ESPN to air condensed version of WWE Royal Rumble
ESPN is attempting to bring this year’s WWE Royal Rumble to more of their viewers, airing a condensed version of the annual event this weekend.
First reported by Wrestlevotes on Fightful Select, a three-hour episode is listed for this Sunday, February 22 at 8 pm Eastern on ESPN’s main channel. As of now, there is no match listing.
From Wrestlevotes: “The decision is part of a broader effort to promote upcoming WWE PLEs and allows ESPN to evaluate viewership data for an over air presentation of the product.”
WWE and ESPN launched a five-year domestic deal last September for all WWE premium live events to air live on their new ESPN Unlimited subscriber streaming service.
The first-ever Rumble event from Saudi Arabia featured Roman Reigns winning the men’s Rumble match, Liv Morgan winning the women’s Rumble match, Gunther retiring AJ Styles, surprise returns and debuts from Royce Keys, Brie Bella, El Gable Americano and several NXT and AAA wrestlers.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.