Backstage Update on WWE Night of Champions Format, PLE First Hours Being Shown on ESPN

Fightful Select has more details on WWE formatted last weekend’s WWE Night of Champions 2026 premium live event. The show actually increased the match lineup for WWE PLEs, with six instead of the norm of four or five throughout most of 2025 and 2026 for non-WrestleMania or SummerSlam shows.

According to Fightful’s report, sources indicate that ESPN approached WWE to add a match or two to the card to strengthen the paid standalone portion of the PLE broadcast on the ESPN App, as the first hour gets shown for free on ESPN. At Night of Champions, the King and Queen of the Ring tournament finals were both shown during the free ESPN portion.

Additionally, Fightful reports that ESPN showing the first hour of WWE PLEs for free is expected to continue at least through the fall. WWE PLEs are shown on the ESPN App domestically, and they are streamed on Netflix for international viewers.

WWE Night of Champions 2026 was held at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.