The power of ESPN's P.R. machine has been put in full view throughout the lead up to WWE Wrestelpalooza on Sautrday. Screen grab: ‘First Take’
By Ben Axelrod on

For a show that was just announced less than a month ago, WWE Wrestlepalooza is shaping up to be one of the most historic events in the company’s history. And even if you’re not a pro wrestling fan, that’s likely something you’ve already been made well aware of if you’ve watched even just a few hours of ESPN programming this week, many of which have included promotion for WWE’s debut with the network.

With Wrestlepalooza marking the first WWE premium live event to air on ESPN’s direct-to-consumer streaming service, the Disney-owned company has gone all out in ensuring its viewers are aware of Saturday night’s super card. Major WWE superstars and figures such as Seth Rollins, Paul Heyman, Bron Breakker, Cody Rhodes and Paul “Triple H” Levesque were live in-studio on episodes of Get Up and First Take throughout the week, while CM Punk, A.J. Lee, Bronson Reed and The Usos also made appearances on SportsCenter.

The cross-promotion didn’t stop there, with Levesque appearing on ABC’s Good Morning America, Jey Uso throwing out the first pitch on Sunday Night Baseball and The Street Profits being featured on ESPN’s broadcast of the Big 12 matchup between Iowa State and Kansas State last weekend. Factor in outside promotional appearances on platforms such as Pardon My Take, Bussin’ With the Boys, Kill Tony and the NFL Network, and WWE hasn’t been hard to find — on ESPN and elsewhere.

Stephen A. Smith’s absurd top five aside, this is surely the type of promotion that WWE had in mind when it first announced its new deal for its PLEs to air on ESPN in August. While the money (reportedly $325 million over five years) is obviously a crucial component of the deal, the exposure that the ESPN platform and hype machine provide is also plenty valuable.

That’s not to say the marriage is currently a perfect one, as the lack of authentication agreements between ESPN and multiple cable platforms will force many viewers to subscribe to the streaming service separately from their current cable packages. Still, when it comes to the pure promotion of the event, it would be tough to argue that WWE isn’t getting exactly what it signed up for when it partnered with the Worldwide Leader in Sports.

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

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