According to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, two consumers have filed a lawsuit against WWE for deceptive marketing practices. They allege that WWE advertised that ESPN would provide access to WWE premium live events (PLEs) without any additional fee. Initially, the lawsuit was filed solely against WWE, with ESPN not named as a defendant.
Thurston reported that ESPN has since filed a motion to intervene in the ongoing class-action lawsuit, seeking to compel arbitration. The plaintiffs chose not to name ESPN as a defendant to avoid the arbitration clause in the subscriber agreement, and it appears ESPN is now trying to prevent this approach.
For further details, you can find ESPN’s memorandum of law in support of the motion to intervene linked in the original report.
ESPN became WWE’s primary streaming partner for premium live events last year, starting with WrestlePalooza 2025 in September. These events are available for U.S. subscribers with an Unlimited tier subscription through the ESPN App.
