ESPN denies report that it has decided not to renew WWE deal – POST Wrestling

By: John Pollock & Brandon Thurston 

ESPN is publicly denying a report that its deal with WWE will cease after the conclusion of its five-year agreement.

On Tuesday, a report by BJ Bethel of SEScoops stated that the deal wasn’t expected to be renewed once it expired in four years. The report cited several sources indicating the deal faced “several problems, including the current media market, ‘culture and synergy’ issues between the two companies and the failure of cable providers to pick up the cost of the app for customers.”

POST Wrestling reached out to officials at WWE & ESPN for comment on this story and was issued the following from ESPN:

There is no truth to the report that we have decided not to renew. They never checked with us before publishing and had they, we would have told them that was completely false.

POST Wrestling contacted Bethel for clarification on his outreach. He stated he attempted to contact ESPN through a public 1-888 number that the broadcaster advertises online. He also attempted to use a contact form through ESPN’s website but was not successful in making contact with anyone.

WWE did not provide a comment for this report.

Bethel has publicly stated that he stands by his reporting.

I tried contacting ESPN through last night. Also left a voice mail on a support phone line. In fairness I forgot about previous correspondence with Ben in April and his email or I would have contacted him there.

I’m also standing by my story.

— B. J. Bethel (@BJBethelTweets) August 25, 2026

WWE and ESPN entered into a five-year agreement last year worth $1.6 billion over the term. The deal allowed ESPN Unlimited to become the U.S. distributor for all of WWE’s premium live events, beginning with Wrestlepalooza in September 2025.

Earlier this week, Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch reported that ESPN Unlimited would be increasing its pricing next month, one year after the launch of the streaming service.