WWE: WWE Announces New Streaming Deal with Rumble For WWE Main Event, Backstage Update on Botched Finish To Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn Match at 9/18 WWE SmackDown Show, Large Concern Reportedly Within WWE Regarding Crown Jewel 2026 Event Status In Saudi Arabia

Sep 24, 2026

WWE Announces New Streaming Deal with Rumble For WWE Main Event

WWE announced that they have recently signed a new streaming deal with Rumble to air their WWE Main Event shows on the service starting on October 14.

Official press release:

RUMBLE TO BECOME THE NEW HOME OF WWE® MAIN EVENT BEGINNING OCTOBER 14
WWE Main Event to Stream on Rumble Sports Every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT as Part of Long-Term Agreement
September 24, 2026 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), and Rumble, a video platform powering human imagination, part of RUM Group Inc. (NASDAQ: RUM), today announced a long-term distribution and content partnership in which Rumble will become the new home of the weekly premium program WWE Main Event.
Beginning October 14, Rumble will stream WWE Main Event every Wednesday starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, with each episode available at Rumble.com/WWE as part of Rumble Sport’s lineup on Rumble.com and Rumble’s mobile and connected TV apps.
“WWE Main Event will be a key pillar in Rumble’s expanding sports programming lineup.” said Claudio Ramolo, Rumble’s Chief Content Officer. “WWE content has consistently ranked among the most-watched programming on television, top streaming platforms and social media for decades — a rare combination that resonates with both fans and advertisers alike. This partnership reflects Rumble’s ongoing commitment to bringing our users the very best in sports, entertainment and beyond.”
“Serving a digital-first audience is a core focus for WWE, and Rumble has built an accessible platform that is committed to delivering premium sports and entertainment programming,” said Alex Varga, EVP, WWE.
WWE Main Event features matches that take place weekly ahead of Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown from venues around the world. Since its debut in October 2012, WWE Main Event has showcased several of the biggest WWE Superstars from Raw, SmackDown and NXT, including Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Charlotte Flair, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and more. The deal underscores Rumble’s continued push to grow its audience by bringing more premium sports content to the platform.

WWE has been airing episodes of their WWE Main Event series since 2012 and had been airing on YouTube since this past January.

Backstage Update on Botched Finish To Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn Match at 9/18 WWE SmackDown Show

As noted before, the September 18th WWE SmackDown show in Corpus Christi, Texas featured a botched ending sequence to the Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn match for the Undisputed WWE Championship. This botched ending revolved around the referee counting Owens’ shoudlers down for the three but didn’t call for the bell resulting in the originally planned finish being changed on the spot.

WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select reported that their sources confirmed that Owens’ kickout from the belt shot by CM Punk was not planned to happen for the match. One source spoken to reportedly described the finish to the match as being “absolutely blundered.”

It was reported that some backstage had felt that the improvised finish took away from Punk’s involvement in the match.

Large Concern Reportedly Within WWE Regarding Crown Jewel 2026 Event Status In Saudi Arabia

As noted before, The United States Department of State recently issued an official update to their existing Level 3 travel advisory in regards to Saudi Arabia ahead of WWE’s upcoming Crown Jewel 2026 event on November 7 in the country.

WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that their has been a large concern within WWE regarding the situation for their upcoming Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia.

It was reported that WWE officials have yet to formally address the situation with their staff and this concern extends from backstage to WWE Headquarters.