At the beginning of August it was announced that WWE had signed a new US streaming deal.
Hot on the heels of Raw debuting on Netflix in January, the company struck an agreement with ESPN for its Premium Live Events to air on the network’s upcoming streaming platform.
While it was originally announced WWE’s PLEs would not begin airing on ESPN until 2026, it has now been confirmed the deal will kick in on September 20, 2025 with an inaugural event.
With this major shift in distribution now secured, here are six historic WWE shows that could be resurrected as PLEs for ESPN’s platform.
6. Wrestlepalooza
The first event to kick off WWE’s presence on the new ESPN streaming platform will be Wrestlepalooza.
While new to WWE, the name will ring a bell for long-time wrestling fans, as it has its roots in Paul Heyman’s trailblazing 1990s promotion ECW.
The branded event debuted in 1995, running four cards including one pay-per-view before ECW folded in 2001.
Under WWE’s banner, the show will carry another Heyman connection, with returning Brock Lesnar set to face John Cena in the main event.
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5. In Your House
Another, more familiar WWE show that could be revived as a PLE on ESPN is In Your House.
Dating back to 1995, the series originally ran as monthly pay-per-views slotted between the company’s “Big Five” events: WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and King of the Ring.
Though designed as B-level PPVs, In Your House produced some of WWE’s most memorable bouts of the era, including Shawn Michaels vs Mankind at Mind Games and Michaels vs The Undertaker in the first-ever Hell in a Cell at Badd Blood.
With the ongoing revival of 1990s culture, bringing back In Your House – complete with retro set designs – would be a way for WWE to capitalise on the nostalgia of its fanbase.
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4. No Way Out
No Way Out was a WWE pay-per-view that ran annually each February, traditionally serving as the final stop before WrestleMania.
One of the most important events of the early millennium, it produced a series of unforgettable moments, including the NWO’s WWE debut in 2002, Triple H “retiring” Mick Foley inside Hell in a Cell in 2000, and Eddie Guerrero’s emotional WWE Title win over Brock Lesnar in 2004.
The event last took place in 2009 – other than a one-off return in 2012 – being replaced by Elimination Chamber as the company’s February PPV.
Given its historic pedigree, it wouldn’t be surprising to see No Way Out resurrected as an annual PLE on ESPN.
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3. Holiday Hell
Recent months have seen WWE launch an all-out assault on AEW, attempting to counterprogram the rival promotion at every turn.
July saw WWE try to rival All In with three of their own PLEs, and the new ESPN deal kicks off with Wrestlepalooza – taking place on the same day as AEW All Out.
Recent years have seen AEW run Worlds End as its year-end PPV on the final weekend of December, and while rumors suggested WWE would counter this year by airing John Cena’s retirement at Saturday Night’s Main Event on the same date, that show is now confirmed for December 13.
Given WWE’s current strategy, it wouldn’t be a surprise if it launched its own end-of-year PLE, or even reached back into ECW canon by resurrecting Holiday Hell.
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2. NXT TakeOver
During the WWE Network era, WWE’s main roster PLEs often paled in comparison to its so-called “developmental” brand’s NXT TakeOver events.
Between 2014 and 2021, in the latter years of the McMahon era, TakeOver consistently delivered WWE’s best in-ring matches – shows that prioritised work rate and in-ring action above spectacle.
The TakeOver series ended when NXT shifted from “super indie” to true developmental, but it remains a concept that could be resurrected and reimagined.
As a main roster PLE, TakeOver could pit WWE’s top stars against NXT’s brightest talents, stripped down of excess theatrics to put the focus squarely on work rate and in-ring action.
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1. Starrcade
WWE does not just have the opportunity to reach into its own past – and indeed that of ECW – but also its biggest and most famous rival, WCW, whose intellectual property it also owns.
In the Paul Levesque era, WWE has already resurrected WCW pay-per-views such as Halloween Havoc and The Great American Bash for NXT, as well as WarGames for Survivor Series, but the deceased company’s biggest annual show has yet to be tapped for a PLE.
Starrcade was WCW’s WrestleMania, its tentpole event, producing some of the company’s most memorable bouts, from the classic Ric Flair vs. Vader career vs. title match in 1993 to the infamous Hulk Hogan vs. Sting clash in 1997.
With Levesque increasingly open to reviving WCW properties, Starrcade could return to its former glory and take its place as a big-time annual PLE on ESPN.
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