ESPN Executive Says WWE Retains Creative Control When It Comes To Booking Talent On Shows
Brock Lesnar made a shocking return at WWE SummerSlam, coming out at the end of the show and hitting John Cena with an F5.
It was Lesnar’s first appearance in WWE since SummerSlam 2023 when he lost to Cody Rhodes. Brock Lesnar was implicated, and later named, in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against WWE and Vince McMahon, which was filed in January 2024, where she accused McMahon of sex trafficking and sexual assault. Lesnar is not a defendant in the suit.
Speaking on a WWE-ESPN media call, Jon Alba of Sports Illustrated asked ESPN Programming and Acquisitions Lead Matt Kenny how much say ESPN has on requesting certain talent for shows, specifically noting Brock Lesnar.
“Our relationship with the WWE is such where they have creative control. I think it’s important to provide some context there, we are distributors of the events. It’s not all that dissimilar to the other rights holder relationships we have, where we have relationships with the league. Obviously, a glove, stick, and ball league is a little bit different than the combat sports world, as we could all appreciate. But in regard to our relationship with the WWE, they retain creative control, which, by the way, we’re fine with, because they have built an incredible business for a long period of time. For as much as I playfully talked about my WWE fandom at the top of the call, I don’t need to be opining on what a script should be to WWE. We’re excited about what they do, how they do it, and can’t wait for Saturday,” replied Kenny.
Lesnar is set to return to the ring at WWE Wrestlepalooza when he faces John Cena.
Fans can check out the lineup for WWE Wrestlepalooza here.
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