Posterity will remember 2025 as the year combat sports viewing underwent a historic shift. Signing off with a New York card on July 26, Top Rank and ESPN brought the curtain down on their eight-year boxing partnership, ending an era of traditional linear TV viewing for boxing. But bigger news soon shook the combat sports world. Dana White’s UFC signed a groundbreaking deal with Paramount. The seven-year, $7.7 billion agreement is set to begin next year, once the promotion’s deal with ESPN expires at year’s end. Understandably, alarm bells rang across the industry.

But the clouds of uncertainty soon lifted. News arrived. While ESPN may have stepped away from boxing and mixed martial arts, it was not leaving combat sports altogether. The Walt Disney–owned network struck a five-year, $1.6 billion deal with another TKO-owned promotion: WWE. The agreement will feature marquee events such as WrestleMania, leaving diehard fans thrilled. And perhaps no one expressed their excitement better than WWE legend and Hollywood icon Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, whose net worth is reportedly approaching the billion-dollar mark($800 million). Taking to Instagram, he shared a heartfelt message of gratitude.

Dwayne Johnson tips his hat

“Our @tkogrp growth has been incredible for @ufc & @wwe,” Johnson began. He thanked the organizations for giving him the opportunity to play a small role in their journey. “I’m grateful to play a very small role in this global growth, but more importantly—I’m so excited for the opportunities this creates for all the MMA fighters and pro wrestlers to entertain combat fans around the world.”

Later, Johnson extended his thanks to the top executives behind the deals – Dana White, Ari Emanuel, Mark Shapiro, Nick Khan, and WWE Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque. His post included a collage of the breaking news as it appeared across multiple outlets.

The overwhelming reactions and comments on Johnson’s post told the whole story. Beginning in 2026, events such as WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and other Premium Live Events will stream on ESPN’s direct-to-consumer (DTC) service.

As far as combat sports are concerned, that’s a massive update.

A snapshot of the WWE deal

The news also coincides with the agreement ESPN struck with the NFL. Speaking about the deal, WWE President Nick Khan stated, “Bringing WWE’s flagship events to ESPN’s platform is tremendously exciting. We know the sky is the limit.”

According to the Associated Press, ESPN is preparing to launch its standalone DTC service by September 2025. Priced at $29.99 per month, it will provide subscribers access to all ESPN programs and networks.

WWE once marketed its marquee shows, called Premium Live Events (PLEs), as traditional pay-per-view (PPV) broadcasts, where fans had to purchase each individually. Currently, in the U.S., WWE PLEs stream on NBC’s Peacock. But beginning in 2026, ESPN will take over those streaming rights.

It’s important to note that the WWE–ESPN deal applies only to fans in the United States. For audiences overseas, WWE events will continue to stream on Netflix.

What are your thoughts on the WWE–ESPN deal?