There was a time when professional wrestling, a scripted sport, being covered on ESPN would’ve seemed preposterous, but last night, there was undoubtedly a new era for not only the WWE, but sports entertainment as a whole. The reason being is simple, with the massive $1.5 billion deal to bring WWE pay-per-views to the revamped ESPN streaming service, it not only puts the network’s promotional machine behind the WWE brand, as the network has a literal vested interest in the success of the WWE content, but it also puts pro wrestling in the same conversation as other mainstream sports. Don’t get me wrong, pro wrestling will probably always have a shady side to it, the Saudi deal for 2027 proves that will happen at even the highest levels, but in some ways, the “stain” that sports entertainment had as a phony or carny show has faded with the acceptance under the ESPN banner.
As expected. the event opened with a major amount of pyro and ballyhoo, showcasing the extensive history of the company. One of the perks of being the last man standing of the territories of the 80s and the Monday night wars of the 90s is that the organization can use its historical cache to enhance the perception of current events. This was another prime example of why the WWE state-of-the-art production is second to none, as the broadcast looked like a major event, which it had to accomplish when the new business model will ask most fans, at this at this point, to pay $30 for a subscription to watch the PPVs.
It was announced prior to the start of the show that Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena would be the match to kickoff the pay-per-view, which might’ve subtly tipped management’s hand with the booking decision. It wasn’t a squash match per se, as Cena had offense, but Brock took most of the 10-minute match with a dominate performance. The former NCAA, UFC, and WWE champion looked juiced to the gills, bringing a massive frame to his return to the promotion, and while I’d guess that Brock won’t be subject to wellness policy testing, there’s no doubt that his performance reasserted his status as a monster after he was away from WWE television for two years.
It was the shortest match on the card, and that wasn’t necessarily a negative decision, but even so it was good to see that Brock had some variety in his move set, as it would’ve been rather bland if he would’ve used the almost bland series of German suplex routine that became an underwhelming trademark of his bouts previously. Paul Heyman’s appearance creates some compelling questions, particularly if he will become a part of the act with Lesnar in addition to his duties with the Seth Rollins faction or if Brock will potentially join the stable. Right now, I don’t think there would be any reason to take the spotlight off of Rollins, but allowing Lesnar to possibly be a wild card in the future makes sense. However, based on the finish where Brock beat Cena definitively, I’d say that this conclusion could plant the seeds for Cena’s retirement match at the end of the year. What a better way for the ultimate baby face to end his career than to slay the monster heel?
The Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker vs. The Usos tag match had its moments with some entertaining stuff, but it also had some flat points as well. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but something appeared to be off track, as you could tell that the competitors were calling spots when they appeared to be trying to buy time to get to the next portion of the match. Jey was actually busted open the hard way when he landed a chair shot to the back of his opponent, and from the way it looked, the chair ricocheted from the impact and clipped him in the face. The bout went over the 15-minute mark, and maybe there should’ve been a few minutes trimmed off because while the finish was impressive with the double spear through the table and then the splash from the top rope, it took a little too long to set up the spot so some of the momentum was diminished for what was still a good finish. Breakker and Reed got the victory, which was the smart move, as it’s important to keep the relatively new heel stable strong, and truth be told, the Usos are over to the point that a defeat won’t hinder their status on Raw.
The Women’s World title match was absolutely tremendous, and it was the in-ring substance to compliment the promotional sizzle of the card. This was a 20-minute sprint that showcased just how talented these two athletes are. Everything they did was crisp and smooth. The back and fourth action created a narrative that had the audience invested to see who was going to win the vacant belt. Iyo Sky is one of the best workers in the business and she has become a true MVP of the female division. Stephanie Vaquer is a very dynamic performer and this win will probably boost her stock to cement her as one of the mainstays of the top notch quality often seen in the women’s division. This might sound like somewhat of an odd comparison, but this was basically a modern Joshi match that was geared back just a step or two to allow the WWE audience to keep up with the action, which isn’t meant as a criticism, but rather to point out how well done this match was for the crowd. The post-match moment between the two stars was a very nice way to conclude the segment.
The tag team match between CM Punk and the returning AJ Lee vs. Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch was somewhat of a mixed bag. Obviously, the story writes itself and they went with the standard WWE playbook of troupes that you’d expect for this type of storyline, which is completely fine. This wasn’t meant to be some 5-star classic, but rather it served its audience. The crowd followed the action and the performers got the most out of what they did during the segment. That being said, this contest went way too long and became a tedious viewing experience by the time they got to the finish. The slow and deliberate pace over the course of thirty minutes hindered the overall presentation of the broadcast. The bottom line is, this match, even with the star power involved, didn’t need a half an hour to tell the story. AJ Lee and Punk got the victory, but there’s definitely more to be done with this storyline. Hopefully, the office takes a more measured approach for the next pay-per-view bout.
The main event was the quality segment that you knew you’d get from two guys of this caliber. I have to be honest, I was somewhat concerned when Drew McIntyre was announced as the opponent, mostly because if he was selected as opponent just to give Cody a credible challenger for an event that was added to the calendar on relatively short notice, another defeat might sacrifice Drew’s long-term credibility as a main event star. Thankfully, this bout was designed specifically to avoid that, and the multi-layered bout more than left the door open for more business to be done going forward. Sure, Cody was shoved toward the referee to set up the spot where Drew had the visual pin on the champion, but it was the heel that ultimately caused the ref to be out of position so it doesn’t put the heat on the official or the baby face champion. Furthermore, Drew got enough offense to look like he was capable of winning the title before the spot at the announce desk “injured” his leg to set up for the finish that allowed Rhodes to retain the belt.
Overall, this event had more positives than negatives and given the spectacle that it was presented to be, it’s a successful start to pay-per-views on the ESPN platform. At the same time, the show only had five matches and still went three hours and 15 minutes. I could be wrong, but I think the viewing audience is more forgiving of extended commercials and ads when the subscription fee is $7.99 on Peacock than they will be when they have to pay $30 for an ESPN subscription. Sure, the commercials are what will theoretically allow ESPN to make an overall profit on the massive WWE pay-per-view contract, but you have to wonder if it will sour some fans when they are paying more to watch the shows. Again, I could be completely wrong, but one of the unintended consequences of when the WWE network introduced the bulk-pricing model to the WWE audience, it lowered the perceived value of the pay-per-views. The “value” of those shows went from the traditional $40 to $9.99 that included the extensive library. The move to Peacock originally lowered the price to $4.99 and in some cases free when a subscription to the service was included for Comcast customers. In some ways, you could say that the horse is out of the barn on the traditional model so it’s going to be interesting to see if the WWE fan base will truly be willing to pay $30 on a consistent basis to watch the premium live events. If nothing else, it puts more pressure on the office to promote an event each month that the fans think will be worth the price of the ESPN subscription.
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Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
