NBC Sports President Speaks Out After WWE PLE's Leave Peacock

WWE's Premium Live Event distribution method is about to change in a major way, as fans in the United States will have to make the move from Peacock to ESPN to watch the company's biggest shows.

Now, an executive from the former is weighing in on WWE's run with the platform.

Last month ESPN and WWE jointly announced a "landmark" agreement that would see WWE be integrated into ESPN programming, primarily through its direct-to-consumer platform ESPN Unlimited. All of WWE's main roster PLE's are moving to the service domestically beginning with Sept. 20's WrestlePalooza show in Indianapolis, four months earlier than originally planned.

The shift will also mark the end of WWE's run with Peacock, which began in 2021. This was the start of the sunsetting of the WWE Network, which originally launched in 2014. NXT PLE's will remain on Peacock through the end of the year, and it is currently unclear where WWE's domestic archive content will live (internationally, it exists on Netflix).

WWE thanked NBC Universal and Peacock for the partnership on-air during the last PLE to air on the service, Clash in Paris. NBC Sports President Rick Cordella responded to the shoutout on social media with one of his own on Monday.

And a big thank you to @WWE Nick Khan, @TripleH and @StephMcMahon for taking a chance on Peacock 5 years ago, as we were just launching.

But it’s not goodbye. We’re excited to stay a partner of the WWE, with must-watch, Saturday Night Main Events for years to come. https://t.co/klTGmOpbgr
— Rick Cordella (@rickcordella) September 1, 2025

"And a big thank you to Nick Khan, Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon for taking a chance on Peacock 5 years ago, as we were just launching," he said. "But it’s not goodbye. We’re excited to stay a partner of the WWE, with must-watch, Saturday Night Main Events for years to come."

The Future of WWE Programming

As noted by Cordella, this is not the end of WWE's working relationship with NBC Universal. SmackDown currently airs on USA Network, part of the NBC Universal brand.

Cody Rhodes will be the face of WWE programming on ESPN. | WWE

Moreover, though, Saturday Night's Main Event will be moving from NBC's national network to Peacock exclusivity in the near future, and for several years to come. Currently, John Cena's final match is expected to be the Dec. 13 Saturday Night's Main Event taping.

In addition to the ESPN DTC service, WWE events will air on occasion across ESPN's linear networks as well. Its programming has already started to receive coverage on ESPN shows, including SportsCenter, where Clash in Paris was recently recapped.

Alongside this, ESPN will do live editions of SportsCenter and similar programming from WWE events on location as part of the new partnership with WWE. It has also expressed interest in the rights library, should it become available.

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