ESPN.com introduces a new WWE Vertical

In order to gain a wider audience you have to evolve. ESPN has done that over the years by incorporating more unknown sports or topics that might not be everyone’s cup of tea into the mix. This past year, ESPN introduced a segment featuring former WWE employee Jonathon Coachman called “Off the Top Rope”. It was meant as a small platform for ESPN to have a bit of flavor in their product. It appears that the relationship between the two companies is evolving.

ESPN.com sent out a press release stating that they will add a section to their site for all things WWE and professional wrestling. This comes a few days after Conor McGregor and the pro wrestling world had a “Twitter War” over a controversial tweet the “Notorious One” made.

httpss://twitter.com/espn/status/763765745842921474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The “Worldwide Leader in Sports” promises to include match results from shows, opinion pieces, rankings and international wresting.  At a time when WWE and wrestling is at its highest fan wise, it is a move that seems right. In regards to getting a new audience, Chad Millman (ESPN vice president, editorial director, domestic digital content) stated:

“Professional wrestling fans are sports fans who are mobile, global and passionate. That’s the audience we’re in the business of serving.”

This is not the first time that ESPN has covered wrestling on a large scale. Back in the 80’s, viewers were able to watch matches from AWA and World Class Championship Wrestling on their TV sets. It makes sense then that ESPN would reach out into the wrestling world once again. After all, the “E” in ESPN and the “E” in WWE stands for “entertainment”.

It will be interesting to see if the site does incorporate international wrestling as the release promised.  That is a huge market for ESPN to grab onto. If not, there could always be a chance for growth down the line. It would be a wasted opportunity if they wouldn’t be able to cover companies like Lucha Underground, Ring of Honor or New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Once again, ESPN has capitalized on an opportunity and WWE has a lot to gain. I am interested in all of the pieces that will debut on the new forum. Just like the WWE Draft, it’s a chance to spice things up, and I for one am all for it.