Just hours after the groundbreaking WWE-ESPN partnership was made official, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes appeared live on ESPN’s SportsCenter to discuss the magnitude of the deal and reflect on his history-making moment at SummerSlam.
Rhodes praised the new streaming rights agreement that will see WWE’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and Money In The Bank, move to ESPN’s new streaming platform beginning in 2026. “The fact that we can now have the Royal Rumble, Money In The Bank, and, of course, WrestleMania on ESPN platforms… that’s the perfect match,” Rhodes stated. “WWE is sports entertainment, and ESPN is the king of sports media — the one. So it’s perfect.”
The American Nightmare revealed that even the talent were mostly unaware of the deal until shortly before the announcement. Rhodes was on vacation when he got the call from Triple H and Nick Khan. “We were all put on standby. No Nick Khan and Triple H… they just gave me the Iggy. He said, ‘Hey, I know you’re gonna be on vacation, but just be ready… something’s gonna happen on Wednesday.’”
Rhodes described it as an “honor” to help represent the company at this pivotal moment.
Rhodes also shared insight into WWE’s internal strategy talks, stating that the leadership has been clear: WWE’s best days are still ahead. “It wasn’t too long ago… they had us all together, big talent meeting. It was all about WWE has broken every record that we ever had. We beat the Attitude Era. We beat the golden age of the 80s. But it’s not peak yet. He wanted to keep climbing.”
Rhodes believes the ESPN deal is “just a further extension” of WWE’s aggressive global expansion.
Coming off a career-defining win over John Cena in a brutal Street Fight at the first-ever two-night SummerSlam, Rhodes called the experience unforgettable. “We had 114,000 people over both days… going on last Sunday. It’s John Cena and his final SummerSlam. That’s the stadium I’ll remember forever.”
Rhodes also spoke emotionally about Cena’s contributions to WWE during tougher times: “John was the face of WWE through a period where things like this weren’t happening. He carried it through the wilderness. Now that we’re doing our first two-night SummerSlam… I’m glad he gets to see all this.”
With Cody Rhodes now at the helm of WWE as its Undisputed Champion, and a landmark streaming partnership set to reshape the viewing experience in 2026, WWE is entering a bold new era.
Fans can catch the full Cody Rhodes interview now via ESPN’s SportsCenter.
