Report – ESPN Not A ‘Silent Partner’ In WWE Deal

WWE’s relationship with ESPN continues to be active behind the scenes, and a new report claims ESPN recently pushed for more matches on a pay-per-view card.

WWE held Night Of Champions last weekend at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the show stood out as it had six matches instead of the usual five seen on most non-WrestleMania and non-SummerSlam pay-per-views in the Triple H era.

ESPN has reportedly asked WWE to add one or two more matches in order to make the paid portion of the event stronger. Fans have seen this format before, as the first hour of WWE pay-per-views airs free on ESPN television, while the rest of the show is only available to ESPN Unlimited subscribers.

Dave Meltzer backed up the news on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and added more details about the WWE-ESPN partnership. According to Meltzer, ESPN is not acting like a “silent partner” in the deal and is regularly bringing new ideas to the table.

WWE Night Of Champions was headlined by the Undisputed WWE Championship Triple Threat Match between Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn, and GUNTHER. The match ended with Zayn pinning Cody to become the new Undisputed WWE Champion.