph Currier

John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar won’t be the main event of WWE Wrestlepalooza after all.

Last week, WWE commentator Joe Tessitore stated on ESPN that Cena vs. Lesnar would be the Wrestlepalooza main event. It’s now been confirmed that the match will actually be opening the card on Saturday, with Cena vs. Lesnar serving as the official start of WWE’s new PLE era on ESPN.

The announcement of Cena vs. Lesnar opening Wrestlepalooza was made by Pat McAfee on Thursday’s edition of The Pat McAfee Show.

This will be one of the final matches of Cena’s career, with him only having five appearances left on his retirement tour after Wrestlepalooza. It’s Lesnar’s first time competing in the ring since 2023. Lesnar spent nearly two years away from the company after his name was mentioned in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE.

WWE hasn’t announced which match will be going on last at Wrestlepalooza, but the main event would figure to be AJ Lee & CM Punk vs. Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins or the WWE Championship match between Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre.

Wrestlepalooza is taking place from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and has a start time of 7 p.m. Eastern. It’s airing live on ESPN’s new streaming service in the United States and on Netflix elsewhere.

WWE Wrestlepalooza (Saturday, September 20) —

  • Mixed tag match: AJ Lee & CM Punk vs. Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins
  • WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Drew McIntyre
  • Stephanie Vaquer vs. IYO SKY for the vacant Women’s World Championship
  • The Usos vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed
  • John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar

ESPN addresses WWE Wrestlepalooza running against AEW All Out

Posted on by Josh Nason

With regard to WWE Wrestlepalooza running this Saturday against AEW All Out, wrestling competition had nothing to do with it, according to ESPN executives.

During a media call Wednesday to promote Saturday’s launch on the ESPN networks and specifically their new streaming platform, ESPN VP of programming and acquisitions Matt Kenny was asked about WWE choosing to run against a competitor and if that was a strategy for the future.

Kenny said they will work collaboratively with WWE on the schedule and in this case, many of WWE’s events had already been scheduled for the year. He said traditionally, ESPN would work with a partner as part of a lengthy process in scheduling dates (using UFC as an example), working together on a calendar.

ESPN’s PLE deal with WWE wasn’t supposed to start until April 2026 and it wasn’t until WWE negotiated with NBCU/Peacock (revealed in August) to get out early that ESPN was able to move the timetable up.

Kenny said ESPN wanted a marquee WWE event in September to help with the launch of the new streaming platform.

He mentioned during the call that they had no dialogue with Peacock and “we were excited when presented the option to start that relationship early.”

“Really, it had less to do with any particular wrestling competition. In fact, we take a holistic view. We know there is competition everywhere. Certainly in the fall on Saturdays…there’s no shortage of college football competition throughout the day. We welcome competition and do take a ‘game on’ approach. We are focused in this particular case to super-serve WWE and wrestling fans on our platforms,” he said.