WWE’s major deal with ESPN brought many unexpected developments, including the rise of Cody Rhodes as the new WWE champion. Rhodes revealed during an ESPN SportsCenter segment that despite being the promotion’s top star, he was only given a few hours’ notice before the announcement went public.
Rhodes mentioned, “We were keeping this completely under wraps, and they called me, saying, ‘Hey… get ready. Something big is happening on Wednesday. What an honor.'”
This level of secrecy wasn’t just for Rhodes; the entire WWE roster was kept in the dark and put on standby without knowing what was about to unfold.
He added, “I wasn’t going to tell anyone. You just don’t know. I didn’t know either.”
Such tight confidentiality highlights the magnitude of the deals that brought iconic events like WrestleMania and Royal Rumble, along with lucrative earnings, to the ESPN platform since 2026. This partnership marks one of WWE’s most significant business achievements as the company continues to build on its record-breaking momentum.
Now holding his second WWE championship, even Rhodes was largely kept out of the loop until the final moments. This underscores WWE’s dedication to managing the storyline around what he described as the “perfect match” between sports entertainment and ESPN.
Fan Take: This news is huge for WWE fans because it shows how seriously the company is taking its partnership with ESPN, promising bigger exposure and higher stakes for wrestling events. It could signal a new era where WWE blends authentic sports storytelling with entertainment, potentially attracting a broader audience.
