A new report has shed light on why WWE’s 2026 Night of Champions featured a larger-than-usual showdown card.
As brought word by WrestleVotes Radio, the premium live event in Saudi Arabia included six matches—one more than WWE has typically presented—after ESPN per sources requested that the company add another match or two to the lineup.
The report states that the goal was to strengthen the premium portion of the spectacular available on ESPN Unlimited.
Under the shared format, the debut two matches were simulcast on ESPN television, while the remaining four matches were available exclusively to ESPN Unlimited subscribers.
The report what's more notes that ESPN plans to continue airing the opening hour of WWE premium live events on its television network through at least the fall of 2026.
By making the maiden hour available to all viewers, ESPN reportedly hopes to encourage fans to subscribe to ESPN Unlimited to watch the remainder of each special event.