Back in 2022, Triple H took over creative for WWE and since then the cards for premium live events have been reduced. Typically WWE premium live events only feature four or five matches, but the recent Night of Champions PLE which emanated from Saudi Arabia featured a total of six matches.
WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select is reporting that the six match card came at the request of ESPN. According to the report ESPN approached WWE about adding another match or two as a way to strengthen the paid standalone portion of the Night of Champions broadcast, which is separate from the hour that airs on traditional cable on ESPN.
The current strategy with ESPN airing the first hour of WWE premium live events for free on cable is expected to remain in place at least until the fall of 2026.
The next PLE on WWE’s schedule is SummerSlam which is set to take place on Saturday, August 1st and Sunday, August 2nd. It was recently reported that the show is expected to featured thirteen or fourteen matches across two nights.
Stay tuned for updates.