Pat McAfee has never been the guy to play nice with corporate boardrooms. If there’s a spotlight and a chance to throw shade at the suits, he’s sprinting toward it. So when WWE locked in a monster rights deal with ESPN, McAfee couldn’t just nod and move on—he had to lace it with a shot at Bristol.
On X, McAfee congratulated WWE and ESPN, “Congrats to the @WWE and @espn on getting a historic PLE deal done. Great to see 2 powerhouses of sports and entertainment come together.” Then he went full McAfee. “I assume all the mid-level, powerless, b-m a-s suits at ESPN will attempt to muddy this somehow (out of context leaks/ignorant anonymous opinions/etc.) but, in the end.. this agreement will outlive the dinosaurs currently guarding desks in Bristol and this deal will be great for ESPN. Cheers to the future”
Congrats to the @WWE and @espn on getting a historic PLE deal done.
Great to see 2 powerhouses of sports and entertainment come together.
I assume all the mid level, powerless, bum ass suits at ESPN will attempt to muddy this somehow (out of context leaks/ignorant anonymous… pic.twitter.com/vFbjHTtktL
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 6, 2025
The deal he’s talking about is massive. Starting in 2026, ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service will become the exclusive U.S. home of every WWE Premium Live Event. That means WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, Money in the Bank – every one of WWE’s tentpoles will run through ESPN, with some simulcast on TV.
ESPN boss Jimmy Pitaro called WWE’s fanbase “immense, devoted and passionate.” TKO’s Mark Shapiro said the partnership will be “transformational.” McAfee? He basically raised a glass and reminded the ESPN suits that their clock is ticking.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned!
The post Pat McAfee Takes a Clear Dig at ESPN While Breaking Silence on Historic WWE Deal appeared first on EssentiallySports.
