WWE will once again have a simulcast on ESPN linear TV as part of next weekend’s Premium Live Event (PLE).
The upcoming Clash in Italy event on May 31 will have its first hour simulcast on ESPN TV, WWE announced on Friday night. The full event will be available to stream live through the ESPN Unlimited app in the U.S.
A graphic shown on last night’s episode of Smackdown seems to show that the first hour could feature Roman Reigns versus Jacob Fatu under Tribal Combat rules, although that hasn’t been confirmed just yet.
Clash in Italy is an earlier start than usual due to time zones, going live at 2 p.m. ET. A kickoff broadcast will air on ESPN as well as WWE social media platforms beforehand as well.
Since Wrestlemania, WWE and ESPN have experimented with putting the opening hour of PLEs on TV. This has been done as a way to bring more attention to the shows, trying to lure viewers to the Unlimited app to watch the rest of the event.
Clash in Italy is the third PLE that has been given the ESPN simulcast.
- Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu (Tribal Combat) (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
- Rhea Ripley vs. Jade Cargill (WWE Women’s Championship)
- Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther (Undisputed WWE Championship)
