According to Brandon Thurston from Wrestlenomics, two consumers have filed a lawsuit against WWE for deceptive marketing practices. They claim that WWE advertised access to Premium Live Events (PLEs) on ESPN without any additional fee. The lawsuit was initially filed against WWE, and ESPN was not included as a defendant.
Thurston noted that ESPN has since filed a motion to intervene in the ongoing class-action lawsuit, seeking to compel arbitration. The plaintiffs deliberately chose not to name ESPN as a defendant in order to bypass the arbitration clause in the subscriber agreement. It appears that ESPN is now trying to prevent this approach.
You can find ESPN's memorandum of law in support of the motion to intervene through this link.
ESPN became WWE’s primary streaming partner for Premium Live Events last year, beginning with WrestlePalooza 2025 in September. These events are broadcast live in the U.S. through the ESPN App for subscribers with an Unlimited tier subscription.
ESPN has moved to intervene in the class action lawsuit against WWE over access to PLEs. ESPN wants to compel arbitration.
Plaintiffs did not name ESPN as a defendant, apparently to get around the arbitration clause in the subscriber agreement. https://t.co/qm0UtJ4huN pic.twitter.com/Jer3nKcglp— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) March 28, 2026
