Cody Rhodes Caught Off Guard by WWE’s Secret ESPN Mega-Deal — “I Wasn’t Going To Tell Anyone”
When WWE dropped the bombshell announcing its multi-year partnership to air all premium live events exclusively on ESPN, the wrestling world erupted. But what might be even more shocking? Even top champions like Cody Rhodes had no idea it was coming until the eleventh hour.
During his ESPN SportsCenter appearance, the newly crowned WWE Champion revealed that he was kept completely in the dark until just before the news went public.
“We were also talking off air — complete secrecy with this thing,” Rhodes recalled. “They just gave me the Iggy. They said, ‘Hey… just be ready. Something’s going to happen on Wednesday, and look at this to be part of this family.’ What an honor.”
This wasn’t a case of management looping in the main-eventers for advance notice. According to Rhodes, the entire roster was blindsided — told only to be “on standby” with no clue what was brewing behind the scenes.
“I wasn’t going to tell anyone… I didn’t know. We were all put on standby.”
The veil of secrecy underscores just how big this deal is. Starting in 2026, WWE’s biggest shows — WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and Money in the Bank — will air on ESPN platforms, marking one of the most significant distribution shifts in WWE history.
The move signals WWE’s aggressive expansion into mainstream sports media, putting its tentpole events shoulder-to-shoulder with the biggest moments in football, basketball, and combat sports — and it’s clear the company wanted to control every inch of the rollout.
Wrestling.news | Backstage Take
WWE’s ability to keep something this massive under wraps — even from its locker room leaders — is rare in the modern era of leaks and insider scoops. The fact that Cody Rhodes, the face of the company, got word only hours before the public shows just how tight Vince McMahon’s successor era is locking down surprises. It’s a gamble: secrecy fuels shock value, but it can also leave talent feeling out of the loop. In this case? The shock clearly worked.
