As it does with any championship, ESPN is giving WrestleMania the big-event treatment.
The network will have coverage on “SportsCenter” beginning Thursday, and “First Take” will originate from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Friday.
WrestleMania 42 takes place on Saturday and Sunday, and will be streamed on the ESPN app for the first time. However, the opening hour on Saturday will air on ESPN2, while Sunday’s first hour will air on ESPN. The start time for both nights is 6 p.m. EDT.
ESPN began airing WWE premium live events on the ESPN Unlimited streaming service last September. Most major cable, satellite, and streaming services have reached agreements with Disney that include an ESPN Unlimited subscription as a part of their TV plan.
“We think about WrestleMania as a major milestone for us. We’ve never had it before. It’s really a slice of Americana and a cultural spectacle that extends well beyond just core wrestling fans. So we thought it deserved the big-event treatment,” ESPN president of content Burke Magnus said.
ESPN took over streaming WWE’s major events from Peacock, which had carried them since March 2021.
A “WrestleMania 42” preview show will air Friday at 5 p.m. EDT on ESPN2, while countdown shows leading into both nights will be on either ESPN or ESPN2.
The ESPN app will also air Friday night’s WWE Hall of Fame ceremony.
This will mark the first time part of the main card will air on linear television. The first WrestleMania took place in 1985 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“We love that the first hour of each night will be on ESPN linear,” said WWE EVP for talent relations Chris Legentil. “It gives us the chance to highlight some of our best stuff and then let people switch over to the app for the rest of the evening. We see ourselves as the underdog, and so we always relish the opportunity to showcase our product in a new way to new people.”
Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes defends his title against Randy Orton in the main event on Saturday. WrestleMania concludes Sunday night with CM Punk putting his World Heavyweight title on the line against Roman Reigns.
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