WWE is back in court, this time facing a new class action lawsuit tied directly to its high-profile streaming agreement with ESPN.
According to Sports Illustrated, the lawsuit centers on how WWE premium live events were marketed to ESPN customers ahead of the rollout of the companies’ expanded streaming partnership.
The legal action traces back to September 2025, when WWE launched Wrestlepalooza, a newly created premium live event that marked the start of WWE’s ESPN-era PLE programming. The show was positioned as a top-tier event and featured major stars including John Cena, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, AJ Lee, and Cody Rhodes.
According to the lawsuit, existing ESPN subscribers were led to believe they would have access to WWE events as part of their current ESPN subscription, only to later discover that wasn’t the case.
Plaintiffs allege that ESPN customers were informed through marketing communications that WWE events would be included with ESPN’s offerings, whether through direct subscriptions or television packages.
However, ahead of Wrestlepalooza, viewers reportedly learned they needed to purchase ESPN’s newer direct-to-consumer product, Unlimited, to access the event. The suit seeks to represent U.S.-based customers who paid for ESPN Unlimited even though they were already ESPN subscribers.
A press release issued in early August 2025 is a key focus of the complaint. The filing claims the release stated that new ESPN product features would be available to customers who already had ESPN content, either via direct purchase or through TV providers.
The plaintiffs argue that this messaging caused confusion about what content was included and ultimately led consumers to pay for access they believed they already had.
As of this writing, WWE is the only named defendant in the lawsuit. ESPN is not directly listed, and WWE has not publicly responded to the allegations.
Under the deal, major shows such as WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and SummerSlam are set to stream on ESPN’s direct-to-consumer platform, with select simulcasts on ESPN’s cable networks.
The ESPN partnership followed WWE’s separate 10-year, $5+ billion deal with Netflix for its weekly flagship show Raw.
While WWE previously highlighted viewership and attendance numbers during its Peacock partnership, neither WWE nor ESPN has released viewership data since PLEs began airing under the new ESPN model—an issue that has already drawn public commentary from former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr., who recently claimed ESPN executives are unhappy with the deal.