ESPN is applying a full-court press for its promotion of the Royal Rumble this weekend with appearances across its platforms.
Beginning on Tuesday, WWE talent will be appearing across ESPN’s properties to promote this Saturday’s show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, months into the relationship for WWE’s premium live events in the U.S.
The Miz is set to appear on today’s editions of Get Up and SportsCenter followed by Paul Levesque, Pau Heyman, Jey Uso, and Stephanie Vaquer appearing on various programming on Wednesday. Levesque is scheduled for Unsportsmanlike and Get Up. Heyman will appear on First Take, Jey Uso will be on SportsCenter at 2 p.m. ET, and Vaquer will be on Ahora a Nunca.
Seth Rollins is listed for in-studio appearances this Thursday on Unsportsmanlike, Get Up & SportsCenter, and indicates Rollins is unlikely to be traveling to Saudi Arabia, as he stated earlier this week.
Friday’s programming will see Cody Rhodes appear on Get Up, Becky Lynch on First Take, followed by the Royal Rumble kickoff show from 2-3 p.m. ET on ESPN 2 and coverage of SmackDown after its completion on SportsCenter.
Finally, Levesque and Cody Rhodes will appear on Saturday morning’s edition of SportsCenter before the Rumble later in the afternoon.
The media blitz on ESPN represents the most coverage for a WWE event since its launch on the platform with Wrestlepalooza last September.
The two entities entered a five-year partnership, beginning last September, with the Wall Street Journal reporting an average annual value of $325 million and a jump from $200 million per year on Peacock.
A class action lawsuit was recently filed against WWE in the U.S. District Court of Connecticut, accusing WWE & ESPN of using deceptive marketing practices regarding the availability of WWE’s premium live events to existing ESPN cable subscribers.
This Saturday’s Royal Rumble will stream on the ESPN Unlimited app in the U.S. at 2 p.m. ET from Saudi Arabia.
