How ESPN Helped a Disney Fan Find Her Way to WWE

A few years ago, if you had told me I'd be excited to attend SummerSlam (WWE's signature summertime event and now an ESPN Premium Live Event), I wouldn't have believed you.

My perception of WWE was one note: yelling and aggression turned up to 11. And I'm a total lightweight. It's probably part of why I became such a dedicated Disney fan, where princesses befriend forest animals and even the biggest thrills are carefully crafted to feel safe. I can appreciate a good story with high stakes, but I still find myself turning away when a movie gets especially violent. The idea of watching that intensity unfold live was difficult to imagine. These weren't movie sets with carefully placed camera angles or special effects. These were performers taking real physical risks in front of a live audience. At that point, I didn't yet understand that the physicality was only the most visible part of a much larger story. 

Then I was assigned to watch Stephanie's Places on ESPN, and it opened my eyes to an entire world beyond the physicality of the ring.

I learned that WWE wasn’t just about what happened when the bell rang. It was about everything that led to it. I discovered its history mattered, and knowing that history was constantly rewarded. Like a Disney fan spotting an Easter egg hidden in a film or recognizing a reference that connects a new story to something that came before, a glance, a gesture, a familiar phrase, or a returning Superstar in a match could carry years of meaning. The physicality I had focused on was a part of the payoff. Like any great summer blockbuster, the spectacular moments are what fill the trailer, but they are most satisfying as emphatic beats within the story that bring us there. 

When ESPN announced its Premium Live Event relationship with WWE, these stories became part of my assignment. Suddenly, I found myself covering a fandom where I was a newcomer. For decades I had written about Disney fandom. I understood the history, the references, and why certain moments meant so much to longtime fans. Now I was experiencing the opposite. It felt a bit like starting the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Avengers: Endgame. I could appreciate what was unfolding in front of me, but I knew every stare and dramatic entrance raucously cheered carried years of history I didn't yet understand.

It did intimidate me. Decades of history, countless rivalries, and generations of Superstars created a world that felt almost impossible to enter from the outside. But that same complexity was what sparked my curiosity. Every article about the WWE introduced another name. Every interview hinted at another rivalry. Every highlight sent me to YouTube searching for the story that came before it. I wasn't simply following WWE. Like Alice chasing the White Rabbit, I was falling down, down, down the rabbit hole chasing the lore. 

And just as decades of WWE history began to feel overwhelming, I arrived at SummerSlam Takeover, the free fan fest held around the main event, and thankfully found an unexpectedly approachable introduction to the weekend. The first thing I noticed was the sprawling event store, quite familiar to any large fan event, but what surprised me was the mix of experiences surrounding it. Alongside the zones for paid meet-and-greet opportunities with WWE superstars and other WWE-themed activations were familiar brands like Dodge and even promotions for the upcoming film Super Troopers 3, reminders that this wasn't an insular world accessible only to longtime fans. ESPN invited fans to create their own wrestling superstar trading card with a top-rope pose, while the Danhausen truck celebrated one of WWE's more eccentric and wildly popular personalities with free "very nice, very evil" frozen treats. Together, the experiences created a welcoming environment for all ages.

As I stood watching fans enact Superstars' entrances, I realized the opening notes carried the same power as a familiar musical cue in a film. Just as the first notes associated with Darth Vader instantly tell audiences who is about to appear or influence the onscreen moments, the opening notes of a wrestler's entrance immediately tells these fans not only who is arriving, but similarly lets them consider what’s about to happen. It brings to mind years of memories. I didn't recognize every entrance but that didn't lessen the experience. It made me want to understand why everyone else did.

As I continued trying to understand the world I was about to enter, I kept finding myself drawn back to the SiriusXM stage and its live programming. Before the trip, I had discovered Sam Roberts' show and his explanation of the years-long story leading to the SummerSlam main event between Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. Listening to him break down that history reinforced what I was beginning to understand. Individual matches were chapters in a much larger story, and I realized just how much I still had to learn.  After stumbling upon his show’s Saturday afternoon presentation, we returned the next day early enough to find seats. While we waited, the hosts of Busted Open, who were broadcasting live, asked if there were any new listeners in the audience following the launch of WWE Radio on SiriusXM. I sheepishly raised my hand.

They immediately spotted us and encouraged us to be bolder and let them hear us on the radio. Then came the line that stayed with me all weekend. "You're welcome here." They asked the question again. This time we cheered. It wasn't the first moment I felt welcomed as a new fan. From the conversations with other fans to the willingness of people to explain references and share their favorite moments, I had already begun to see that curiosity was embraced. But hearing those words spoken directly to newcomers by people within the wrestling community confirmed what I had been experiencing all weekend. 

Looking around the stadium each night, I saw parents recount decades-old rivalries to children experiencing their first live event. Friends debated possible outcomes with the same enthusiasm Disney fans bring to theories about Marvel or Star Wars. Complete strangers struck up conversations while waiting for the next match, reveling in the callbacks and celebrating the moments certain to become part of future conversations. When I’d share it was my first live event, other fans would share the year of their first event and typically a moment they remembered from the experience. I already knew that the action inside the ring would be entertaining. What I was most excited to experience was what it would feel like to be in the room where it happens, surrounded by tens of thousands of passionate fans who carry the history, celebrate the callbacks, and bring an emotional investment that makes each moment matter. That experience exceeded my expectations. 

Unlike a movie audience, the WWE audience isn’t tasked with being silent, passive observers. The action invites participation. It embraces the chants, gives space for the impromptu songs. Tens of thousands of people weren't simply watching a story unfold. They were helping tell it with their demonstrative reactions. I will never, ever forget the sound explosion that accompanied the unexpected appearance of Randy Orton and the instant recognition that followed Brock Lesnar's callback to The Undertaker. 

Personally, that feeling reached its peak during Chelsea Green's match. Thanks to the Netflix series WWE: Unreal and the fact that she frequently appears in my social media feed visiting Disney Parks with her Disney-adult husband, Matt Cardona, I arrived at SummerSlam hoping to see her capture the interim Women's Championship. From the moment she was introduced, it was clear the crowd shared that hope. Every time she climbed another rung of the ladder, the cheers swelled. Every setback drew collective groans, as if tens of thousands of people were actively willing her to the ending they wanted. When Chelsea finally reached the top and claimed the championship belt, the eruption around me was more than a celebration of her triumph. Somehow it also felt like collaborators celebrating an ending they had helped create. It was the clearest example all weekend that, unlike most forms of entertainment, WWE audiences don't simply witness the performance. Their energy becomes part of the story itself. 

I’ll admit there were a few times I didn’t know the specific reference that triggered a crowd’s reaction but simply made a mental note to uncover the why later. 

I arrived at SummerSlam expecting to showcase ESPN's role in WWE, but I left with a deeper understanding of something much bigger. For years, I've written about Disney fandom and the communities that form around the stories people love. SummerSlam reminded me that great fandoms grow when curiosity is rewarded and communities come together to celebrate the shared history that connects generations.

What I discovered about WWE live events was that they take that connection one step further. Fans aren't just there to witness the next chapter. Their voices, reactions, and emotions become part of the story itself. The cheers, chants, and moments of collective shock or celebration become part of the history future fans will look back on. For a few unforgettable hours, thousands of strangers aren't simply watching the same story unfold. They are helping shape the lore.