ESPN’s Burke Magnus Reveals How SportsCenter Will Cover WWE in the New Era
The question of how ESPN will handle WWE coverage now that the two giants are officially partners has finally been addressed.
ESPN’s Burke Magnus on WWE Coverage
Burke Magnus, ESPN’s President of Content, spoke with Richard Deitsch on Sports Media this week and explained how the network is approaching its new partnership with WWE.
“It’s a really active conversation,” Magnus admitted. “What we’re seeing today is launch-oriented. We’ve had superstars on our shows. Triple H has been on a variety of shows. Everything, though, has been presented in the context of the new partnership and WrestlePalooza. When it flips from being about awareness of the new rights agreements and partnership, how do we handle coverage of the WWE across our platforms? That is a really active conversation right now.”
Magnus made it clear that while the finer details are still being worked out, WWE will indeed have a place on ESPN’s airwaves.
“My gut here is that there will be coverage, but we’re figuring out what that looks like in the context of WWE. It’s unequivocally entertainment and part of sports and athletic and what we do in every way, other than the storylines are scripted, and it’s presented that way and everybody knows that. There is a full appreciation at ESPN of how compelling their content is from an entertainment perspective. The answer is ‘Yes, for sure,’ but I’m not really prepared right now to tell you or give you examples of what that might look like.”
The WWE on ESPN Era Begins
The multi-year rights deal between WWE and ESPN officially kicked off with WrestlePalooza on September 20, 2025, live from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The blockbuster event featured a stacked card:
- Brock Lesnar defeated John Cena in the opening match.
- Stephanie Vaquer shocked the world by capturing the WWE Women’s World Championship.
- AJ Lee returned to the ring for the first time in a decade, teaming with CM Punk to defeat Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch.
- Cody Rhodes closed the night by retaining his Undisputed WWE Championship in a hard-fought battle with Drew McIntyre.
It was a landmark night for WWE, and a historic debut under the ESPN banner.
Wrestling.news | Backstage Take
This new partnership between WWE and ESPN has the potential to shift how mainstream sports outlets present professional wrestling. For years, coverage of WWE on ESPN was sporadic at best, but a consistent presence on SportsCenter could give pro wrestling more visibility with casual sports fans than ever before. Still, the balancing act will be tricky — ESPN must find a way to respect wrestling’s scripted nature while still presenting its athleticism and cultural relevance. If handled right, the “WWE on ESPN Era” could be as transformative as the move to Fox or Peacock.
