The inaugural WrestlePalooza show under the WWE banner is set to take place this weekend, and all signs point to it being the first of many.
WWE and ESPN are pushing hard to make the debut a landmark event for several reasons, from the historic ESPN launch to the added wrinkle of direct competition with AEW’s All Out. While AEW’s presence isn’t the driving force behind the concept, WWE insiders admit it’s certainly on their radar.
Company officials view WrestlePalooza as a potential long-term franchise. Earlier this year, reports surfaced that WWE had floated the idea of running two WrestleMania’s in the same year as part of its deal with Saudi Arabia. One pitch even included branding a show as “Super WrestleMania” or something similar. However, the Saudi government was said to have made it clear they wanted the definitive WrestleMania name attached to their events.
That decision helped fuel WWE’s commitment to branding WrestlePalooza as its own tentpole attraction.
Beyond this year’s ESPN debut and the AEW counterprogramming, internal sources note the event could also serve as a major calendar filler in years when WrestleMania is staged outside North America.
Of course, WrestlePalooza isn’t a new concept to longtime wrestling fans. The name traces back to ECW, where it was an annual tradition until April 2000.
In more recent years, F1rst Wrestling held the rights to the trademark.
One WWE source speculated that acquiring and reviving the WrestlePalooza branding may have been influenced by WWE President Nick Khan, who was a noted ECW fan during his younger days.
Make sure to join us here this Saturday at WrestlingHeadlines.com for live WWE WrestlePalooza results coverage from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(H/T: Fightful Select)
