Pat McAfee reacts to landmark agreement between ESPN, WWE

ESPN and WWE announced an agreement Wednesday for the new ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming service to become the exclusive U.S. home of WWE Premium Live Events, including “WrestleMania,” starting in 2026. Worlds are colliding for Pat McAfee, who is signed to WWE and hosts his daily show on ESPN and ESPN+.

After both entertainment powers announced the deal, McAfee shared an interesting reaction on social media. Ultimately, McAfee feels the deal will be great for 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,” McAfee wrote on X. “I assume all the mid-level, powerless, bum ass 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.”

Details behind ESPN, WWE deal

McAfee, 38, has been hosting his show on ESPN since September 2023. He also appears on “College GameDay” during college football season. McAfee, meanwhile, has had multiple stints serving as a commentator for WWE. He most recently partnered up with Michael Cole at the broadcast table for “Raw” on Monday nights. McAfee stepped away from his announcing duties in June due to mental exhaustion.

With ESPN and WWE in business together, we’ll see if McAfee has any on-screen roles moving forward. According to Alex Sherman of CNBC, ESPN will pay an average of $325 million per year for five years of U.S. rights to WWE PLEs. 

All of WWE’s PLEs will stream on ESPN‘s $29.99 a month direct-to-consumer platform, which is scheduled to launch Aug. 21. NBC Universal’s Peacock, which has streamed WWE PLEs since March 2021, paid $180 million over five years for the package, per Sherman’s report.

WrestleMania, which launched in 1985, is the company’s biggest show of the year. The now two-day event is returning to Las Vegas and Allegiant Stadium in 2026. “Royal Rumble,” “SummerSlam,” and “Survivor Series” round out the “Big 4” of WWE PLEs.