— WWE held RAW in Birmingham, England this week. The night opened with a heated confrontation between Bronson Reed and Roman Reigns, which quickly escalated into a full-scale brawl. “Security” attempted to intervene but was easily overpowered as the fight spilled across the ring.
According to Fightful’s Corey Brennan, the talents used in the segment included CBL, Sammy D, Tate Mayfairs, Ethan Allen, and James Ellis.
— WWE RAW will air an hour earlier than usual throughout September.
According to Netflix’s listings, the September 15, September 22, and September 29 episodes are all scheduled to begin at 7 PM EST instead of the standard 8 PM EST. The show returns to its normal start time in October, with the exception of the October 13 episode, which will air at 8 AM EST due to being broadcast live from Perth, Australia.
No official explanation has been given for the September schedule shift.
Recent international events have already led to some unusual RAW airtimes. The August 25 episode aired at 3 PM EST from Birmingham, England, while the September 1 episode is set to air at 2 PM EST from Paris, France.
— WWE has made a series of major media rights moves in recent weeks, beginning with the announcement that its pay-per-view will shift to ESPN starting with WrestlePalooza on September 20, while Saturday Night’s Main Event will move exclusively to Peacock.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the ESPN deal includes a clause that allows WWE to reopen negotiations ahead of schedule if media rights fees continue to rise. The current agreement runs through August 2030.
One factor that made the ESPN transition possible was WWE’s ability to renegotiate its arrangement with Peacock. WWE secured a reduced payout from Peacock through March 2026, in exchange for keeping NXT pay-per-views and the WWE video library on the platform. At the same time, Peacock locked in exclusive rights to Saturday Night’s Main Event through October 2029 — a move designed to retain WWE subscribers, though it reportedly reflects NBC’s frustration with the show’s linear TV ratings.
WWE had hoped to feature John Cena’s final match on the December 27 edition of SNME, but NBC declined, finalizing the 2025 schedule with events on November 1 in Salt Lake City and December 13 in Boston.
Alongside WrestlePalooza, upcoming PLEs including Crown Jewel on October 11 and Survivor Series on November 29 will also stream on the new ESPN app. ESPN is said to be exploring limited simulcasts on its linear channels to drive subscribers to the app.
