Is ESPN already sweating its massive $1.625 billion WWE deal? Thats what actor and former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. claims. While WWE and ESPN publicly seem all smiles, especially with WrestleMania 42 on the horizon, Prinze Jr. just dropped a fiery update on his Wrestling with Freddie podcast and it paints a very different picture.
The deal, which launched in September 2025 with WrestlePalooza as the first Premium Live Event on ESPNs new streaming platform, was supposed to be a huge win for both sides. But according to Freddie, ESPN might already be regretting the price tag.
On his podcast, Prinze Jr. revealed what he heard from someone close to the situation:
He didnt stop there. Prinze also took a shot at WWEs current PLE branding, suggesting it might be confusing the audience:
This comes after ESPN President Burke Magnus appeared on the SI Media Podcast with Jimmy Traina and praised the relationship. Magnus said things were going smoothly so far and pointed to WWEs energy and promotional hustle as a strong point of the partnership:
He added that events like Survivor Series and WrestleMania 42 will be key indicators of long-term success:
So whats the real story? Are things as strong as Magnus suggests, or is there real concern behind the scenes at ESPN and Disney? If Freddies source is accurate, the pressure is on to deliver massive returns fast.
With WrestleMania 42 looming and the ESPN streaming platform still trying to prove itself in the wrestling space, this partnership may be facing its biggest test yet.
Do you think ESPN overpaid for WWEs streaming rights? Will the deal pay off, or is there trouble ahead? Drop your thoughts in the comments we want to hear what you think about this billion-dollar gamble.
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