The WWE and X announced a partnership Thursday that will bring five-minute matches exclusively to the Elon Musk-owned platform, following a $5 billion deal between Netflix and the WWE for the company’s weekly wrestling program “Raw.”
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 01: Rhea Ripley during WrestleMania Goes Hollywood at SoFi Stadium on ... [+]
X tweeted the video series will be weekly and feature fan-favorite WWE stars, though the platform didn’t identify any particular members of the WWE roster.
The WWE followed up X’s post, saying the “new format for high-paced timed matches” will begin this spring.
The announcement was made early in the WWE’s WrestleMania Kickoff event, which serves as a teaser for the 40th annual WrestleMania held in Philadelphia this April.
The WWE didn’t immediately respond to requests for further information.
Vince McMahon, the billionaire founder of WWE, is reportedly under federal investigation for sex trafficking. Federal prosecutors have been in contact with McMahon’s sexual misconduct accusers for months, the Wall Street Journal reported, adding a subpoena has sought information from people who have accused McMahon of multiple forms of sexual misconduct. McMahon has not been charged or formally accused of a crime.
It is unclear what, if any, financial arrangements were made as part of the deal, which comes fresh off Netflix acquiring the rights to WWE’s “Raw” program. The acquisition is worth $5 billion over 10 years and will allow Netflix to exclusively stream “Raw” in the U.S. and abroad. The streaming giant will also be able to air the wrestling promotion’s other weekly program, “Smackdown,” and pay-per-view events outside of the U.S.
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