Fans noticed that WWE Night of Champions had a bigger card than other Premium Live Events.
One of the more divisive tactics seen since TKO took over WWE is the reduction of matches on the big shows. Typically, PLEs have 5 matches on the card, with big shows like WrestleMania and SummerSlam being the exception. While this keeps the shows condensed at around a 3-hour runtime and with matches being given enough time, some have argued that the shows have been stripped back too much. Fans have also found this to be a point of contention as more and more time between matches have been filled up with adverts.
However, when it came to Night of Champions, the Saudi Arabia show had 6 matches instead of the standard 5. According to a new report, this was not a call made by WWE.
ESPN Requested Bigger WWE Night Of Champions Card
As reported by WrestleVotes on Fightful Select, the six-match card was a request by ESPN, who air the shows in the United States. Reportedly, ESPN approached WWE to add another match to strengthen the paid portion of the PLE broadcasts. Currently, the first hour of shows airs free on ESPN plus as is expected to remain this way until at least the autumn of 2026.
The next big show will be SummerSlam, which is spread across 2 nights and will have more than 5 matches per night given the magnitude of the show. The September PLE will be the first to expand to 6 matches if the expanded format does stay.
Feature image: WWE
